SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's lacrosse team faced a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time program history on Saturday. The Eagles came up short against No. 10 Saint Leo, falling by a final score of 21-6. The loss drops ERAU's record to 1-7, 0-2 in conference play, while the Lions move to 7-1 and are 1-0 in SSC games.
 
Saint Leo got off to a fast start, running out to a 6-0 lead in the first 8:02 of the contest. Alex Ruiz and Kyle Dalrymple scored back-to-back goals to cut the deficit to 6-2 with 2:04 left in the first quarter, but SLU got one of the goals back with one second left to hold a 7-2 advantage after one quarter of play.
 
The second period saw both offenses struggle, as ERAU outscored the Lions 3-2 in the frame. Ian Heggblod scored just over a minute into the period to make it 7-3, and Jacob Saccal and Ryan Manning each scored in the final 2:14 of the quarter, trimming the margin to 9-5 at the half.
 
After the break, Embry-Riddle struggled to find any rhythm on offense, as the Lions outscored the Blue and Gold 12-1 in the second half, earning the 21-6 win.
 
Six different Eagles scored a goal apiece, including Dalrymple, Saccal, Ruiz, Heggblod, Manning, and Joey Santella. Mario Cartisano (0-1) took the loss in his first start, making six saves on 15 shots in the first half. Jerry Wilson played the second half in net for ERAU, notching seven saves on 19 shots.
 
The Eagles return home for their second home game of the season next week after playing the previous seven games away from home. ERAU will host No. 5 Tampa on Thursday, March 29, at 4 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's team, who will be playing at 7 p.m.