The Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team took the field for the first time since March 2 on Tuesday, and they showed no rust whatsoever, beating Division III Nichols College 24-6 at the Olin Complex.
The Panthers (4-1) rifled off a total of 66 shots in the game, including 39 on goal. The Bison took 28 shots, with 17 of those registering on goal. FIT starting goalie Daniel Flock made 11 saves. He did not allow a goal in the third quarter and allowed just one in the fourth. Redshirt-freshman Kyle Renz played the final 1:18 in goal.
Reid Chaconas led the Panthers with five goals and added three assists, while Logan Sweeney had four goals and six assists, setting a school record for points in a single game with 10. Sweeney also registered his 100th career point with an assist on Chaconas third goal of the day with 9:41 left in the first. Congratulations to Sweeney on the milestone.
Chaconas scored his first two goals 2:02 apart and got his hat trick with 9:41 to go, making it 3-0. Tyler Oblong and Matt Weinstein scored 1:08 apart, and just like that, the Panthers were up 5-0. Sweeney’s goal with 3:17 to go made it 6-1, and Florida Tech would lead 6-2 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bison (4-2) got the first goal of the second quarter, cutting the Panthers lead in half, and after Addison Abramson and Connor Santoni traded goals to make it a 7-4 game, Florida Tech reeled off four straight, including two from Tommy Bowser, upping the Panthers lead to 11-4.
Santoni scored the last goal of the second quarter and the Panthers went into the break with an 11-5 lead.
Florida Tech added five goals in the third quarter, from five different players. The last goal of the quarter came from freshman Patrick Stewart. It was his first in a Panthers uniform and gave the home team a 16-5 lead, heading into the final stanza.
Justin Williams scored the first goal of the fourth quarter, before Santoni scored again, breaking up the six-goal run for the Panthers that bridged two quarters.
The Panthers ended the game on a 7-0 run, including two from Sweeney, another from Stewart and second of the season from freshman Braden Dunn and the first of the season for sophomore Brandon Harry.
Florida Tech won 27-of-35 faceoffs, including two from sophomore David Demeter, who is also on the football team. He won two draws in a row, the first two of his collegiate career.
The Panthers dominated in the groundball category, 66-38, and were 16-of-19 on clears.
For more info: Nichols @ Florida Tech Box Score
The Panthers open conference play against 20th-ranked Rollins on Saturday, at the Olin Complex. The opening faceoff is set for 11:00 a.m.