SAINT LEO, FLA. – In a matchup of nationally-ranked squads, the No. 9 Maryville men's lacrosse team saw a rally fall short as No. 16 Saint Leo held on to down the Saints 11-9. Ben Mickett registered a hat trick and one assist, while Clayton Cerett also posted four points on two goals and two assists. The Saints controlled the faceoffs and won 15 of 24 at the dot.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The host Lions sprinted out of the gate and scored four times in the opening five minutes. The Saints found themselves down six before mounting a serious comeback. Chris Anderson got Maryville on the scoreboard late in the first, and Justin Simonson found the back of the net early in the second. SLU scored but the Saints answered with three straight. Mickett fired in a shot, and Andrew Skifstad won the ensuing faceoff. Trent Zimay launched in a shot as the Saints cut the gap down to 7-4 at halftime.
 
The Saints grabbed the momentum when Cerett scored two minutes into the third quarter as Maryville chopped the deficit to 7-5. The Lions steadied themselves with two straight goals. Mickett fired in a goal late in the third to make it 9-6. The Saints kept the comeback going as Cerett opened the scoring in the fourth as the Saints clawed back to within two at 9-7 with 11 minutes to play. SLU earned some breathing space with two goals as the Saints made a push back with two late goals.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Goals: Ben Mickett - 3
Assists: Clayton Cerett and Justin Simonson - 2
Points: Clayton Cerett and Ben Mickett - 4
Ground Balls: Shea Raeburn - 7
Caused Turnovers: three players - 2
Faceoff Wins: Shea Raeburn - 8
Saves: Dylan Radke - 8
 
RECORDS
No. 9 Maryville: 4-3
No. 16 Saint Leo: 6-1
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Saints close their Florida swing as they have a third straight game against a ranked with a contest at #20 Rollins Saturday, March 15.
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