No. 20 Florida Tech Panthers Hold Off Mavericks In Rain-Drenched Game 5-3
By Florida Tech // March 25, 2016
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – 20th-ranked Florida Tech (8-2) found itself locked in a defensive struggle and trailed by one goal at halftime against Mercy (5-3) in a rain-soaked game Thursday afternoon. However, despite battling tumultuous weather conditions, the Panthers’ offense finally broke through and outscored the Mavericks 4-1 in the second half to earn a 5-3 victory at Florida Tech Panther Stadium.
Allie Modica and Mary Gormley each scored twice in the game while Caroline Dunleavy added a goal. Sam Schiano was impressive between the restraining lines, as the freshman led all players with six draw controls and five caused turnovers. Allie Wood had a good defensive performance recording three ground balls and three draw controls.
After a sloppy first half, in which the teams combined for 29 total turnovers, the Mavericks held a 2-1 halftime advantage thanks to Nicole Kline’s unassisted tally with 7:51 remaining in the frame.
Modica quickly tied the game 55 tics into the second half on her free position goal, however MC would again pull ahead, 3-2, off Alexa Haines’s score at the 25:44 mark.
Consecutive goals by Dunleavy and Gormley over a span of 39 seconds handed the Panthers their first lead of the game, 4-3, with 21:46 left on the clock. Modica then sealed the victory with 22 seconds remaining to give FIT a program-best eighth win of the season.
Neither team got off many shots in the contest with the Mavericks holding a narrow 15-14 edge. Florida Tech collected more ground balls (24-21) and draws (6-4) in the game and went 2-for-2 on free position attempts while holding MC to 0-for-3 on its tries.
Grace Davidson led the Mavericks with one goal and one assist, while Kline and Haines each added a goal. Hunter Isnardi notched an assist to go along with four ground balls. Meg McNally recorded four ground balls and a team-high three caused turnovers for Mercy.
The victory ended a 10-game home stand by Florida Tech to start the season. FIT will play its first road games this weekend when it visits No. 3 Lindenwood on Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. ET in St. Charles, Missouri. The Panthers will then face McKendree on Monday at 5 p.m. in Lebanon, Illinois.
Fans can access live coverage of Florida Tech’s games at www.FloridaTechSports.com.
