MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech men's lacrosse opened up the 2024 season at home against SSC-foe Rollins. The Tars jumped out to a 9-3 halftime lead, which proved to be too much for the Panthers to overcome.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: RV Florida Tech 10, #2 Rollins 18
Records: RV Florida Tech (0-1, 0-0 SSC) | #2 Rollins (1-0, 0-0)
Locations: Rick Stottler Field | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST QUARTER: 

• The Panthers were first on the board to go up 1-0 as Zach Rozgonyi found the back of the net off a feed from Ben Foster.
• Rollins scored three straight to take a 3-1 lead with 9:00 on the clock.
• The Panthers got one back 30 seconds later, Jakob Terpak fired a rocket to make it 3-2.
• The Tars posted one more to end the period with a 4-2 lead.

SECOND QUARTER: 

• Rollins outscored the Panthers 5-1 in the second frame.
• Three straight for the Tars would put Tech down 7-2 with 11:04 remaining.
• Collin Stewart tallied his first goal of the season on an assist from Rozgongyi.
• Rollins would post two more to extend their lead 9-3 going into the break.

THIRD QUARTER: 

• Max Armitage and Logan Myers opened the period for the Tars with a goal apiece to go up 11-3.
• Tech answered back with three straight to cut the deficit to five, 11-6. Brooks Van Esselstyn, Nate Deplancke, and Ben Foster each tallied unassisted goals.
• Myers would record two more for the Tars before Rollins' Jack Johnstone added one of his own to put Rollins up 14-6 with 46 seconds remaining.
• Rozgonyi closed out the period with a goal on an unassisted effort.

FOURTH QUARTER: 

• Rollins carried the momentum into the final period, scoring four straight.
• Tech answered back with three unanswered goals to end the game. Joe Coveleski and Stewart teamed up to make it 18-8 with 1:54 on the clock.
• Cam Johnson then found Covesleski in front of the net for another.
• The final goal came from Ben Foster, who netted one in the top corner off a feed from Cam Johnson.

 
COACHES CORNER: 

"Rollins is ranked #2 for a reason, and they played like it,' said Coach Brad McArthur. "We want to test ourselves against the best as much as possible. That's the standard.

"Throughout the game, we had stretches where we looked really good, and we had others that looked weak and disorganized. We've got a week to prepare and regroup for Limestone. We're not going to hang our heads in pity. We take tomorrow off, and Monday, we get back to work."

NOTABLE PANTHERS: 

• Zach Rozgonyi and Ben Foster led with two goals and one assist each.
• Joe Coveleski added two goals on four shots.
• Collin Stewart, Nate Deplancke, Brooks Van Esselstyn, and Jakob Terpak each tallied a goal.
• Ricky Fedorchak led the defense with three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
• Brian Balotta grabbed two ground balls and forced one turnover.
• Jax Francisco recorded nine saves. Connor Davis posted five.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Rollins ended with an advantage in shots (45-42), shots on goal (32-26) and ground balls (28-26).
• Tech went 20-23 on clears while Rollins went 22-25

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 6-9 all-time against the Rollins Tars and 4-4 all-time at home
• Tech is 6-6 in season-opening games, with their last win being a 10-7 triumph at Coker on February 10, 2019.
• Graduate Ben Foster, and Freshmen Joe Covesleski and Brooks Van Esselstyn each scored their first goal as a Panther.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech is on the road Feb. 10 when they travel to Gaffney, S.C. to take on #4 Limestone at 12 p.m.
 
 
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men'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.