Sports Lowdown

Brandon Ziarno and Antwuan Haynes - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech football team gave their fans a glimpse of what the 2017 squad will look like, as they played their annual Spring game Friday night at Florida Tech Panther Stadium. The game was comprised of 85 plays, with the offense taking on the defense. The defense ultimately came out on top, 35-28. “I thought it was a fairly exciting scrimmage, had some big plays, had some long runs,” said head coach Steve Englehart. “I thought a lot of people did a lot of good things and there’s still a lot of things to work from, as well.” The defense was spotted 28 points to start the game and they could earn different combinations of points, depending on where they made stops and turnovers they forced. The offensive scoring system was conventional, but they had a long way to go to dig out of that hole. Running back Antwuan Haynes , who finished with 87 yards on 17 carries.got the offense on the b...

Photo credit: James Ragan Photography With the Spring game just two days away, Sportslowdown.com sat down with Florida Tech Panthers head football coach Steve Englehart, to get his early thoughts on the Panthers 2017 season. With an 8-3 record, including five wins in the Gulf South Conference, the Panthers are coming off their first ever playoff appearance in 2016, the Panthers are primed to make another run through the Gulf South Conference and get back to the postseason in 2017. “Expectations are high as always, you wanna get out there and compete each and every week,” said Englehart. “Hopefully at the end of the season you’re sitting there with a chance to win the conference and go to the playoffs. My expectations haven’t changed from that since we started.” Englehart said from a philosophical standpoint, within the program, not much has changed, but he has added a team seminar to their Friday activities, dealing with character development and leadership develop...

For the first time in the four-year history of the program, the Florida Tech Panthers football team is preparing for a playoff game, this Saturday, against North Greenville.  The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff at Florida Tech Panther Stadium. It has been a steady climb for this team, who won five games in their inaugural year of 2013 and have added a win every season, culminating in an 8-2 campaign this season. “Our team is excited to play in the playoffs and I think everyone understands the importance of a playoff game,” said head coach Steve Englehart. “We’re excited to go out there and execute as a football team and hopefully get a win.” This was not a typical week for Englehart and his team. Not only are they dealing with the pressure of the first ever playoff game in the history of the program, but the school is also dealing with the fact that starting quarterback Mark Cato has been suspended indefinitely , after he was charged with DUI, following the t...

Junior Forward Evan Enders gave the Florida Tech Men’s soccer team all the offense they would need, scoring a goal in each half and lifting the Panthers to a 2-0 win over the Barry Buccaneers on Tuesday. Enders got the scoring started at 18:19 of the first half and added his second goal of the night and sixth of the season with 8:23 left in the contest, to give the visitors a 2-0 lead, that would stand up. The first goal was assisted by Junior Josh Thomas , found Enders on a cross and Enders headed it past Barry goaltender Michael Scheraldi. It was one of seven shots that the Panthers took in the first half, to go along with six corner kicks. Enders was not on the field to start the second half, but was re-inserted with 12:32 gone in the second half, taking over for Thomas. Things got a bit heated in the second half, as the Panthers were pushing for an insurance goal. Tobias Hildmann and Fabian Egbele of the Panthers were issued yellow cards 32 seconds apart by...

The Florida Tech Women’s Soccer team dropped their final conference match of the season on Saturday night, as they were beaten by the Tampa Spartans 3-2, at Pepin Stadium. The Spartans only took three shots in the first half, but one of them found the back of the net, when Nastasia Asgedom took a crossing pass from Gabby Scirica in the box and rifled it by Panthers goaltender Karlyn Prisco , giving the home squad a 1-0 lead. It took just 2:45 for the Panthers to get the equalizer when Senior Aubri Williamson beat Spartans keeper Caroline Frykgard. Those were the only goals scored by either team in the first 45 minutes and the teams went to the locker room tied 1-1. Tampa (6-7-2) dented the scoreboard again 10:54 into the second half when Sarah Raymond found Ali Robinson with a crossing pass and Robinson headed it past Prisco, giving Tampa their second lead of the contest, 2-1. The Panthers (9-5, 4-5 SSC) even things up again in the 76 th minute when Lauren Bolhuis...

Senior Adin Kavara tallied three times on Tuesday, helping the Florida Tech Men’s Soccer team to a dominating 5-1 victory over Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. The Panthers scored three goals in the first half with Kavara scoring the first goal 9:37 into the contest. He took a pass from Robbie Madden in the six-yard box and put it by Eckerd goaltender Alex Gott, just inside the back post. Madden was credited with the assist on Kavara’s fifth goal of the season. Kavara took less than three minutes to strike again, after getting a pass from Fabian Egbele , Kavara notched his second goal of the game at the 12:21 mark, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead. Junior midfielder Josh Thomas got into the act with 31:37 gone in the first half, when he fired a shot from 10 yards outside the 18-yard box, that beat Gott to the high side and put the Panthers in control, 3-0. The Tritons (6-4-2) got on the board with 2:14 left in the half, after Juan David Tejada was taken down in t...

Junior Mary Watson came through with her second game-winner in three days on Monday, as her goal with 7:59 left propelled the Florida Tech Women’s Soccer team beat Palm Beach Atlantic 2-1, in a Sunshine State Conference contest. Watson scored the game-winner in Saturday’s Senior Day game and came through again Monday in the Panthers final home game of the regular season. Florida Tech (9-4-0, 4-4-0) found themselves down early, when Kianna Magner got the ball out of the defensive end and found Morgan Campbell, who got away from the Panthers defense and beat Karlyn Prisco 9:54 into the game, putting the Sailfish up 1-0.   The Panthers had their chances following the visitors goal, but PBA goalie Isabelle Granlund was up to the task. Keira McCarthy and Taylor Eller had shots about two minutes apart (13 th and 15 th minute) that were saved by Granlund and Aubri Williamson got in on the act at the 20:35 mark, but she was turned away as well. McCarthy got off...

Returning to the field for the first time since October 1, the Florida Tech Men’s Soccer squad beat Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern this week, in back-to-back Sunshine State Conference games. After having their October 5 game against Warner canceled and the October 8 game against Embry-Riddle postponed, the Panthers improved to 7-2-1 overall and 5-2 in the SSC with the two victories. On Wednesday, Adin Kavara converted two penalty kicks to beat Nova Southeastern 2-1. It was redemption for Kavara, who missed the first penalty kick of his career back on September 11 against West Alabama. He got back on track in a big way Wednesday, putting two of them home. Kavara’s first chance came after Evan Enders was dragged down in the box in the 17 th minute. It was the only goal in a first half that saw the Panthers out shoot the Sharks 4-3. It took the Sharks (2-8, 0-5 SSC) just six minutes to answer in the second half, as Bestun Mohammed beat FIT goaltender Christ...

Coming off their big win over #1 Grand Valley State last week, the Florida Tech Women’s Soccer team returned to the field this week, losing 2-0 to Sunshine State Conference foe Nova Southeastern on Wednesday, before rebounding on Saturday, with a 1-0 win over Florida Southern on Senior Night. Wednesday’s game in Fort Lauderdale was a letdown, coming off that victory over the number one team in the country a week earlier. It took Nova Southeastern less than two minutes to get on the board with an Alexys Nowak tally. The Sharks scored again five minutes later, with Bailey Corbin beating FIT goalie Karlyn Prisco with a header, giving the home team a convincing 2-0 lead. Nichole Poppe assisted on both Sharks goals. Nova Southeastern got off 10 shots in the first half, while the Panthers managed just four. Florida Tech was hampered by the fact that Keira McCarthy was unable to play in this game. Aubri Williamson did her best, firing four shots on goal. Prisco played...

Following their loss to West Florida two weeks ago and the cancellation of the game last week against North Alabama, the Florida Tech football team came out Saturday against Fort Valley State running on all cylinders and coming away with a 48-14 win on Homecoming Saturday. “The last 14 days have been kind of crazy with all the things that have happened but we were obviously excited and it brings up the energy level when we can come out here and have a performance like this,” said Panthers head coach Steve Englehart. “Out here is the players and coaches’ sanctuary, its where you forget about everything else. It’s good to get our swag back and get back on the winning track.” The 48 points by the Panthers is a school record for points scored in a home game. Quarterback Mark Cato only played the first half of the game, but he did a lot of damage in that time, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two more. He accounted for 166 of the Panthers 439 total yards. ...

Following the postponement of their match against Palm Beach Atlantic last Wednesday, the Florida Tech Women’s Soccer team was home to take on Lynn on Saturday, and came away with a hard-earned 1-0 win. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Panthers. Keira McCarthy scored on a penalty kick in the first half and it held up, in a defensive battle that saw each team take just nine shots. Florida Tech Goalie Karlyn Prisco turned away just two shots, while Fighting Knights goaltender Alexa Downie had eight shots come her way, saving seven. Prisco made her only save of the first half in the 27 th minute against Claudia Kraut and notched her fifth win of the season, four of those are shutouts. The key play in the game came in the 31 st minute when Elin Svensson found McCarthy with a pass inside the box. McCarthy was taken down, resulting in a penalty kick. She beat Downie on the ensuing penalty kick with 30:10 gone in the half and with that, got her s...

West Florida's Blue Wahoos Stadium/Jerry Durney The Florida Tech Panthers gave away a very winnable game Saturday night, losing 42-39 to the West Florida Argonauts, who are in their inaugural season. With the win, the Argos kept the first-ever Coastal Classic trophy in Pensacola. It was not a good night for the Panthers for much of the game, but to their credit, they did fight back in the fourth quarter, outscoring West Florida 22-14. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, as the Panthers undefeated start and their #16 ranking both fell by the wayside. The Panthers (4-1) had given up 35 points combined in their first four games, but on this night, the upstart Argos forced Florida Tech into making mistakes and took advantage of them. The Panthers had a season high 15 penalties for 118 yards, many of them self-inflicted. The defense that had been playing lights out in the previous four games, just couldn’t find their footing in this game, as the Argos put up 4...

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 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 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...