MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women's Soccer) – Prior to the start of the season, Florida Tech head coach Dustin Smith noted the depth of his club would be a strength in 2016. On Sunday, that depth showed up in a big way as the Panthers came from behind to beat West Florida 2-1 in overtime at Rick Stottler Field.
 
Keira McCarthy rose to the occasion with two goals, including the game-winner in the 99^th minute, as the Panthers improved to 2-0 early on in the season. The key factor, though, was the way the Panthers noticeably wore down the Argonauts in crunch time.
 
"We showed that he have a lot of depth today," said Smith. "I think that's important for any team, especially throughout the course of the season. Even players that didn't get on the field this weekend, they're still going to play a major role in our development and helping us with our depth."
 
Florida Tech fell behind in the 49^th minute following a goal by West Florida's Kaljit Atwal, and at one point even trailed 11-1 in the corner kick department. However, a quick response just over two minutes later on McCarthy's first score of the afternoon gave the Panthers the lift they needed to take control for much of the remainder of the contest.
 
With the heat index hovering around triple digits, Smith continuously shuffled his lineup, using a total of 19 players throughout the afternoon. As a result, the Panthers proved to have plenty left in the tank even once the match transitioned into extra time knotted at 1-1.
 
Florida Tech jumped all over the Argonauts from the get-go in overtime, eventually finishing with a 6-0 shot advantage after regulation. Less than two minutes into the extra period, the Panthers forced the action on the West Florida end, but a pair of scoring chances from McCarthy and Aubri Williamson were sniffed out by the UWF defense. Taylor Eller and Kelley Johnson then took their turns at putting an end to the match. Yet, they too were unable to convert, as Argonauts' keeper Elizabeth Bankhead came up with two key saves.
 
As the pressure continued to build, Florida Tech finally caught its break with only one minute left in the first overtime. Creating just enough space for herself, McCarthy made a sliding left-footed strike towards the net when the attempted save slipped through the wickets of Bankhead for the golden goal.
 
"What a tremendous result for us," Smith said. "I think the girls played hard, again, another total team effort. Much respect to West Florida, though, because I thought the game could've gone either way."
 
Sunday marked McCarthy's fifth multi-goal output in just her 17^th career match at Florida Tech.
 
Following the victory, the Panthers will now look to remain undefeated when they travel to Saint Leo, Florida for a neutral site contest against Christian Brothers on September 9.
 
"A win like this gives us a tremendous amount of confidence," Smith added. "I think the girls earned it. Again, though, it is just opening weekend so, from that perspective, we've got two very important matches coming up. I'm going to give you the same old cliché as last year, 'One game at a time.' The most important game is the next one coming up."
 

Box Score: http://floridatechsports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=11312&path=wsoc
2016 Schedule: http://floridatechsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=wsoc
2016 Roster: http://floridatechsports.com/roster.aspx?path=wsoc