Florida Tech Panthers Women’s Soccer Ranked No. 18 in Final United Soccer Coaches National Poll
By Daniel Supraner, Florida Tech News Bureau // December 16, 2021
Panthers finished with a record of 10-3-9
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Following an impressive run to the Elite 8, the Florida Tech women’s soccer team concludes the 2021 campaign at No. 18 in the final United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll.
Under the tutelage of head coach Ryan Moon, the Panthers finished with a record of 10-3-9, won the NCAA South Region Championship, and made it to the national quarterfinal round for the second time in program history in 2021.
The 10 victories tied Moon atop the program record book for most wins by a first-year head coach.
Before the season began, Florida Tech was predicted to have little success during the 2021 season as the team was picked to finish 9th in the preseason Sunshine State Conference Coaches Poll.
However, the Panthers exceeded those expectations as they went 3-0-1 against ranked opponents and finished the regular season undefeated over the final eight games to clinch the No. 6 seed in the 2021 SSC Tournament.
In addition, the Crimson and Gray were 4-0-4 at Rick Stottler Field, joining the Final Four campaign of 2010 as the second unbeaten season at home in program history.
During the conference tournament, Tech knocked off Nova Southeastern and Palm Beach Atlantic on the road in the first two rounds to reach the SSC Championship Game where they eventually fell 1-0 to Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach.
The late-season run helped Florida Tech earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South Region.
The Panthers would defeat the region’s No. 4, No. 1, and No. 3 seeds during the first three rounds of the national tournament, winning all three matches in penalty kicks, to earn the program’s best finish since the 2010 season.
Four Panthers were named to the All-SSC teams, JoJo Michaels and Maria Sanchez Recuero earned first-team honors from the conference while Marem Ndiongue and Mayara Queiroz Reis were selected to the second team.
Michaels, Sanchez Recuero, and Queiroz Reis were also honored with All-South Region laurels from the D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches associations.
A team that was overlooked in 2021, Florida Tech looks to build on this season’s success as it returns a majority of its roster and will add a couple of key pieces ahead of kicking off the 2022 campaign next fall.
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