Saint Leo University Athletics men’s soccer rallied twice in the second half but fell 3-2 to Florida Tech on Sept. 19, 2026, at Rick Stottler Field in Melbourne. The Sunshine State Conference match remained scoreless through the opening 45 minutes before all five goals were scored in the second half.
Florida Tech opened the scoring in the 55th minute. Saint Leo answered in the 79th minute when Pietro Botasso scored, with assists from Virgilio Escala and Adrian White.
Florida Tech regained the lead in the 82nd minute, but Saint Leo responded again three minutes later. Martin Foroe tied the match at 2-2 in the 85th minute, with Escala recording his second assist of the night.
Florida Tech scored the decisive goal with 1:23 remaining in regulation. Francesco Micheli scored Florida Tech’s first goal with an assist from Paulo Manaia, Marius Brandmayr added the Panthers’ second goal with an assist from Kacper Gosciniarek, and William Kennedy scored the deciding goal.
Saint Leo had one final opportunity to equalize. Escala’s shot with 31 seconds remaining was saved by Florida Tech goalkeeper Elias Ronning.
Florida Tech held the shot advantage
Saint Leo finished with seven shots, including five on frame, while goalkeeper Vincent Fournier made five saves. Florida Tech held a 20-7 advantage in total shots and an 8-5 edge in shots on goal.
Saint Leo entered the match with a 3-2-2 overall record and a 0-1-1 Sunshine State Conference record. Florida Tech entered at 4-1-2 overall and 2-0-0 in conference play.
Next match for Saint Leo
Saint Leo will host Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. in a Sunshine State Conference match.
FSB Take
Saint Leo answered both Florida Tech leads in the second half, but the late deciding goal ended the comeback effort. Escala’s two assists and the goals from Botasso and Foroe were the key attacking contributions in the rally, while Florida Tech’s 20-7 shot advantage proved significant.
Source: Original report