Colleges: Lions fall in SSC semifinals

Saint Leo went into Friday night’s Sunshine State Conference tournament semifinal against Rollins eager to avenge the defeat the Tars had inflicted upon it earlier in the season.

No.1 seed and tournament host Rollins wouldn’t allow that to happen, as the Tars advanced to the final with a 4-1 win on Friday night.

After a tight, defensive opening to the game that saw few scoring chances, Rollins took the lead on the half-hour mark. After Chelsea Brady was brought down in the penalty area, Leah Hirsch had her shot saved by Lions goalkeeper Cristina Coca, but Hirsch followed up to score on the rebound.

The Tars doubled their lead just before halftime, as Jessica Mooney scored after Rachel Jakubowski’s header had been blocked.

The Lions had difficulty finding their rhythm, only managing three shots on goal for the game, as Rollins maintained their control in the second half. Ali Schrader scored in the 76th minute to effectively put the game out of reach for the Tars, and while the Lions pulled a goal back through Pia Soesemann in the 86th minute, Schrader answered almost immediately to kill any thought of a comeback.

Now the Lions will have to wait and see as to what their next opponent will be. Coach Ged O’Connor was confident his sides’ victory against Nova Southeastern would be enough to put the Lions in the NCAA Tournament field, but it will remain to be see what happens on Sunday when the bracket gets announced.

Colleges: Using last season as guide, Lions look for SSC title

SAINT LEO – Saint Leo’s women have been here before. Last year, as it happens.

Then, the No.4-seeded Lions made a remarkable run to the Sunshine State Conference tournament championship.

Now, the No.4-seeded Lions are looking to do the same thing, beginning when they face No.5 seed Nova Southeastern at University Field on Tuesday night. It’s a task that Coach Ged O’Connor and his side are looking forward to.

“This is the fun time of the year, because you know every game you’re going to play is going to be a tough one,” O’Connor said.

In the past three seasons, the Lions have risen to that challenge. Including last year’s title, they have been to the SSC tournament final in each of the past three seasons. Before last season, the Lions had been the No.2 seed twice, earning a bye in the first round and advancing automatically into the semifinals. O’Connor, though, is happy to have an extra game at home.

“In a way, I’d rather finish third or fourth than finish second in the conference,” O’Connor said. “Both Rollins and Florida Tech have got over a week off, because we had to have last weekend free. That’s a long time without playing. It’s hard to stay match-fit.”

Saint Leo won 3-1 on the road when the two teams played in the penultimate game of the Lions regular season. Hannah Beard scored twice in that contest, and O’Connor said he will need Beard and center back Francesca Williams to be at their best if they Lions are to move on to face Rollins on Friday.

A bigger key, though, may be for the Lions to erase the defensive mistakes that have allowed opponents easy scoring opportunities, a trait that has bedeviled the Lions so far this season.

“If we continue to allow mistakes, it’s going to cost us,” O’Connor said. “We’ve got good enough players going forward between Pia (Soesemann), Chrissy (Darwell), Hannah and (Sara) Macko, we’ve got some damn, damn good players going forward, but I don’t know how many goals we’ve given up this year, but I’d be surprised if more than 20 percent were because of great play by the other team.”

If the Lions can fix that, though, O’Connor sees no reason why his side can’t win a second straight title.

“I think there’s a little bit of confidence, especially because they know what happened last year,” O’Connor said. “I’m not scared of any of those teams.”

Colleges: Beard's two goals give Lions victory

A pair of second half goals by Hannah Beard gave Saint Leo a 3-1 victory against Nova Southeastern, and also gave the Lions momentum as they move towards their final game of the regular season.

After a scoreless first half, the Lions began to build pressure on the Sharks goal, NSU goalkeeper Sarah Glass having to make saves from Pia Soesemann twice and Kelli Jones. The Lions then took the lead on the hour mark as Sara Macko converted a penalty kick for her seventh goal of the season.

Beard then notched her first, picking up a pass from Soesemann on the right side of the penalty area before finishing in the 73rd minute. NSU pulled a goal back six minutes later, Alexis Hernandez beating the Lions defense to a long ball over the top that put her through on goal to score, but Beard sealed the victory in the 83th minute, her 12th goal of the season.

The Lions sealed the No.4 seed for the Sunshine State Conference tournament with the win, and will now face rival Tampa at Pepin-Rood Stadium to close out the regular season on Wednesday.

College Women's Matchday: Saint Leo at Nova Southeastern

WHEN: Saturday, 5 p.m., NSU Soccer Complex

NEED TO KNOW: The Lions will try to move ahead of the Sharks in the Sunshine State Conference standings when the two teams meet. Both sides have won three games in conference play so far, with NSU having earned one point more thanks to a tie against Rollins.

The Sharks (6-5-1, 3-3-1 SSC) fell 3-1 in their last outing against Florida Tech, and conclude their SSC schedule with Saturday’s game. NSU has spread its scoring around, with three players, Elizabeth Brauher, Aubrey Fondy and Alexis Hernandez, each scoring three goals this season.

The Lions (6-4-1, 3-3-0), on the other hand, have had Hannah Beard as a consistent scoring threat. The senior has scored 10 goals in 10 games for the Bulls, adding a pair of assists. Thanks to that, and the performances of Pia Soesemann (seven goals) and Sara Macko (six), the Lions have averaged four goals per game for the season, including 2.67 in conference play.

Colleges: Moccasins rally past Lions, pull away late

Goals shortly before and after the halftime break erased Saint Leo’s first half lead and allowed Florida Southern to take another step towards a Sunshine State Conference title as the Moccasins won 4-1 at University Field on Saturday night.

Pia Soesemann had given the Lions the lead in the 35th minute on her seventh goal of the season. Sara Macko found Soesemann just outside the penalty area, and the German standout fired her shot home from 18 yards.

Saint Leo (6-3-1, 3-3-0 SSC) had a chance to extend their lead shortly after, Aija Bent-Trinder’s header from a corner going wide, but shortly after the Moccasins tied the game as Alex Hoover’s cross found Renee Hiscock for a header in the 43rd minute.

Florida Southern (10-5-1, 6-1-0) then took the lead in the 48th minute, Hanna Jansson’s long-range shot finding the back of the net. Saint Leo tried to rally, but the Moccasins defense did well to restrict Hannah Beard and the Lions attack, blocking a pair of shots as goalkeeper Martina Tangen had to make only one second half save.

Florida Southern then put the game away with a pair of goals within a minute, Princess Haley scoring her ninth of the season before Alex Hoover scored the Moccasins’ fourth.

Florida Southern now has almost two weeks off before what could be a championship decider against Rollins on Oct. 29. The Lions will try to regroup as they travel to face Florida Tech on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m.

College Women's Matchday: Florida Southern at Saint Leo

WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m., University Field

NEED TO KNOW: The Lions will look to continue their run of form against a Florida Southern team that is in contention for the Sunshine State Conference title. Saint Leo has won three straight games, including a 1-0 victory against Barry in its last time out.

After suffering major setbacks early in the season with injury and illness, the Lions appear to have found the rhythm they have been in search of. The trio of Hannah Beard, Sara Macko and Pia Soesemann have been critical to this, with Beard leading the team with 10 goals in nine games. Macko and Soesemann have added six goals apiece as the Bulls have scored 39 goals this season.

Florida Southern drew with Montevallo (Ga.) in their last outing on Tuesday, as former Newsome High standout Morgan Sammons continued her recent run of form with her fifth goal of the season. Princess Haley and Kerri-Ann Brown lead the Moccasins with eight goals apiece, and the key to the game could be who gets on the board first. Both Saint Leo and Florida Southern have scored more goals in the first half than the second this season.

Colleges: Lions earn revenge, Soesemann earns award

Two seasons ago, a 3-0 loss at Barry cost Saint Leo’s women a chance a the Sunshine State Conference regular season championship, and the top seed in the SSC tournament that season.

With many members of the team remaining on the Lions squad, Coach Ged O’Connor probably didn’t need to remind his team of what happened then, but did anyway.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” O’Connor said. “The girls had a little bit of revenge in mind after what happened two years ago.”

Sara Macko scored the only goal for the Lions in the eighth minute as they extended their winning streak to three games and moved above .500 in the SSC. After a pair of tough losses to Rollins and Florida Tech, the Lions are rounding into the form O’Connor was hoping to see from them.

‘It feels that way,” O’Connor said. “There’s a little bit of quiet confidence about the team. The great thing was we went down to Barry, they played with three high strikers and we scored in the eighth minute and were able to hold them for the remaining 82.”

Integral in that winning run has been the play of Pia Soesemann, who on Monday was named the SSC Women’s Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals in two games. While Macko and All-American forward Hannah Beard have been getting a lot of attention for the Lions this season, Soesemann has been a vital piece in their success.

“Pia’s a stud, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” O’Connor said. “She’s a great player, but she works her socks off, and a lot of the work she does goes unnoticed, like Crissy Darwell. She’s having a phenomenal year.”

With what appears to be a three-horse race emerging between Florida Tech, Rollins and Florida Southern for the SSC title, Saint Leo would need things to fall their way in other games if they were to get back into contention. The Lions can help themselves with that this Saturday as they host Florida Southern in their final home game of the season.

“Now we’ve got a massive, massive test,” O’Connor said.. “Florida Southern at home on senior night, it’s going to be a tough game.”

Colleges: Soesemann leads Lions rally to victory

Playing through a bruised thigh she suffered in the first minute of the game, Pia Soesemann scored twice in the second half to lead Saint Leo a 4-2 victory against Lynn on Friday evening.

With the game tied 2-2 after Sara Macko and Hannah Beard had each scored to negate a pair of leads taken by the Fighting Knights, Soesemann gave the Lions their first lead of the game in the 81st minute. Picking up a pass from Kelli Jones neat the halfway line, Soesemann raced down the flank, cut inside, beat her defender and scored.

Soesemann then gave the Lions some breathing room five minutes later. Chrissy Darwell began the move, taking the ball down the touchline before she slipped it to Beard inside the penalty area. Beard created space for herself, and found Soesemann, who had timed her run into the penalty area to strike home a first-time shot into the net.

The goal was Soesemann’s sixth of the season, and she trails only Beard, whose goal was her 10th of the season. The victory evened the Spartans Sunshine State Conference record, and they will now look to move above .500 on Tuesday as they travel to face Barry.

Colleges: Depleted Lions blow out Sailfish

Hannah Beard scored twice, while Sara Macko had a goal and three assists as Saint Leo’s women overcame a short bench to sweep past Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday night 7-2 in West Palm Beach.

Beard gave the Lions the lead in the 10th minute, but the Sailfish answered less than a minute later on a goal by Gabby Lopez. From there, though, the half was dominated by Saint Leo (4-2-1), who took only 15 players with them on the trip, allowing for only three outfield substitutes. Goals by Macko, Pia Soesemann, Kelli Jones and Aija Bent-Trinder all scored before halftime to give the Lions a 5-1 lead.

Angie Kuhn pulled a goal back for the Sailfish (4-4-0) just before the hour mark, but Andrea Lott scored her first goal of the season, and Beard added her ninth late to close out the game.

The Lions now return home to face Lynn on Friday night as they look to return to .500 in Sunshine State Conference play.