Saint Leo University men’s soccer defeated No. 17 Florida Southern 4-3 on Sept. 12 at Jodi Luihn Family Stadium in Saint Leo, Florida. Luis Gaitan scored twice, including the first career brace for the junior, as Saint Leo held off a late comeback after a nearly two-hour delay. The victory was Saint Leo’s first over a top-25 opponent since 2022.
Saint Leo improved to 3-1-1, while Florida Southern suffered its first loss and fell to 4-1-0. The non-conference match remained scoreless until Pietro Botasso scored in the 34th minute with an assist from Virgilio Escala. Saint Leo carried a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Saint Leo builds four-goal advantage
Saint Leo scored three times in five minutes and 21 seconds after halftime to take a 4-0 lead. Gaitan scored in the 56th minute with Escala providing his second assist, and Viktor Danielsson made it 3-0 in the 59th minute. Gaitan scored again in the 61st minute, with Rodolfo Iguala assisting on the goal.
Gaitan led Saint Leo with two goals on three shots, all of which were on target. Botasso and Danielsson each scored once, while Escala finished with two assists. Saint Leo held a 12-14 disadvantage in overall shots but put seven shots on target.
Florida Southern rallies late
Florida Southern scored three times during the final 10 minutes to cut the deficit to one. Gustav Lind scored in the 80th and 88th minutes, and Joao Lopes scored in the final 10 minutes. Max Muth, Darcy Moffat and Luciano Schiaffini recorded assists on Florida Southern’s three goals, respectively.
Saint Leo held Florida Southern scoreless over the closing minutes to secure the victory. Vincent Fournier made two saves for Saint Leo. Saint Leo will host Tampa on Wednesday, Sept. 16, in its first conference game of the season.
Source: Original report