SAINT LEO, Fla. (February 18, 2026) – No. 19 Rollins women's lacrosse dropped a road contest to No. 12 Saint Leo on Wednesday evening, falling 23-12 to the Lions.
Seven different Tars found the back of the net in the matchup, led by hat tricks from
Katie Bell and
Molly Mendes. Mendes added an assist to finish with four points, while Bell controlled the draw circle for Rollins with a team-high four draw controls. Defensively, five different Tars forced turnovers:
Ashley Thurston,
Grace Barta,
Sunny McQuade,
Alyssa Lentz, and
Julia Newby. In goal, Lentz played three quarters and made nine saves, with
Angelina Vitale recording one save in relief.
Saint Leo struck first just over three minutes into the opening quarter and quickly capitalized on draw control advantages to build early momentum. The Lions rattled off five straight goals before
Delaney Hudson broke through for Rollins following a key save by Lentz to shift possession. Saint Leo closed the period on another run, taking a 9-1 lead into the second quarter.
The Lions extended the margin to 10-1 off the opening draw, but Rollins responded with urgency.
Tess Hovivian and Hudson each found the net to spark a push, and Bell followed with back-to-back tallies; first converting on a woman-up opportunity from Hudson and then finishing off a feed from
Chloe Pierini.
Kali Gagnon added a goal to keep the Tars within striking distance, and
Holyn Trautwein capitalized on another advantage opportunity off a
Fiona Rizzo assist. Despite the surge, Saint Leo managed one more before the half, sending Rollins into the break trailing 13-7.
Saint Leo opened the third quarter with four quick goals to regain control, but the Tars continued to compete.
Delanie Abere scored unassisted to stop the run, and Mendes added a pair in the frame, keeping Rollins within reach. The Lions, however, maintained the cushion and carried a 19-10 lead into the final quarter.
Rollins showed fight to open the fourth, as Bell completed her hat trick on a feed from Mendes during a woman-up opportunity. After Saint Leo answered with two goals of its own, Mendes secured her third of the night off a pass from
Carsyn Christel. The Lions closed the scoring late to seal the 23-12 final.
Rollins will look to rebound on Sunday, February 22, traveling to face Lenoir-Rhyne in a 2 p.m. matchup in Hickory, North Carolina.
