The Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday with a 15-10 win over Palm Beach Atlantic at the Olin Complex in Melbourne.
Reid Chaconas led the Panthers offense with five goals, Brad Schillinger had four and Brett Pohlmeyer had a hat-trick. Matt Weinstein had a goal and an assist and Justin Williams had two assists. Sam Sidari and Luke Palmisano added single tallies for the Panthers.
Daniel Flock made 10 saves for the Panthers, while Marcus Lantier made 20 saves for the Sailfish. Lantier came into the game playing only 61 minutes in goal, before playing the entire game on Saturday.
Zack Figura gave PBA an early lead, scoring 2:14 into the contest. It was the first of three goals on the day for Figura. Schillinger answered tying the game at one. After Kyle Savick scored for Palm Beach, Chaconas got loose for two straight, helping the Panthers grab a 3-2 lead.
After PBA tied it, the Panthers went on a four-goal run to end the first quarter. The first of those goals was a man-down tally by Palmisano. It was the first man-down goal of the season for the Panthers and was followed by Chaconas’ hat-trick goal, making it 5-3. Schillinger and Pohlmeyer scored 14 seconds apart, giving the Panthers a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Sailfish (6-7, 1-3 SSC) got a goal from Zach Holmes to start the second quarter, but Weinstein and Pohlmeyer scored the next two to make it 9-4. To PBA’s credit, they kept plugging away, scoring the final two goals of the period, as Trent Parker and Jackson Miller closed the gap to 9-6. Flock was screened by his own guy on the Parker goal, and it was a three-goal game at the half.
Palm Beach Atlantic scored their third consecutive goal to start the third quarter, as Figura tallied again, closing the gap to 9-7. Moments later, the Panthers caught a break, as Harrison Wood got inside on Flock, only to have the goal called off. He was called for being in the crease, and the score remained 9-7.
That would be a big call, as the Panthers scored two, including the hat-trick goal for Schillinger and the second of the season for Sidari with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. That gave the Panthers an 11-7 lead, going into the final 15 minutes.
Chaconas would get his fourth of the day 51 seconds into the quarter, upping the Panthers lead to five. Miller’s second of the day came 1:56 later, making it 12-8. They would cut it to three when Townsend Brown beat Flock to make it 12-9.
That would be as close as things would get, as Florida Tech got three goals in succession, from Schillinger, Chaconas, and Pohlmeyer, making it a 15-9 game. The Sailfish scored their final goal of the day off the stick of Figura, giving him the hat-trick with 1:04 to go, but the game was in hand for the Panthers, who ran out the clock.
For more info: Palm Beach Atlantic @ Florida Tech Box Score
Florida Tech (6-3, 2-2 SSC) dominated in shots, taking 58, including 35 on goal. PBA had 27 overall, with 20 of them on goal. The Panthers held a considerable advantage in ground balls as well, 54-28. They were 16-of 18 on clears, while the Sailfish 21-of-24.
Not surprisingly, Florida Tech won 22-of-29 faceoffs, as coach Mark Penn used Ryan Land, David Demeter, and Ethan Tosheff in the circle. Land won 10-of-14, Demeter won 3-of-5 and Tosheff, a freshman was an impressive 9-of-10 on his chances.
Next up for the Panthers is an SSC showdown with Embry-Riddle on Wednesday. That game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start in Daytona.