MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Florida Tech women's lacrosse kept its postseason hopes alive Saturday as the Panthers knocked off Saint Leo 10-7 on Senior Day at Panther Stadium.
 
Thanks to the impressive play of junior goaltender Chloe Zador and the Tech defense, the Panthers held one of the best offensive teams in the country in check all game long. The Lions came into the contest averaging more than 17 goals per game but the Panthers back line, and Zador's 17 saves, limited SLU to its second-lowest goal total of the season.
 
Leah Dunn led the Crimson & Gray with three goals while Aleah Fjelstad and Mollie Kaplan produced two goals and an assist apiece. Alexis Townsend scored a pair of goals and Kailee O'Brien dished out three assists to go along with three ground balls and two draws. 
 
Sam Schiano, who was injured late in the game, finished with six draw controls and two ground balls in her final home game. Olivia Going ended with seven ground balls and a caused turnover. Brittney Embree recorded five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Embree's final caused turnover was the 100th of her career, which ranks second most in program history. 
 
It did not take long for Tech to get on the board as Kaplan found Townsend on a cut around the goal for the opening score just 1:50 into the game. 
 
O'Brien then got into the mix with a dime to Townsend for her second goal of the game, to push the lead to 2-0 with 25:48 to go in the first half. 
 
The Lions tied the game at 2-2 with 22:25 left on consecutive goals by Janet DeLuca. However, the Panthers answered with a 3-0 run on a goal by Dunn off an assist by Cristina Marani, and unassisted tallies by Caroline MacLeod and Fjelstad to make it 5-2 with 5:48 remaining before halftime.
 
A man-up free position goal by SLU's Lexis Walstad, with 44 seconds left in the half, trimmed Florida Tech's lead to 5-3 at the break.
 
The Lions tacked on another man-up free position goal, this one by Leslie Ferguson, to cut the margin to just one, 5-4, with 26:48 to go. Tech responded with Dunn's second goal of the game, off an assist from Fjelstad. Then, 41 seconds later Fjelstad got free and sneaked a shot past SLU goalie Erin Davis to push the Panthers' lead to 7-4.
 
Saint Leo would get back in it with three straight goals, including two more free position tallies by Ferguson, and tied the game up at 7-7 with 6:28 left in regulation.
 
A few minutes later, O'Brien found Kaplan posting up around the Lion's crease, who turned and shot it into the back of the net to put the Panthers up 8-7. Just 22 seconds later, the duo teamed up again for almost identical goal, increasing Tech's advantage to 9-7 with 3:37 remaining.
 
With 36 ticks left on the clock, Dunn completed her hat trick and sealed the victory for the Panthers as they sent their five seniors off with a win in their final home game.
 
The teams were even in shots with 34 apiece. Tech finished with an edge in ground balls (35-26) while Saint Leo ended with a slight advantage in draw controls (10-9).
 
Florida Tech will now await its fate, as it needs an Embry-Riddle loss to Rollins on Saturday evening to clinch its fifth straight trip to the SSC Women's Lacrosse Tournament.
 
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women's lacrosse 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.