MELBOURNE, Fla. – The No. 17 Florida Tech women's soccer team battled with No. 11 Embry-Riddle in the championship match of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Tournament on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers ultimately dropped the contest to the Eagles, 1-0.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 17 Florida Tech 0, No. 11 Embry-Riddle 1
Records: Florida Tech (13-2-3, 8-1-1 SSC), ERAU (14-1-3, 8-1-1 SSC)
Location: Rick Stottler Field | Melbourne, Fla.
 
STATS OF THE MATCH

• Florida Tech began the match dominating possession on the offensive half of the field and outshot ERAU, 3-0, in the first 15 minutes of the match.
• In the 16th minute, Marem Ndiongue threatened with a shot near the bottom corner of the goal, but ERAU's keeper made a diving save to keep the match scoreless.
• A few minutes later, the Eagles got their first shot off. Ayana Aoyagi was able to stop the shot with a save and the match stayed tied at 0-0.
• In the 34th minute, ERAU got on the board after Isabella Navren sent a cross into the box from a corner kick. Her pass found the head of Lauryn Mateo, who placed the ball into the back of the net to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
• The Eagles put another shot on target in the closing minutes of the first half, but Aoyagi came up with another big save to keep Tech within striking distance.
• Both teams began the second half trading possession and shots. The Panthers' first opportunity to get on the board came in the 70th minute when Lauryn Wood smashed a shot towards the goal. The Eagles keeper fell onto the shot attempt to preserve the lead.
• The back and forth continued for the next several minutes. Tech's final opportunity to score the equalizer came in the 86th minute. Wood worked her way into the box and ripped another shot, but once again, ERAU's keeper was able to deflect the shot away.
• The Eagles kept the Panthers at bay for the last few minutes of the match and the game ended with a final score of 1-0.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Following the match, Josefine Nilsen, Marem Ndiongue, Lauryn Wood, and Ayana Aoyagi were all named the SSC All-Tournament team.
• Florida Tech moves to 3-9-4 all-time against ERAU. The Eagles are unbeaten in their last nine matchups.
• This was the third time the teams had met in the SSC Tournament. The previous two were in the 2021 and 2022 SSC Finals that also saw ERAU win those matches.
• This was Tech's first loss at home since October 25, 2022 when the Panthers fell to ERAU, 1-0.
• Today's match was just the third loss at home for the Panthers under head coach Ryan Moon.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will await the announcement of the 2023 NCAA Division II Championship bracket. The Panthers are currently ranked second in the NCAA Regional Rankings for the South region. The women's soccer selection show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
 
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.