ST. LEO, Fla. (March 28, 2026) – Rollins men's lacrosse came up just short on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 17 Saint Leo, 12-11, in a tightly contested battle.
Both teams opened with empty possessions before
Zachary Blinkoff broke through with an unassisted goal to give Rollins the early lead. The Tars generated several quality looks, but the Lions' defense held firm until Saint Leo found the equalizer with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. Neither side could capitalize the rest of the period, sending the game into the second tied at 1-1.
Saint Leo struck early in the second, adding another goal shortly after to take a two-goal advantage.
Conor Sweeney responded for Rollins, finishing a pass from
Alex Juhnke, and
Aaron Williams followed a few possessions later, capitalizing on a forced turnover by Dominic Devito to even the score. Blinkoff then added his second of the day off a feed from
Sean Caracciolo to give the Tars a 4-3 lead, which held through halftime.
The Lions opened the second half with a goal to tie things once again, but Rollins answered quickly.
Logan McHugh connected with Sweeney to regain the lead, then finished another opportunity off a pass from Caracciolo to extend the advantage. Williams added to the run with a goal off a feed from
Logan Myers, pushing the lead to three. Saint Leo responded with back-to-back goals to close the gap, but
Dominic Cesarone answered with a goal off a pass from
Holden Manuel to maintain the edge. The Lions added one late in the quarter, sending Rollins into the fourth with an 8-7 lead.
Chad Bulera opened the final frame with a goal, and McHugh followed shortly after off a pass from Williams to give Rollins another three-goal cushion. Saint Leo responded with a decisive run, scoring three straight goals while tightening defensively to even the game at 10-10. Blinkoff completed his hat trick to briefly put the Tars back in front, as
Brady Greco won the faceoff and picked up the ground ball to set up the go-ahead score. The Lions answered once again, tying the game before capitalizing on the ensuing possession to net the game-winner and secure the 12-11 result.
Rollins falls to 5-4 (1-1 SSC) on the season, while Saint Leo improves to 6-3 (2-0 SSC). The Tars will return home on Wednesday, April 1, hosting Florida Tech at 4 p.m. in Winter Park.
