Sports Lowdown

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...

Antwuan Haynes - Photo Credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers overcame a tough third quarter on Saturday, taking down the North Greenville Crusaders 42-31 and snapping a two-game losing streak in the process.   “I really loved the execution of our offense and what they did,” said Panthers head coach Steve Englehart in his postgame interview with Jerry Durney and Paul Van Scott on WFIT Radio.  “Defense played well too, they shut 'em down when they needed to shut 'em down. Whatever the yards and points are I don't care,  we win the football game. I don't care if we win 2-0 or 49-48, it was a great team win.”   Big offensive efforts from quarterback Mark Cato , who completed 20-of-33 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns and Antwuan Haynes who carried 22 times for 155 yards and a touchdown, got the Panthers a big win over a team that ended their season last year in the first round of the playoffs.   After a tough fi...

Doug Flutie (backward hat) got on the court during Panther Madness After a seven-year hiatus, Panther Madness returned to the Clemente Center, ahead of the men's and women's basketball teams starting their 2017-2018 seasons. There was a celebrity in the house as well, as Doug Flutie was paired with Sam Daniel in the demonstration of one of the events.  The night included fan-involved games such as knockout, lay-up drill, and NBA two ball, as well as a three-point shootout between the men and women Panthers and a dunk contest featuring seniors Sam Daniel and Michael Milligan , along with freshman Nieja Jordan .   Jordan won the contest, making two dunks, while Daniel went for degree of difficulty as he attempted to get a pass from a seated Antonis Pefanis (sophomore guard), as he leaped over Pefanis.  Unfortunately, Daniel was unable to finish on three attempts but  did finish a couple dunks later in the 15-minute scrimmage that concluded the...

2016 playoffs - North Greenville - Photo credit: James Ragan Despite another good performance out of the defense, the Florida Tech Panthers suffered their second straight loss last Saturday falling to North Alabama 30-7. North Alabama got a blocked punt for a touchdown and a pick-6, turning what was a close game at the half, into one of the most lopsided losses in program history.   “It wasn't turnovers that were anything that they did to create the turnovers, it was our own fault,” said head coach Steve Englehart on Thursday. “We had two passes that hit our wide receivers right in the hands that popped up and they end up picking them off and obviously the blocked punt had a big part to do with the game.”   Outside of those turnovers, the Panthers held the North Alabama offense in check. They allowed the Lions 134 yards of total offense, including 56 through the air. This is not a surprise, as the Panthers defense has come up big all season.   “Defens...

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...