MELBOURNE, Fla. - Florida Tech (2-2-1) made the most of its home field advantage on Sunday as the team won 3-1 over Valdosta State (2-2-0), to move to 2-0 at Rick Stottler Field this season.
The Panthers shared the workload in the attacking third as
Keira McCarthy (3),
Elisabeth Stoffel (2) and
Maria Munoz (3) all netted a goal.
Maria Sanchez Recuero (2-2-1) occupied the space in between the posts as she tallied five saves on the afternoon.
The Crimson and Gray came out the gates firing on all cylinders as the team took five shots in the first 12 minutes of action. The pace slowed down as both teams started trading possession and on occasion sent a shot towards goal.
In the closing minutes of the first half, Florida Tech finally broke the scoreless tie when McCarthy buried a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal off of a Stoffel through-ball.
The Blazers caught the Panthers napping to start the second half as they knotted the game at 1-1 less than a minute after the whistle.
Florida Tech responded quickly as Stoffel found the back of the net for the game-winner. Later in the half, Munoz beat her defender in a one-on-one situation and tacked on the insurance goal to bring the final score to 3-1.
The Crimson and Gray will go back on the road on Wednesday, Sept. 12, when the women head up I-95 to St. Augustine, Florida for another regional match, this time with Flagler College. First kick is set for 7 p.m. on the pitch at Saints Field.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women's soccer team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
