ST. AUGUSTINE - The No. 17 (United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association) ranked Flagler College men's lacrosse team came up short in their 8-7 loss against No. 2 University of Tampa this afternoon at the Flagler Lacrosse Field.

With this loss, the Saints dropped to 1-2 on the season while the Spartans move up to 4-0. The Saints will return to action on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. to face Palm Beach Atlantic University. 

A back and fourth match between the two ranked institutions saw the match tie four times and neither team exceed a two point lead. The defensive bout was spearheaded by goal keeper Wade Lamon. In a career game, Lamon faced 42 shots, stopping 13. From the field, Andrew Wehberg caused a team high three turnovers and found a match high four ground balls. Wehberg was joined by Brexton Carter, Payton Maxwell and Mekai Nelson who each caused one turnover. Prior to this game, Tampa averaged 12 points a game, with their lowest scoring match be against Florida Institute of Technology, where they scored 10.

Offensively, the Saints were led by a standout freshman performance from Dempsey Gibbs. Gibbs found his first two goals of his collegiate career, with his first giving the Saints their only lead of the day, from Trace McDonald. McDonald also notched two goals while finding two assists, keeping his now five game streak alive with four or more points. Tommy Leonard, Cole Gaudet freshman Reece Shaw were the remaining Saints to score a goal.

This is the highest ranking opponent Flagler has faced since Feb. 8 of the 2025 season where they lost to No. 2 Tampa, 16-8. Read Full Article