MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women's Soccer) - It was an emotional Saturday night at Rick Stottler Field, as Florida Tech (6-6-2, SSC 3-4-1) saluted its 2017 senior class, prior to dropping to Tampa (7-5-1, SSC 4-4) in a 1-0 decision.

Showing its gratitude toward six outstanding student-athletes, Florida Tech honored Brie Heitz, Kerel Morris, Karlyn Prisco, Elin Svensson, Mary Watson and Aubri Williamson, as they finish their final season on the Panthers soccer team.

During the five years attended at Florida Tech, the 2017 senior class received two SSC Player of the Week Award winners, one All-SSC Second Team nominee, 14 SSC Fall Commissioner's Honor Roll awardees, and 10 FIT Athletic Director's Honor Roll honorees.

In the Saturday night outing, the Panthers outshot the Spartans 15-14 and took a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks, but tied with shots on goal with seven.

Prisco ended the night with six saves, increasing her seasonal total to 68 on a .778 saving percentage. With her numbers, the Rockledge native confirms the third spot on the SSC leader board for saves, while advancing to sixth place in saves per-game with a 4.86 average.

Sophomore midfielder Maria Munoz led FIT in shots with four, targeting three of them towards the Spartans net. Additionally, junior forward Keira McCarthy chipped in with three shots, putting two on goal. Both Florida Tech players are ranked within the SSC, as Munoz takes first with shots (58) while McCarthy sits in third for assists (3). Rounding out the stat leaders, freshman midfielder Monica Zabian added one shot and two shots on goal for the Crimson and Gray.

In the first half, the Panthers bested the Spartans with 10 shots to five, two of which were shot in the first two minutes of play. At the 27-minute mark, Florida Tech tried to create momentum, as Zabian and McCarthy combined for two shots in a two-minute span. 

With 14 minutes left in the first period, Munoz brought FIT into the Spartans end zone with a shot that went wide. Kelley Johnson followed up shooting from the close right wing, but eventually ended high.  With 38 minutes on the clock, Tampa netted a low shot to the left corner past Prisco, and overlapped the Panthers, 1-0.

Returning from halftime trailing by one, Florida Tech was pressed by the Spartans defense, as the Panthers notched five shots against Tampa's nine. The Spartans left no room for scoring chances, as their goalie ceased two Panthers shots, leaving FIT unable to erase the gap before regulation time.

Next up, Florida Tech will host the Rollin Tars on Wednesday, Oct. 25 for the last home game of the 2017 season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

For more information, please visit FloridaTechSports.com.