MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women's Soccer) – Florida Tech can put a check in the win column following its first test of the season Friday night. Led by the playmaking ability of Elin Svensson and a strong performance from their stingy backline, the Panthers raced past Texas A&M-Commerce with a decisive 2-0 victory at Rick Stottler Field.
 
Svensson created both scoring opportunities, notching a pair of assists on goals by Taylor Eller and Kristin Howe, while keeper Karlyn Prisco recorded four saves en route to her first shutout since 2013.
 
"It's always fortunate when you can start the season at home with a good victory," said Florida Tech head coach Dustin Smith. "I thought we played well. Texas A&M-Commerce is a very strong team. They come from a strong conference, have done very well the past several years, and come from rich tradition. We knew it wasn't going to be easy."
 
Still scoreless in the 20^th minute, Svensson quickly changed the momentum of the match. After beating her defender up the left sideline, the Swede played a perfect ball to the right foot of Eller inside the box for the easy one-time goal.
 
The Panthers remained in front by the same 1-0 margin into the second half, but Texas A&M-Commerce certainly didn't make things easy. A miscue deep in the Florida Tech half in the 52^nd minute allowed the Lions' Michelle Kotlik a one-on-one opportunity with Prisco, however, the strike sailed well high above the crossbar. Roughly 10 minutes later, the Lions threatened yet again with a chance in front of the net. A spectacular one-handed defelction by Prisco, though, preserved the slim lead.
 
Just as it appeared the tides had turned in favor of the Lions, Florida Tech grasped complete control with the apparent dagger. Having entered into the game just six minutes prior, Howe made the most of her opportunity. Set up by another well-executed pass by Svensson, Howe drilled the volleyed shot into the back of the net to seal the deal for the Panthers.
 
"She performed very well today," Smith said when asked about Svensson's effort. "We were able to get the ball to her feet and she was able to do a lot of things when that occurred. I was very happy for her. As an upperclassman, she showed her poise and stepped up."
 
Dating back to last season, Florida Tech has now earned seven shutouts in its previous 10 matches.
 
The Panthers will look to cap the Marriot Double Panther Invitational in flawless fashion on Sunday when they square off against West Florida at 12 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, log onto FloridaTechSports.com/live.
 
"West Florida is always a tough team," said Smith. "They're very difficult to beat. Even for us here at home, it'll be a monumental task. Again, we didn't shy away this year, and we want to play the best to see where we stand. It's going to be a true test on Sunday."


Box Score: http://floridatechsports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=11310&path=wsoc
2016 Schedule: http://floridatechsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=wsoc
2016 Roster: http://floridatechsports.com/roster.aspx?path=wsoc