MELBOURNE, Fla. – Men's soccer has done something no other team has been able to do all season as they defeated the previously unbeaten No. 2 Lynn Fighting Knights on a special day for the Panthers seniors. The evening started off with the team honoring its senior class for its dedication to the program while they were at Florida Tech and capped it off with the 1-0 win that secured the team the second overall spot in the Sunshine State Conference standings and the first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Stian Olsen was the man to score the only goal of the contest while teammates
Erlend Hafstad Eikeland and
Guillermo Segovia earned assists.
Luca Campanini (4),
Hugo Lopez (3) and
Ellis Hudson (2) all had productive days for Tech's attack as they each registered multiple shots.
Jason Fesquet earned his seventh shutout of the season which put him into a tie with
Martin Peat for third-most in a single season. Fesquet's effort in goal could be described as herculean as he managed to save seven Fighting Knight shots.
The Panthers dominated the first half as they outshot Lynn, 8-2 and dominated the possession for a majority of the 45 minutes. This in turn led to Olsen's goal from Segovia's corner kick in the 20
th minute. The team's blistering pace continued throughout the final 25 minutes of the first as they had a few more excellent opportunities to score yet no other shot would find the back of the net and the 1-0 score held into halftime.
The second half was more of a defensive focus for the Crimson and Gray as they looked to make sure that Lynn could not manage to tie it up all while trying to score an insurance goal primarily on a counter attack. Despite not scoring the extra goal, the men did hold on to its 1-0 advantage as they closed out Lynn and brought their unbeaten streak to an end in the final match of the regular season.
Florida Tech will now take a well-deserved rest for about the next week and a half before they take the home pitch again in the semifinal round of the SSC tournament. This match will be held Thursday, Nov. 14, and will take place against the winner of the Palm Beach Atlantic and Florida Southern quarterfinals match.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men'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.