WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Men's Soccer) – 24th-ranked Florida Tech men's soccer (5-1-1, 3-1-0 SSC) was handed its first defeat of the season Wednesday in a rain and lightning delayed, 2-1 extra time loss to Sunshine State Conference member Palm Beach Atlantic (6-2-1, 2-0-1 SSC) at the Rinker Athletic Campus.
The contest featured almost three hours of weather delays and officially ended at 12:14 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Both teams were stymied by the weather and field conditions in the first half as they combined for just six shots, none on goal, over the initial 45 minutes of action.
The Sailfish were the first to get on the board at 54:32 when Kebba Nyang broke away from the Panther defense and beat
Christian Moerch on a one-on-one opportunity to give PBA the lead.
The goal came just in time for the home team as only three minutes later the game was again struck with an extensive lightning delay. However, the stoppage may have been exactly what the Panthers needed to get back in the game as they displayed more urgency in their play when action resumed.
After a while the increased pressure finally caught up with the Sailfish when they were called for a foul just outside their box.
Brandon Smalley took the free kick and sent it towards the right side of the goal. The ball bounced around a few times before it found
Jack Willison on the left side, who headed it inside the near post to tie the game at 1-1 at 69:23.
The Sailfish responded to Willison's goal and picked up their offensive attacks, rattling off six more shots over the final 21 minutes of regulation. However, Moerch stood strong and turned away PBA's attempts as time ran out and the game shifted to extra time.
The momentum stayed with the Sailfish in overtime as they continued their onslaught on the Panther net. PBA finally broke through when Michael O'Sullivan headed in a Charlie Dennis corner kick for the game winner at 98:28, ending FIT's unblemished record.
PBA outshot the Panthers 14-6 in the contest including a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal. The Sailfish also held the edge in corner kicks 7-6.
The SSC road slate continues for Florida Tech on Saturday, Oct. 1 when it visits No. 15 Lynn for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff at Bobby Campbell Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. Fans can access live coverage of the action at FloridaTechSports.com.
