SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's lacrosse traveled for a road matchup against the No. 15 Saint Leo Lions. An early offensive surge led to PBA securing the SSC win over the Lions, 10-8.

In the first quarter, the Sailfish struck early courtesy of Cooper Porter. Porter crossed his defender before shooting from the top of the crease for a 1-0 PBA lead. The Lions were quick to respond with the equalizer, but the 'Fish were relentless. With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Dominic Barnshaw split two defenders and passed to Keegan Southard who scored the go-ahead goal. Curtis Goddard followed suit, charging from behind the cage before passing to Caleb Southard for a 3-1 PBA lead. Tyler Hopkins joined in on the action with the give-and-go to Zion Lee for a 4-1 advantage over the Lions. Saint Leo was able to net another goal, but PBA held a 4-2 lead going into the second quarter.

Looking to maintain their lead, PBA jumped ahead with Lee swinging the ball around the top of the crease to Hopkins to elevate the 'Fish to 5-2. In the fifth minute of play, Goddard capitalized on the Lions misplaying a ball in front of the goal to give PBA a 6-2 lead. The Sailfish put up a total of 14 shots in the second quarter but were unable to add to their lead. The Lions recorded ten shots with six on goal, but goalie Brendan Pedisich was a brick wall and marked five saves in the second quarter alone. PBA entered the half with a 6-2 advantage and Pedisich with eight saves in the match. 

A defensive battle saw both teams evenly matched through the first five minutes of play in the third quarter. The Sailfish were able to break the scoring draught with a lone goal from Porter, his second of the day. The Lions started to chip at the deficit with a goal of their own, cutting the Sailfish lead to four. PBA responded with Porter passing to a wide-open Goddard, leading to an 8-3 'Fish advantage. The Lions netted back-to-back goals with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter. The Sailfish saw Dallas Pulliam win the faceoff before Porter charged in from the sidelines and flung the ball into the back of the cage. PBA held a 9-5 lead heading into the final quarter of play. 

The Lions looked to make things interesting by netting a trio of goals and holding the 'Fish scoreless for a majority of the fourth quarter. Saint Leo managed to cut the lead to one, seeing PBA lead 9-8 with seven minutes of play remaining. Looking for another goal for extra security, the Lions drew two penalties to put PBA in a man-up situation with two minutes remaining. Patrick Law took advantage of the man-up situation by netting the 'Fish final goal of the evening and securing the 10-8 victory. 

Palm Beach Atlantic will return to West Palm Beach, Fla. for their matchup at the PBA Lacrosse Field on Wednesday, April 16. The Sailfish will host Lynn in an SSC showdown for their final match of the regular season. Face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. (EST).