The Lynn Fighting Knights had a strong second quarter on Wednesday, leading them to a 17-9 win over Florida Tech in a Sunshine State Conference lacrosse game in Boca Raton.
“We got outplayed tonight by a good team. “Lynn came in with a good game plan and executed it,” said Panthers coach Mark Penn via email. “We failed to execute and the results showed.”
Reid Chaconas and Logan Sweeney scored three goals each in the loss, while Xander Cosenza led the Fighting Knights with four goals. He had a lot of help, as Nick McCabe, Mikey Urso, and Keegan Maxwell each contributed a hat-trick.
Sweeney got the Panthers off to a good start, scoring twice in the first 11:49 of the game. Cosenza did the same for Lynn, and it was 2-2 with 7:25 left in the first quarter. McCabe assisted on both of the Cosenza tallies.
Maxwell scored with 2:52 left in the quarter with an assist from Cosenza, only to see Sweeney score a man-up goal with 55 seconds left, tying the game at three. As has been the case in a few games this season, the Panthers were victimized by a late goal, with McCabe scoring with four seconds left, making it a 4-3 Lynn advantage at the end of one.
Justin Williams tied the game 3:06 into the second quarter, beating Lynn goaltender Collin McClelland. That’s when Lynn started to pull away, cashing in three straight against Panthers netminder Daniel Flock. Matt Weinstein got the Panthers to within 7-5 with 4:33 left in the half.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, Lynn scored three more unanswered, including another Cosenza goal with one second on the clock before the half expired. That made it 10-5 Fighting Knights at the break, capping off a six-goal second quarter for the home team.
Chaconas scored three of the four goals the Panthers had in the third quarter, with the other coming from Tommy Bowser, with one second remaining on the clock. That made it 14-9 Lynn, with 15 minutes left.
Lynn would add three more goals in the fourth quarter, while the Panthers were unable to find the back of the net.
“Our offense never got going tonight. We didn’t react well to Lynn’s defensive scheme and forced the issue too much,” said Penn. “We have too much talent on the offensive side to allow that to happen. But, that my challenge, to get this group prepared for the next test.”
Florida Tech (5-3, 1-2 SSC) was outshot 43-28, with 24 shots on goal for Lynn. The Panthers forced 21 turnovers while committing 19. The Fighting Knights held a 47-32 advantage on groundballs and won 21-of-29 faceoffs.
For more info: Florida Tech @ Lynn Box Score
“We have to put this behind us and get ready for Saturday. In this conference you have to bring your ‘A‘ game each time out,” said Penn. “We have two days to learn from our mistakes and get better. We still have a lot of lacrosse to play and we are still in the postseason hunt.”
Saturday’s game against Palm Beach Atlantic will be an 11:00 a.m. faceoff at the Olin Complex.