Colleges: Darwell's early goal lifts Lions into SSC semis

Chrissy Darwell’s goal 69 seconds into the game proved to be the only one of the game as Saint Leo advanced into the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference tournament with a 1-0 victory against Nova Southeastern on Tuesday night at University Field.

Ana Davila began the move for the Lions, finding Hannah Beard on the left side of the penalty area. Beard turned her defender, and played the ball back to Darwell, who struck a shot into the opposite corner of the goal.

The Lions continued to press forward to try and add to their lead, Darwell finished with five shots, but were unable to find the net again. That wouldn’t come back to haunt them, though, as the Lions defense allowed only one shot on goal as Cristina Coca earned her third shutout of the season.

The Lions will now face tournament host and No.1-seed Rollins in the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Friday night. The Lions lost 3-2 to the Tars on Sept. 23rd, twice holding a lead before goals by Elise Spearing and Charlotte Murrell gave Rollins victory.