The Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team won their first game of the season Saturday, taking down the Keiser Seahawks 20-7 at the Olin Complex on the campus of Florida Tech. Reid Chaconas had a big day for the Panthers, leading the scoring barrage with five goals. Tajee Mobley finished with four.
Panthers goalie Daniel Flock faced 14 shots on goal and came up with seven saves. Keiser goalie Dylan Sharpe was under fire all day long, as the Panthers reeled off 57 shots, 33 of which were on goal.
Keiser, an NAIA school, came into the game 3-0, but the Panthers flexed their muscle early, as Brett Pohlmeyer and Carson Clough scored to make it 2-0. Keiser’s Craig Marentette scored back-to-back goals 1:01 apart, knotting the game at two, with 3:47 left in the opening quarter.
Logan Sweeney scored the next two for the Panthers, the first coming on the man-up with 2:12 to go and the second with 27 seconds left in the first quarter. The Panthers held a 4-2 lead as the second quarter got underway.
Clough, Mobley, and Chaconas all scored within the first 10 minutes of the second quarter. Chaconas scored the final two of a four-goal run for the Panthers. Marentette broke that up with his hat trick goal with 2:09 to go in the half. It looked like he was setting up to have a big day, but that would be his final goal, as Flock and the Panthers shut him down in the second half.
Another Pohlmeyer goal found its way home with 1:18 to go and Addison Abramson got in on the act, beating Sharpe just as the buzzer sounded, giving the Panthers a 10-3 lead at the break.
Chaconas got his hat trick with 13:26 to go in the third, giving the Panthers an eight-goal lead, but Hunter East scored two goals 57 seconds apart to get the Seahawks back to within six, 11-5. Mobley and Justin Williams got those goals back for the Panthers as the third quarter was winding down. It was the first goal for Williams this season. He also assisted on the Abramson goal to end the second quarter. Chaconas put an exclamation point on the third quarter with his fourth goal of the day, coming with 10 seconds left.
Florida Tech (1-2) got the first two goals of the fourth quarter from Mobley and Chaconas, giving them a 16-5 lead. After Grieco scored for Keiser with 4:08 left, the Panthers scored four of the final five goals. Williams tallied another in that stretch, giving him a three-point day.
For more info: Florida Tech @ Keiser Box Score
Florida Tech finished 25-of-26 on clears, while the Seahawks were just 18-of-27. The Panthers dominated on ground balls,49-26 and won 19 of the 30 faceoffs.
The Panthers are on the road next week, traveling to North Carolina for their next two games. On Friday they will take on Lenoir-Rhyne in a 6:00 p.m. game in Hickory, NC and on Sunday they will be in Salisbury, to take on Catawba at 1:00 p.m.