SAINT LEO, Fla. — The Catawba College men's lacrosse program notched its first ranked win since 2022, snapping a 22-game losing streak, in an 11-10 overtime victory at 11th-ranked Saint Leo on Saturday afternoon.
TEAM STATS
- The key for Catawba (4-0) was its defense, fending off the Lions (3-1) despite being out-shot 43-37
- The blue and white had better accuracy on offense, narrowly trailing in on-target attempts 27-26 with a season-high .703 shots on goal percentage rivaling Saint Leo's .628
- Turnovers were close as well with the Catawba Indians committing 14 against the Lions' 13 as Saint Leo possessed a double-digit advantage in ground balls at 31-21
- Catawba led the clear count 19-16 although it was not as efficient with an .826 clip, slightly lower than the .889 by the hosts
- The Lions had great success on the faceoff dot, going 16-for-24 with Andrew Graham leading the way while Catawba's Cael Petroff and Mason Adams won five and three faceoffs, respectively
- In goal for the visitors, Ben LoPiccolo shined with 17 saves on a .630 day between the posts; Drew Wheeler turned in a .577 save percentage for SLU with 15 stops
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Tanner Stout found the back of the net three times for his first hat trick of the year, adding an assist for a four-point day
- Micah Stechmiller chipped in a pair of goals with six more players tallying one dart apiece
- Peyton Turner tickled the twine once and dished out a team-high three assists
- LoPiccolo and Petroff led the squad in ground balls with five and four pickups, respectively, while Stout, Stechmiller and Eric Fruge paced the field players at two apiece
- Fruge and Kier McKnight anchored the defensive unit as each logged a caused turnover
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
- Saint Leo drew first blood with a pair of scores in the first eight minutes, but Catawba roared back with goals from Stechmiller, Statton Rehrer and Jack Mercer to even it at 3-3
- Following the next faceoff, LoPiccolo saved a Lion shot and picked up the loose ball, setting up the offense for a Matt Cetrone on-target shot that bounced out to Stout who tossed in the go-ahead strike
- Anderson Smith found paydirt to pull SLU back level before Boston Rehrer offered a bullseye with 18 seconds to go, marking a 5-4 Catawba edge through one stanza
Second Quarter
- Another early-period run for the Lions produced three goals capped by back-to-back John Raucci blasts, allowing SLU to overtake the visitors 7-5
- A 30-second offside against the home team bought enough time for the Catawba Indians to make a cut into the deficit as Turner found Stechmiller to secure a brace for the Queen City native
- LoPiccolo staved off a couple scoring opportunities for SLU, flipping the field as Catawba called timeout in hopes of rallying the troops for a game-tying push
- The break paid off when Boston Rehrer connected with fellow junior Stout inside the final minute for the equalizer, making it a 7-7 stalemate at the half
Third Quarter
- SLU's Aiden Knoetgen got the second half started with a strike 15 seconds in, but Turner found the twine minutes later to cancel it out
- Consecutive successful clears and shots on goal were nullified by the Catawba defense; instead, Stout was assisted by Turner for the Catawba Indians' third go-ahead goal of the day
Fourth Quarter
- Cited for cross-checking, SLU went a man down but killed off a quarter-opening penalty before seeking another barrage to open the frame
- The blue and white kept the Lions at bay until 11:36 to go when Maverick Chernoff tied it 9-9
- After a quiet seven minutes, Michael Lindsey broke the silence with a bullseye as the clock showed 4:30 remaining
- Knoetgen emerged for the hosts again, putting in a second-chance goal to send the game to overtime at 10-all
Overtime
- Petroff gained leverage for the Catawba Indians with the faceoff win; 35 seconds later, Mike Murphy and company opted for a timeout to draw up a play
- Turner missed high but Catawba won the run out to gain another opportunity on offense
- Finding a seam from range, Simi ripped a shot that got past the keeper for the golden goal that finalized a 4-0 start to the year for Catawba and its 11th ranked win in program history
UP NEXT
After a four-game road gauntlet to start the year, Catawba makes its home debut on Wednesday, Mar. 4, against Newberry for the South Atlantic Conference opener.
