Four Florida Tech Panthers Soccer Players Earn Spots on All-Sunshine State Conference Teams

voting was among the league's head coaches

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Sunshine State Conference released its 2021 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams on Thursday, and four Panthers were among the list of honorees.

JoJo Michaels and Maria Sanchez Recuero were named to the All-SSC First Team while Marem Ndiongue and Mayara Queiroz Reis were selected to the second team.

Voting for the All-SSC Teams was conducted among the league’s head coaches.

Michaels, a junior defender out of Merritt Island, Fla., earns first-team honors after starting all 16 games and helping anchor a Florida Tech defense that is one of the best in the nation in 2021.

The Panthers have allowed just seven goals over 16 games, which ranks first in the SSC and tied for third in Division II. Tech has only given up five goals in SSC play this season.

Additionally, the Panthers have racked up 10 shutouts and lead the league in scoring defense at .407 goals allowed per game, good for fifth in the nation.

Sanchez Recuero picks up her second career All-SSC award after receiving second-team honors in 2018. The Madrid, Spain native, has been one of the best goalkeepers in the nation in 2021.

The redshirt-senior has started 14 of 16 games this season for Florida Tech and ranks first in the SSC, and seventh nationally, in goals allowed (6) and save percentage (.893).

She has 50 saves on the year and leads the SSC with nine shutouts, good for the 13th most in the nation. Sanchez Recuero’s nine shutouts are also tied for second in a single season in program history. She is third all-time in the program’s record book with 16 career clean sheets.

Ndiongue and Queiroz Reis are one of the more exciting offensive duos to watch in the SSC this season, combining for eight of the Panthers’ 17 goals and 24 total points.

Ndiongue, who is from Catania, Sicily, Italy, is the Panthers’ leading points scorer this season with 13 on four goals and a team-high five assists.

She is tied for third in the SSC in assists and fourth in total shots with 47, and is tied for the team-lead with 21 shots on goal.

The sophomore has come up strong during Tech’s late-season run to secure an SSC Tournament berth, scoring three goals over the last three games, including game-winners against Lynn as well as versus Nova Southeastern in Monday’s SSC quarterfinal.

Queiroz Reis, who hails from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is second on the team in scoring with 11 points on four goals and three assists, and is tied with Ndiongue for the team-lead with 21 shots on goal.

The junior was the hero in the Panthers’ 2-1 upset of No. 2 Columbus State on Oct. 12, scoring both of Tech’s goals in the win. She is tied for fourth in the SSC with three game-winning goals this season.

Additionally, Queiroz Reis has recorded points in each of the Panthers’ last four games, including a goal against Palm Beach Atlantic and assists in the last three matches.

Tampa’s Kate Hostage was named SSC Player of the Year in 2021, while Anniina Sankoh of Lynn and Anita Agustdottir of Embry-Riddle was voted the league’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

Hattie Kettle of Embry-Riddle was named Freshman of the Year while Samantha Bohon of Embry-Riddle earned Coach of the Year honors.

Florida Tech takes on No. 2 seed Palm Beach Atlantic in the SSC Tournament semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 11. The Panthers defeated then-No. 16 PBA 2-0 on Oct. 27.

The semifinal matchup will take place at the PBA Soccer/Lacrosse Field in West Palm Beach, Fla, and is set to kick off at 4:30 p.m.

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