WINTER PARK, Fla. – Saturday night's matchup between Florida Tech and Rollins showcased exactly why the Sunshine State Conference is the best women's lacrosse conference in the nation. In a game that needed all 60 minutes, the Panthers made the two biggest plays when they mattered most to earn a 14-13 victory over the #13 ranked Tars, 14-13.
 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 22 Florida Tech 14, No. 13 Rollins 13
Records: No. 22 Florida Tech (5-7, 1-1 SSC) | No. 13 Rollins (7-4, 0-2 SSC)
Locations: Barker Family Stadium | Winter Park, Fla.

FIRST QUARTER: 

• Florida Tech took the lead after 82 seconds through Sofie Bender's low wraparound shot.
• Michaela Wittman doubled the Panther lead 32 seconds later when Sophia Scichilone found with her plenty of space in front of the net.
• Tess Hovivian got Rollins on the board at 10:05.
• Delanie Abere leveled the score at 7:33 with an elevated shot.
• The Tars took their first lead at 6:40 on Madison McGarry's solo effort.
• Just over a minute later, Katie Bell pushed Rollins' lead to 4-2 on a rebound.
• Carly Niro broke Tech's drought at 2:10 with a determined effort.

SECOND QUARTER: 

• Rollins opened the scoring two and a half minutes in with Aleksa Allen finishing Fiona Rizzo's behind the net feed to convert the woman-up opportunity at 12:26.
• Gillian Craig brought the Crimson and Gray thanks to a free position goal at 10:57.
• Just over a minute later, Clare McGuire took a handoff from Ella Brophy and then did the rest herself to tie the game at five.
• Craig's terrific, wraparound solo effort beat the shot clock to put Florida Tech back in front at 6:23.
• The Tars went a woman up just after the ensuing draw and Abere made sure it counted by finding the back of the net to knot the game at six.
• Wittman weaved through multiple defenders for her second goal of the night to make it 7-6 Tech at 3:16.
• Scichilone got in on the scoring at 1:19, converting from close range thanks to a feed from McGuire.

 
THIRD QUARTER: 

• 4:13 into the second half, Abere finished off a Tars counter with a goal from close range for her third of the game, cutting the Panther lead to 8-7 in the process.
• Florida Tech got their first extra-woman opportunity of the night shortly after the ensuing draw and with patience, McGuire converted from the right slot for her second of the night to push the advantage back to two.
• Bell buried her second of the night at 7:39.
• After short-circuiting a Tars scoring opportunity, Phoebe Hurt brought the ball into the Tars end and found Bender, who took care of the rest to make it 10-8 Tech at 6:35.
• Abere scored her fourth of the night at 4:48 after Rollins thwarted a Panther scoring opportunity.
• Bell got her hat trick 48 seconds later to tie the game once again at 10.
• Craig secured her seventh hat trick of the season at 2:21 with a great effort from behind the net.
• Rizzo equalized at 1:11 to send the game to the fourth tied at 11.

FOURTH QUARTER: 

• 3:50 into the final period, Craig withstood contact on a free position attempt to put the Crimson and Gray back on top.
• The Tars won the following draw and would level the game at 12 on Bell's fourth goal of the game at 9:40.
• Charlotte Hardie took a pass from Craig just to the left of center, then charged through on goal and scored her biggest goal of the season to the Panthers ahead by one with 2:49 remaining.
• A green card shortly after the draw gave Rollins their fifth woman-up opportunity of the game, and for the third time, they capitalized, this time with Allen evening the score at 13 with 1:57 to go.
• Phoebe Hurt won the following draw, after which Kelsey Richardson called for a timeout.
• The Panthers patiently worked for the right shot and following a Rollins foul, Craig passed to Bender behind the net, who went to her right and fired a quick, high shot that beat Anya Studebaker to give Florida Tech a one-goal lead with 31.6 seconds remaining.
• The Tars won the draw and were able to get the ball to Abere for one last shot but Bridget Robinson made the save as time expired to secure the win.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Gillian Craig paced the Panthers with four goals, marking her ninth multi-goal game of the season.
• Sofie Bender's game-winner capped her fifth hat trick of the season. The sophomore also scooped three ground balls
• Clare McGuire provided two goals, an assist, 10 draw controls, and a caused turnover.
• Michaela Wittman contributed two goals and a draw control.
• Sophia Scichilone added a goal, an assist, and three ground balls.
• Phoebe Hurt tallied six ground balls, six draw controls and a caused turnover.
• Michaela Wittman scored for a second consecutive goal while also winning four draws.
• Charlotte Hardie pitched in with a goal and a draw control.
• Carly Niro posted a goal, a caused turnover, and a ground ball.
• Ella Brophy provided three ground balls and a caused turnover.
• Bridget Robinson tallied seven saves for the second consecutive game along with three ground balls.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech won the draw control battle (19-12) and gathered more ground balls (24-22).
• Rollins outshot Tech both in terms of total shots (25-23) and shots on goal (20-16). The Tars also won the turnover battle (17-13) and caused more turnovers (8-6).
• The Panthers were 13-of-15 on clears, while the Tars were 19-of-20.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 6-8 all-time against Rollins, including 2-4 in Winter Park.
• This marks the first time the Panthers have recorded multiple wins against the Tars in the same season since 2017.
• This was the Crimson and Gray's second ever victory at Rollins and the first since a 14-10 triumph on April 20, 2017.
• The win was Tech's first on the road against a ranked opponent since defeating #16 Tampa on April 4, 2018.

UP NEXT: The Panthers hit the road again next Wednesday, April 2 as they head to West Palm Beach for a Sunshine State Conference matchup at Palm Beach Atlantic. The opening draw is scheduled for 5 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.