Sports Lowdown

The Florida Tech Men’s Soccer team endured almost three hours of weather-related delays on Wednesday, in a 2-1 extra-time loss to the Sailfish in West Palm Beach. Add to that, the eight and a half minutes of overtime and you have a match that ended at 12:14 a.m. on Thursday. The two teams only combined for six shots in a first half that was played in very sloppy conditions.  Palm Beach Atlantic finally found the back of the net, just shy of 10 minutes into the second half. Kebba Nyang was able to beat the Panthers defense and then Panthers’ goalie Christian Moerch , giving Palm Beach Atlantic a 1-0 lead. After an extended lightning delay, the Panthers got on the board when Brandon Smalley took a free kick that he got into the box to Bjoern Jaeger, who passed to Jack Willison . He headed it past PBA goalie Elliott Barker, to knot the game, 1-1. Palm Beach Atlantic applied most of the offensive zone pressure the rest of the half, taking six shots following the ty...

The Florida Tech Football team is coming off a big win over Division I FCS opponent Presbyterian on Saturday, coming away with a 28-7 victory. “Our game plan going in was to hit some big plays on them,” said head coach Steve Englehart. “We didn’t know if we could consistently drive the ball. Our first drive we got into the red zone and scored with like a nine play drive, after that, it was all about the big plays.” Englehart had high praise once again this week for his defense that has now allowed just 35 points this season and only seven in the last three weeks.  “They shut down the run and made them throw the ball and then got the pick-six by Jo Jackson to put the game away.” “The defense has been really good,” he continued. “A big part of that is our defensive staff. The four of those guys work very well together and put a good game plan and work hard on, getting the right personnel out there and making the right calls to stop what the other team is trying to do...

The Florida Tech Volleyball team is in the midst of a nine-game losing streak, including two losses last week to Lynn and Barry, both on the road. On Thursday September 22, the Panthers fell 3-0 to Lynn, committing 20 hit errors and losing by scores of 25-11, 25-21 and 25-15. Kiersten Rosa , who has had assist totals in the 40’s a couple times this season, was held to 22 in this match, but she added seven digs to lead the team. Kelly Germain led the Panthers with 13 kills, added five digs and blocked two. Jenna Schaffer and Samantha Reeves each contributed four kills and a block. Lynn went on a run that saw them win seven out of eight points in game one and led 13-5 and then went on another eight-point run to go up 22-7. Before winning by 14. Game two saw the Panthers jump out to a 7-4 lead, before the Fighting Knights won four straight points to take the lead. The game went back-and-forth the rest of the way, but Lynn won three of the last four points, to win 2...

The Florida Tech women’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss to Rollins on Saturday, in a Sunshine State Conference showdown. The loss was the third straight for the Panthers and they are significant, because they are all in conference. The hometown Tars were ranked sixth in the country coming in, and they got all they could handle from Florida Tech and goaltender Karlyn Prisco , who came up with eight saves. She was matched by the play of Rollins goaltender Kelly Roswell, who had nine. The teams played through a scoreless first half with Roswell having to make five saves. Maria Munoz got a shot off with just 54 seconds gone and Prisco made her first save in the 13 th minute.  Aubri Williamson and Keira McCarthy both got shots off about one minute apart for the Panthers at the halfway mark of the first half, but Roswell was able to keep them out of the net. Ciera Misner was awarded a penalty kick with about 20 minutes left in the contest, but Roswell guessed ri...

The Florida Tech Men’s Soccer team came away with a big 1-0 win over 22 nd ranked Rollins on Saturday at Rick Stottler Field in Melbourne. The win moved the Panthers to 5-0-1 overall and 3-0 in the Sunshine State Conference. Adin Kavara came up with the decisive strike 64:52 into the game, when he headed it past Tars starting goaltender Drew Trautmann. It was not an easy victory by any means, as Rollins controlled play for much of the first half, taking 10 shots and forcing FIT goalie Christian Moerch to make four saves. The Panthers took three shots in that first half, all of them had to be saved by Trautmann. Moerch barely had a chance to get comfortable between the pipes, as he made his first save 14 seconds into the game. Rollins had another shot go off the post at the 11:56 mark. Sam Sawyer and Kavara took a couple early shots, with Kavara getting one in the eighth minute and in the 10 th minute. In the second half, the Tars had a couple early chances, before...

The Florida Tech Panthers moved to 4-0 for the first time in school history, beating Division I FCS opponent Presbyterian on Saturday, 28-7. As Florida Tech play-by-play man Jerry Durney noted, it is equivalent to a boxer stepping up a weight class. Sometimes the move up produces an upset and that was the case in this game, at least to those not associated with the Florida Tech football program. The Panthers defense came into the game with shut outs in their last two games and for two and a half quarters, they were able to keep the Blue Hoes at bay. Coupled with the passing of Mark Cato and the play of their wide receivers, the Panthers controlled this game from the outset. After the defense forced a three and out on the Blue Hose opening possession, Panthers coach Steve Englehart had defensive lineman Tevin Kirkland lined up as a wide receiver. Cato was able to find him down the field on the first offensive play, covering 36 yards and getting the Panthers to midfiel...

The Florida Tech Men’s Soccer team beat the Saint Leo Lions 2-1 Wednesday, in a Sunshine State Conference showdown. Stian Tsesmetsis and Evan Enders tallied for the Panthers, who moved to 4-0-1 overall. The Tsesmetsis goal came 1:59 into the contest, off a corner kick by Josh Thomas. Jack Turnbull had a chance to put his team up by two 25 seconds later, but Lions’ goalie Conor McElhinney was up to the task. Florida Tech starting goalie Christian Moerch made three saves in the first half, including an early header by Ricardo Navia. He robbed Brandon Rivera in the 25 th minute and Keisuke Ohata in the 28 th minute. Fabian Egbele took a shot at the 35:37 mark, but McElhinney made his third save of the half on that shot. Evan Enders added an insurance goal for the Panthers at the 51:34 mark, with the assist to Brandon Smalley , giving the Panthers a two goal lead. Things proceeded to get pretty chippy following that goal. Joaquin Peluffo and Haydn Dickinson both r...

The Saint. Leo Lions scored two late goals Wednesday night, erasing Florida Tech’s lead and picking up a big 3-2 win in Women’s Soccer on Wednesday night. Florida Tech dented the scoreboard immediately, when Keira McCarthy picked off a ball in the Saint Leo side if the field and burned by the defense, before drilling a ball by Lions goalie Julia Ortiz. McCarthy got another shot off at the 1:37 mark, but Ortiz was able to keep that one out. The Panthers (5-2, 1-2 SSC) made good on their next opportunity at the 11:03 mark when Ciera Misner got a free kick that Eva Banton pushed to Elin Svensson, who headed it past Ortiz and gave Florida Tech a quick 2-0 lead. Saint Leo (5-1, 3-0 SSC) closed the gap to 2-1 on a goal by Arielle Kabangu, who beat Karlyn Prisco in net for the Panthers. The Lions had two consecutive corner kicks in the 29 th minute, but neither team was able to score before the end of the half. Each team took six shots on goal in the first half, with Saint...

The Jacksonville Jaguars showed some promise in last week’s performance against the Green Bay Packers. In Sunday’s 38-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers, that promise seemed like a distant memory. Philip Rivers was in complete control throughout, while Blake Bortles missed throws, had no running game and dealt with guys not being where they were supposed to be. With Chris Ivory out again with a medical ailment, T.J. Yeldon was in his spot and for the second straight week and was almost invisible for the second straight week. With no running game to speak of, Bortles was forced to throw 50 times. The more you throw, the more chances you have to make mistakes and Bortles did, early.  With San Diego up 7-0 in the first quarter, Bortles started the third offensive drive for the Jaguars and it was like déjà vu. Bortles threw a pass over the middle, intended for Marqise Lee, he was unable to reel it in and the pass was tipped and intercepted. It was a carbon copy of the J...

The Florida Tech Panthers won the battle of unbeatens on Saturday at Rick Stottler Field, taking down the Eckerd Tritons 3-2 in a Sunshine State Conference Men’s Soccer showdown. The Panthers (3-0-1, 1-0) fired 19 shots, with seven of them on goal. In contrast, Eckerd had only six. Florida Tech’s Sam Sawyer got the home team on the board first at 13:06, beating Eckerd goalie Alex Gott. The assist went to Josh Thomas . The Tritons (5-1, 1-1) were in good position to tie things up when Sawyer picked up a yellow card at 30:36, resulting in a penalty kick for Matheus Assumpcao. Florida Tech goalie Christian Moerch was up to the task, diving to his right and getting the save. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Assumpcao was in position to pick up the rebound and he drove it past Moerch, tying the game at one. Florida Tech kept up the pressure getting two corner kicks in the 33 rd minute, by Josh Thomas and Luca Campanini 14 seconds apart. They did not convert, but in the 42 ...

For the second consecutive week, Florida Tech Football team pitched a shutout, beating the Shorter Hawks 40-0 in Rome Georgia., as they improved to 3-0 to start the 2016 season.  It was a record setting night for the Crimson and Gray, as they won their second consecutive Gulf South Conference game and are now 2-0 in the GSC for the first time in program history. It was also the first shutout on the road in school history. The Panthers defense smothered the Hawks all night and with the shutout on Saturday, they have not allowed points in the last 10 quarters of football. With the 41-0 victory last week over Mississippi College, the Panthers have won their last two games by a combined score of 81-0 and have scored 40 points or more in all three games this season. It didn’t take long for the Panthers to start rolling, as they came out with a bit of a trick play on the first play of the game. Head coach Steve Englehart had both of his quarterbacks in the backfield, wit...

The Florida Tech Volleyball team opened their Sunshine State Conference opener at the Clemente Center on Friday, falling to the Rollins Tars, 3-2. The match kept a couple streaks intact, as Rollins won their seventh straight, while the Panthers suffered their seventh straight loss. The two teams traded wins in the first four games, with Rollins taking game one and three by identical 25-16 scores. The Panthers took game two 30-28 and game four 25-22, before dropping the fifth set, 15-12. Rollins opened a 17-8 lead in the first game with a couple extended runs and the Panthers never recovered. The second game was a typical back-and-forth affair, with the Panthers leading 13-12, before Rollins won the next four points, to take the lead. The Panthers regained the lead with a run of six out of eight points, to regain the lead 25-24. They traded points with the Tars, before winning the final two points and squeaking out the 30-28 victory. Rollins (7-2, 1-0) took control of ...

The Florida Tech Women’s Soccer team got a big win on Thursday, beating Sunshine State Conference Foe Barry, 3-1, to improve to 5-0 on the season. Florida Tech has struggled to get a win against the Buccaneers in recent years, playing to scoreless ties and losing one goal games. Thursday things worked out in favor of the Panthers in the end, but the game started much like those other games, as the teams played to a scoreless tie after 45 minutes. That first half was odd in the sense that the Barry offense had the most possession time in their offensive zone, keeping the ball on their feet with good passing and ball control. They did not turn that into scoring chances, getting only two shots off and neither were on goal. The Panthers had some decent chances in that half, with six shots, with three having to be saved by Barry goalie Paula Forero. The best of those shots came with 10 seconds left in the first half. Kelly Johnson and Aubri Williamson had a shot at a 2-on-1...

The Florida Tech Panthers practice started a little bit ahead of schedule on Thursday, as Coach Steve Englehart had the guys doing some extra work. “Practice didn’t start off real well, he said. “We had some discipline issues with guys not taking care of the locker room, the way they should. We got that problem solved this morning at the start of practice and I thought the rest of the practice went pretty well.” These are guys that care about their teammates and care about the coach, as there were a few players, during the extra work, reminding the team that they did this to themselves. It certainly shows that they understood the mistakes that were made. Coach has said in the past that Thursday is more of a mental day than a physical one. A chance to run through things and make sure they are on the same page. This practice followed that path, but Englehart said that the team had a good week of practice overall. “Tuesday we had some rain issues and lightning that we...

The Florida Tech Volleyball team went on the road Tuesday to take on Embry-Riddle, in Jacksonville. Coming off a rough weekend that saw them get shutout four times at the Hyatt Place Bash at the beach. The Panthers were hoping to get back on the winning track. Unfortunately, a slow start in game one that saw the Eagles win nine of 11 points in one stretch, led to a 25-11 loss. The Panthers earned a hard fought win in game two, 28-26, but Embry-Riddle won the final two games, leading to a 3-1 victory for the home squad. Game two was back-and-forth game of runs. The Panthers won four out of five points early, to take a 9-5 lead, but the Eagles bounced back with six straight points, to take a 14-12 lead. Florida Tech won six straight late in the match and seven out of eight, to take a 26-25 lead and after trading points, Florida Tech won the final two points they needed to win the game and tie the match 1-1. For the Panthers, it was the first game they won in the last f...

The Florida Tech Women’s Soccer team finished their weekend with a convincing 4-0 win over West Alabama on Sunday, in Saint Leo. Aubri Williamson led the offensive charge with a goal and an assist on the day. Sunday’s win followed Friday’s 1-0 win over Christian Brothers. Karlyn Prisco got the start in goal for FIT and she was forced into action right away, making a save 35 seconds in. It was the first of only two saves she made in the first half. The offense got on the board early, scoring 6:55 in, off the foot of Taylor Eller . She beat Tigers goalie Issy Foster, with the assist going to Ciera Misner . Eller got in on Foster again 35 seconds later, but her header was saved this time around. Eva Banton , who had earned the only yellow card of the match about 10 minutes earlier, made up for it with a goal at the 35:13 mark, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Eller got another shot off with 46 seconds left in the half, but it went high. With that, the Panthers went ...

The Florida Tech Men’s Soccer team moved to 2-0-1 on the season with a 1-0 victory over West Alabama Tigers on Sunday. Evan Enders beat West Alabama goalie Brad Louis with a shot at the 31:26 mark and the Panthers were able to make it hold up. Luca Campanini, who had  one goal last week  in a 1-1 tie with Mississippi College, got an early chance on Sunday, getting a header on goal, that was saved by Louis 2:58 into the game. The next best chance for Florida Tech came with 17:56 gone in the first half, when a West Alabama defender knocked the ball down with his arm, resulting in a penalty kick. Senior forward Adin Kavara, who had never missed a penalty kick in his career took the shot. Louis lunged to his left, guessing right and knocked the shot away, keeping the game scoreless. Jack Turnbull got a shot off against Louis with 27:37 left in the half, but Louis was again up to the task. The Tigers (0-3) managed just one shot in the first half, as the defense took...

Aaron Rodgers has done some amazing things on the football field during his NFL career. On Sunday, Jacksonville Jaguars fans got to see it up close and personal, as Rodgers’ heroics led the visiting Green Bay Packers to a 27-23 win at EverBank Field. The game was as well played as you could hope for in the opening week of the season and Jaguars fans have a lot to be excited about. Unfortunately, on this day Rodgers proved to be too much, constantly escaping pressure with his legs and of course, finding the open receiver with his arm. The Packers (1-0) got on the board early in the first quarter, following a Jacksonville turnover that was just bad luck for the Jags’ and quarterback Blake Bortles. He threw a pass that wide receiver Marqise Lee had bounce off his hands, off a Green Bay defender and into the waiting arms of Joe Thomas, who picked it off. Rodgers finished that drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars (0-1) got some bad news prior to the game when ru...

The Florida Tech Panthers ran roughshod over the Mississippi College Choctaws on Saturday night. scoring an impressive 41-0 victory in the home opener at Florida Tech Panther Stadium. It was the second shutout in school history for the Panthers and their second largest margin of victory. The last time the Panthers shut out an opponent was back on September 19, 2015 beating Warner 37-0. “Whenever you can pitch a shutout on the defensive side, it makes things a lot easier,” said Panthers coach Steve Englehart after the game. “When you hold teams to zero, obviously you’re gonna win the game. Proud of our defense for doing that.” He continued, “I like the fact that our guys on defense were hungry and wanted to do that. It’s hard to hold people to zero nowadays in the game of football, so when you can do it, I think it’s something special.” After Mississippi College stalled on their first drive, the Panthers got right to work. They needed just five plays, highlighted by...