HICKORY, NC – After
trailing at halftime by four goals
, Florida Tech women's lacrosse reached down deep and put together a dominant 30-minute performance. Over the second half, the Panthers outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 11-2 for the first win of the season, 13-8.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 13, Lenoir-Rhyne 8
Records: Florida Tech (1-2, 0-0 SSC) | Lenoir-Rhyne (0-1, 0-0 SAC)
Locations: Moretz Stadium | Hickory, NC
FIRST QUARTER:
- The Bears opened the scoring after just 94 seconds following a Tech turnover on the game's first possession, Kirra Olson found the back of the net.
- Lenoir-Rhyne doubled their lead just over a minute later following another turnover, with Ellie Campbell being the one to convert.
- Chloe Christensen made it three at the 9:06 mark
- The Panthers would get on the board just over a minute later through Sophia Scichilone's free position goal.
- The Bears extended their lead back to three with 3:44 left in the frame when Olson converted Cassell Richardson's feed.
SECOND QUARTER:
- Tech benefited from two Lenoir-Rhyne cards in the span of 23 seconds early in the quarter and Sofie Bender took advantage by capitalizing with a free position goal just before the 11-minute mark to bring the Crimson and Gray within two.
- Lenoir-Rhyne broke their scoring drought with 1:05 left in the half, thanks to Anneleise Meyer.
- Following a Tech turnover on the draw, the Bears struck 13 seconds later through Richardson to take a 6-2 lead into the locker room.
THIRD QUARTER:
- The Panthers opened the second half, scoring just over two and a half minutes in, with Gillian Craig tallying her fifth goal in two days to cut the deficit to three.
- After Michaela Wittman won the ensuing draw, Sofie Bender made it two goals in 46 seconds for Tech.
- Less than a minute later, Caroline Finn caused a turnover that ultimately reached Scichilone, who buried it to shrink the margin to 6-5.
- After denying the Bears on their next attack, Craig notched her second goal of the quarter, and the Crimson and Gray had wiped out a four-goal deficit in the space of 5:28.
- Craig completed her five-minute hat trick with 7:20 to go in the frame, giving Florida Tech their first lead of the game.
- Bender put an exclamation point on the quarter with six seconds remaining, giving the Crimson and Gray an 8-6 lead going to the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- Lenoir-Rhyne broke the Panther run 4:40 into the final quarter thanks to Olson's third of the game.
- Charlotte Hardie gave Tech some breathing room with 7:41 remaining, restoring the lead to 9-7.
- Just under a minute later, Emma Angelo converted from the free position to push the Crimson and Gray lead to three.
- Craig added to the cushion 48 seconds to make it an 11-7 game.
- Scichilone completed her hat trick with 4:38 remaining to give Florida Tech a five-goal advantage.
- Hardie sealed the victory with her second goal of the quarter with 2:11 to go.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- Lenoir-Rhyne ended with more caused turnovers (10-6).
- Tech had the advantage in total shots (41-20), ground balls (16-14)
- The Panthers were 13-16 on the clears, while the Bears were 15-18.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Florida Tech moves to 4-0 all-time against Lenoir-Rhyne.
- Emma Angelo became the fifth player in program history to record 150 career draw controls and the first to reach the mark since 2018.
- The comeback from four goals down ties for the third largest comeback in program history. It is also tied for the largest road comeback win in program history, matching the comebacks on February 24, 2017 at Belmont-Abbey and April 20, 2017 at Rollins.
UP NEXT: The Panthers return to the friendly confines of Rick Stottler Field on Wednesday night when they host Embry-Riddle in a non-conference matchup. The opening draw is scheduled for 7 P.M.
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.
