Tampa Tames Saint Leo to Advance to SSC Title Game

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 1 ranked University of Tampa women's lacrosse team earned its place in the Sunshine State Conference Championship with a 14–11 semifinal win over No. 6 nationally ranked and fifth-seeded Saint Leo on Thursday afternoon. With the victory, the Spartans improve to 16–1 and will now host the SSC title game on Sunday, April 27, as they continue their quest to defend their conference and national championships.

How It Happened

• Isabel McGarvey opened the scoring less than two minutes in, sparking a five-goal first quarter for the Spartans.
• Tampa led 5–2 after the first 15 minutes.
• The two teams traded goals in the second quarter, with Tampa maintaining a 7–4 lead at the half behind a hat trick from Mary Kate Person.
• Saint Leo stormed back with three straight goals to open the third, tying the game 7–7.
• The Spartans answered with a three-goal run of their own, but the Lions cut the deficit to 10–9 entering the final frame.
• Saint Leo tied the game just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter.
• Tampa responded with four goals, including one from Maddie Szyluk with under six minutes to play to pull away for the 14–11 win.
• The Spartans converted 24 of 25 clears and committed six fewer turnovers than the Lions.

Spartan Performances

• A career-high six goals from Person led all scorers and marked her personal best in total points.
• Sophi Wrisk scored twice in the third quarter to help shift momentum in her first game back from injury.
• Szyluk added 2 second-half goals and an assist to help seal the win.
• With a game-high three assists, Audrey Wisdom paced the offense and kept the attack flowing.
• Lexi Waters filled the stat sheet with 6 ground balls, 6 draw controls, and 3 caused turnovers.
• Matching Waters' defensive output, Erin McLoughlin added six ground balls and three caused turnovers of her own.
• Isabella Avila secured a game-high 6 draw controls.
• Savvy Barbosa tallied nine saves on 20 shots and scooped up three ground balls, improving to 11–1 in goal this season.

Up Next: The Spartans will host the Sunshine State Conference Championship on Sunday, April 27, aiming to defend their league title and continue their pursuit of a second straight national crown.