Sports Lowdown

Keira McCarthy - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Keira McCarthy scored the only goal of the game Wednesday, giving her team a very important 1-0 win over Rollins in a Sunshine State Conference women's soccer match at Rick Stottler Field.   The Panthers dominated statistically, but Rollins goalie Kelly Rowswell kept her team in the game, making eight saves. The one save she couldn't make was off the foot of McCarthy, who didn't get all of the ball, but enough to just have it trickle over the goal line, with 20:12 to go in regulation. Brie Heitz was given the assist on the goal.   With the victory, the Panthers improve to 7-6-2 overall and move to .500 in the conference with a 4-4-1 record. They are now back in contention for a spot in the Sunshine State Conference tournament, which starts next Tuesday.   Florida Tech took 12 shots in a scoreless first half, with five of them saved by Rowswell. On the other side, Florida Tech goalie Karlyn Prisc...

The Florida Tech Panthers women's soccer team got a much-needed road win on Wednesday, beating Lynn 1-0 at Bobby Campbell Stadium in Boca Raton.   The Panthers (6-5-2, 3-3-1 (SSC) had 29 shots and kept Lynn goaltender Alexa Downie on her toes all night, as she made seven big saves in the first half and four more in the second half. The one save she couldn't make was at the 56:43 mark, when Elin Svensson connected with Keira McCarthy , in a great pass. McCarthy ripped a shot from 10 yards out and put the Panthers up, 1-0.   This was an up-and-down game with both teams getting some early chances. The Fighting Knights had two free-kicks and a corner in the first four minutes but were unable to get a shot on goal. Panthers goalie Karlyn Prisco only made one save in that first half.   The Panthers definitely had the better of the chances in the first 45, as Downie had to make a couple big saves, tipping the ball over the crossbar and a nice diving save at t...

The Florida Tech women's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss Saturday night, as Molly Sharpe put one in the upper right corner of the net with 3:07 left in overtime, sending Barry to a Sunshine State Conference home victory.   This game was scoreless through 90 minutes, despite the Buccaneers controlling much of the possession. The loss sends the Panthers to 5-5-2 overall and 2-3-1 in the conference. They have now lost two in a row.   Barry dominated possession for much of the first half, as Florida Tech goaltender Karlyn Prisco was forced to make seven saves. Barry outshot the Panthers 13-5 over the first 45 minutes and had four corners to the Panthers two. Maria Munoz had two shots to lead FIT.   The Panthers got an early corner in the second half, but were closed down. Moments later, Barry goalkeeper Melanie Ziegner made a great save with her foot as she was falling backward on a shot by Munoz. That was the best chance Florida Tech would hav...

What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Florida Tech Panthers handed the Grand Valley State Lakers their only regular-season loss on the road to a runner-up finish in Division II women's soccer. On Wednesday night, the Lakers avenged that loss in a big way, taking down the Panthers 8-2 in Allendale Michigan.   Reigning National Player of the Year Gabriella Mencotti came into the game with 16 goals and all she did was score four Wednesday night, leading the Lakers offensive attack that spent the bulk of their time in the offensive end.   GVSU (11-2) scored four goals on their first four shots of the night. Mencotti got things going early, scoring 2:45 into the contest. Madz Ham made it 2-0, beating Karlyn Prisco with a shot from about 25 yards out.   Mencotti found the back of the net again 3:02 later, getting open in space and giving her squad a 3-0 lead. It took just 4:12 for the Lakers to get on the board again with 28:28 left, as Gianna Pa...

Rick Stottler Field Florida Tech women's soccer earned their second tie of the season on Saturday, this one against Embry-Riddle. The two teams played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer at Rick Stottler Field in Melbourne.   The Panthers (5-3-2, 2-2-1 SSC) managed 18 shots in the match, but Eagles goaltender Dana Ruchti saved all six shots on goal. Panthers netminder Karlyn Prisco was equal to the task, picking up seven saves. Embry-Riddle took a total of 20 shots.   Florida Tech took a total of 10 shots in the first half, including four shots on goal in the first eight minutes. In the second half, the Eagles fired the first shot 1:42 in, but Prisco made the save. At the 49:37 mark, Monica Zabian earned a corner kick and placed a nice ball to Keira McCarthy , who hit the post.   Rachel Owens took a corner for Embry-Riddle in the 63rd minute and the resulting shot by Ragnheidur Gardarsdo went wide. Moments later the Eagles Maria Schmiedhofer got behind ...

Florida Southern (6-1-1, 3-1 SSC) got two goals from Alexa Moberley on Wednesday, taking down the visiting Florida Tech Panthers in a Women's Soccer Sunshine State Conference match.   Florida Tech (5-3-1, 2-2 SSC) out shot the Moccasins 18-10 and had six shots on goal to the home team's  four, but the Mocs were the only team to find the back of the net, as Moberley beat Karlyn Prisco in the 27th minute and again in the 50th minute.   Maria Munoz continued to do her part with the Panthers, as she fired six shots in the game. One of those was saved by Florida Southern goalie Helena Norrstrom . Keira McCarthy was credited with four of the 18 Florida Tech shots.   Jess Goedde got three early corner kicks for the Moccasins and following the third one, she found Moberley in the box 26:10 into the contest and the home team was up 1-0. Corners were the story of the night for Florida Southern, as they held a convincing 12-3 advantage in that category by t...

Maria Munoz continued her dominance on Saturday, scoring two goals and adding one assist in Florida Tech's 4-2 women's soccer victory at Saint Leo.   Munoz who had a hat trick back on September 20th in a 4-1 home win over Lynn now leads the Sunshine State Conference with 15 points overall. She has six goals and three assists.   Keira McCarthy and Kelly Johnson were the other Panther goal scorers in this match and goalie Karlyn Prisco allowed two goals while making two saves. Lions goalie Julia Ortiz made three saves.   It took just 14:54 for Munoz to find the back of the net. She took a pass from Kiana Zanganeh just inside the 18-yard box and drilled past Ortiz.   With the second half winding down, Munoz shared the wealth, as she found McCarthy who had a good look and put it past Ortiz for a 2-0 lead, with 3:37 left in the first half.   Florida Tech (5-2-1, 2-1-0 SSC) took just 6:54 to get on the board in the second half. Munoz ma...

Florida Tech scored early and they scored late, but in between they gave up three goals to the 20th ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Wednesday night, resulting in a 3-2 loss at Rick Stottler Field. Elin Svensson got the Panthers off to a good start, scoring 2:24 into the match, off a pass from Monica Zabian . Nova goalie Jordan Lentz came out to try to cut down the angle, but Svensson got it by her for her first of two goals on the night. The Panthers (4-2-1, 1-1 SSC) took a couple more shots with Kiana Zanganeh and Svensson forcing Lentz to make a couple saves about 20 minutes after the goal. FIT held the lead until a free kick by Monica Orteu from 40 yards out was sent just over the outstretched arm of Panthers goaltender Karlyn Prisco and into the upper-right corner of the net. It was a great effort by Prisco to play the ball, as she leaped and came down into teammate Macey Hedelund , who was stationed at the far post. The Sharks led the Panthers in shots, 10-6 as the...

Florida Tech scored their second consecutive home victory on Saturday, taking down the Eckerd Tritons 2-0 at Rick Stottler Field. This follows a 4-1 victory on Wednesday over the Lynn Fighting Knights.   The Panthers (4-1-1, 1-0 SSC) got off to a slow start, as they were held scoreless in the first half. Panthers goalie Karlyn Prisco returned the favor, keeping the Tritons off the scoreboard through the first 45 minutes, recording three saves in that span. She added one more save in the second half.   The Panthers finally dented the scoreboard 66:51 into the game, as Mary Watson found Keira McCarthy on a crossing pass and she headed by Eckerd goaltender Casey Winn and into the back of the net, giving Florida Tech a 1-0 lead.   FIT was awarded a corner kick about a minute later and they made it count, as Taylor Eller scored her second goal of the season. Maria Munoz , who had a hat trick on Wednesday, recorded the assist on Eller's tally.   ...

The wait was worth it for the Florida Tech Panthers, who opened their home season on Wednesday night with a 4-1 win over the Lynn Fighting Knights at Rick Stottler Field.   Maria Munoz was the star of the night, scoring a hat trick. She took five shots on goal, scoring three times and now has four goals on the season. “She played a great game and struck the ball very well,” said Panthers coach Dustin Smith. “There were some clean shots and clean opportunities and I'm proud of her.”   Lynn got the upper-hand early, with a goal off the foot of Donish Henry-Cole , who beat Karlyn Prisco with 39:43 left in the first half.   “Lynn came out and did pretty well in trying to assert themselves and be aggressive, I think that's why they scored early,” said Smith. "They were pushing us, they were being physical, all in a legal way and they caught us off guard and deserved the goal to go up one-nil.”   Just over 12 minutes later, Munoz got the Panther...

The Florida Tech women's soccer team got a goal from Maria Munoz in the 33rd minute Sunday and it held as the game winner, as the Panthers evened their record at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory over Angelo State.   After falling 2-0 to Texas A&M Commerce in their opener on Friday and having just four shots on goal, the Panthers had nine shots on goal on Sunday and took 15 shots overall.   The Florida Tech offense was clicking early, as they took 11 of those shots in the first half. Munoz made hers count at the 32:58 mark, making a nice move around her defender and burying it into the left side of the net. K eira McCarthy was credited with the assist.   Karlyn Prisco got her second start in net for the Panthers and was tested only once, on a shot by Megan Allen in the 42nd minute. ASU goaltender Sammy Cude made eight saves, keeping her team in the game throughout.   Elin Svensson led the Panthers in shots with six, four were on goal. Munoz took...

The Florida Tech women's soccer team jumped right into the deep end of the pool, opening their season at #15 Texas A&M-Commerce University on Friday night. The Lions scored two goals early in the second half and they stood up as the difference in the game. The first half was fairly quiet, as is usually the case in season openers. Florida Tech goaltender Karlyn Prisco made two saves, the first on a shot from Leslie Campuzano at the 20:49 and another 4:55 later, off the foot of Sophie Haywood. The only shot on goal for Florida Tech came with 16:38 elapsed, as Brittany Etrick was denied by Lions goalie Caitlin Duty. The halftime break seemed to be just what the doctor ordered for Texas A&M-Commerce, as they took just four minutes to tickle the twine behind Prisco. Haywood, who Prisco turned away earlier, settled a high ball down and beat Prisco, giving the home team a 1-0 lead. Kara Blasingame was awarded a corner kick at 54:13 and she put it on the foot of Del...

The Florida Tech soccer teams were victimized by surprising results in Tuesday’s opening round of the Sunshine State Conference tournament, with both the men and women dropping their respective games. The men lost to Eckerd, 3-1, while the Barry Buccaneers made their first half goal stand up, against the women. The men’s result was particularly surprising, considering that they had beaten the Tritons twice in the regular season, winning 3-2 on September 17 and 5-1 on October 18. Adin Kavara , who scored three times in the second meeting, scored the only goal for the Panthers on Tuesday, but his goal came in the 81 st minute and only helped his team avoid a shutout. The Panthers (11-4-1, 6-4-0 SSC) outshot Eckerd 16-13, but Tritons goaltender was only forced to make four saves on the night. Panthers backstop Christian Moerch , made five saves in the loss. One save he couldn’t make came at the 30:13 mark when Matheus Assumpcao beat him on a low shot of a pass fro...

Florida Tech Freshman Maria Munoz had a goal in each half against Lynn on Tuesday, leading the women’s soccer team to their 10 th victory of the season. Munoz came into the match with just one goal this season and left the game with three. This was an impressive offensive performance for the Panthers, who had 23 shots as a team, 14 of those coming in the first half. Nine of those shots were on goal, beating the Fighting Knights shot total (8) for the game. Panthers goalie Karlyn Prisco only had to make two saves. Munoz scored the first goal 29:22 into the match, beating Fighting Knights goaltender Alexa Downie. Maddy Keenan was credited with the assist. That lead held through the end of the first half, but as dominating as the Panthers were for much of the game, Lynn (3-9-2) did make a game of it. Caroline Duerr came up with her with 3:42 left in the match, beating Prisco from the top of the box and tying the game at one. As you would expect, the Panthers did not g...

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...

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...

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 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...