MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men's Soccer)  – The Florida Tech men's soccer team picked up a solid result in its Sunshine State Conference opener against Eckerd College on Saturday night, as the Panthers knocked off the undefeated Tritons 3-2 at Rick Stottler Field. With the win, FIT's record remains unblemished at 3-0-1, 1-0-0 SSC, while Eckerd drops to 5-1-0, 1-1-0 SSC.
 
The Panthers opened the scoring early, in the 14th minute, as Josh Thomas found Sam Sawyer on a cross from the right wing for Sawyer's first tally of the season, on a header that slipped inside the near post.
 
"It was important for us to get that first goal," stated head coach Robin Chan. "We felt coming in, that the way they set up and create chances, it would be very hard to break them down and stop them from getting their opportunities. That first goal was the key. It opened up the door and gave us more spaces. We were able to carve out more chances because of that goal."
 
In the 31st minute, Sawyer was handed a yellow card after pulling down Matheus Assumpcao in the box, giving the SSC's second-leading scorer a free opportunity. On the ensuing penalty kick, FIT goalkeeper Christian Moerch guessed correct on the attempt and pushed the ball to the right of the goal. However, Assumpcao regained his composure, collected the rebound and slid it just inside the near pipe to tie the game.
 
The Panthers had several opportunities to regain the lead before halftime on tries by Luca Campanini and Fabian Egbele, however the score remained at 1-1 as the teams went into the break.
 
The second half opened with both teams blasting shots off the cross bar in the first few minutes. In the 57th minute Evan Enders broke through the Tritons line, splitting two defenders, and fired a shot inside the left post to give FIT a 2-1 advantage. It was Ender's third goal of the season.
 
"Evan's best asset is when he gets the ball and is running with it," Chan explained. "Defenders do not like players running at them and he's got such breakaway speed, he's a game-breaker. I think he's going to have a good season for the remainder of the games. He's a difference-maker for us right now."
 
Another Florida Tech yellow card, this time handed to Jack Turnbull, gave the Tritons an opportunity to score in the 69th minute. Robert Labus took advantage of the free kick and released a cannon of a shot to the upper right corner, from more than 20 yards out, to tie the game at 2-2.
 
Not willing to end in a tie, the Panthers went back on the attack. In the 73rd minute, Thomas collected a pass near the left sideline and quickly moved it over to Adin Kavara in the middle of the field. Kavara then slipped a pass between two defenders to a streaking Smalley, who fired the ball into the top left corner for the eventual game-winner.
 
The Tritons was unable to create another scoring opportunity the remainder of the game as FIT held on for its first conference victory of the season.
 
A major factor in the win was Florida Tech's ability to do something that other teams struggled to accomplish against the Tritons through their first five games of the season, score goals. Before Saturday's loss, Eckerd had outscored the competition 16-2, including three clean sheets.
 
Triton's goalkeeper Alex Gott, who finished with four saves, was peppered throughout the contest. The Panthers more than tripled EC's shot total in the match 19-6, including 14 shots in the second half alone.
 
Moerch notched two saves in goal for FIT to improve his season mark to 2-0-1. He and the rest of the Panthers will need to be ready as their competition increases with their upcoming trip to take on No. 9 Saint Leo on Wednesday.
 
"It's a tough place to go and play, just like most places in the conference," stated Chan. "Obviously, it's a team that's done well the last few years. They went to the postseason a couple times and won the conference so they'll be a very hard team to play against.
 
"However, we're a confident group right now. We've got a good squad with a number of players challenging for several spots. It allows us to mix the lineup out there with different players and the level stays high. It gives us a lot of confidence going into that game."
 
Florida Tech and Saint Leo square off a 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday in Saint Leo, Florida. Fans can access live coverage of the action at FloridaTechSports.com.