The Florida Tech women’s lacrosse team opened their season with a convincing 16-8 win over the Post University Eagles on Saturday, at the Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, MD.
Aleah Fjelstad scored four goals and had two assists to lead the Panthers with six points. Alexis Townsend and Mollie Kaplan were big contributors as well, each getting a hat-trick. Townsend also had two assists for a total of five points. Kaplan added an assist for a four-point night, and Madison Savje had two goals and two assists.
Madison Fields, a senior goalie who played her first three seasons at Hofstra, picked up her first win in a Panthers uniform. She made five saves. The Panthers outshot the Eagles 39-17 and held a 27-23 edge in ground balls. They did well on faceoffs as well, winning 17-of-26.
Fjelstad got the scoring started with two consecutive goals in the 1:45 of the game. Kailee O’Brien made it 3-0 before Post got on the board 4:15 into the contest.
Kaplan scored her first of the night unassisted before Fjelstad got the hat-trick with 16:23 to go in the first half, making it 5-1. That was followed by goals from Morgan Leonard, and the second from Kaplan, capping a four-goal run by the Panthers.
Post (0-2) got another goal to cut it to five, before Kaplan got her hat-trick with 9:50 to go off a feed from Fjelstad, making it 8-2. Savje scored the Panthers final goal of the first half with 4:13 to go, before Morgan Cassiliano scored her third of the night for Post, sending this one to the half with her team trailing 9-4.
The Eagles got the first goal of the second half, but that was quickly answered by Fjelstad. After a goal by Townsend, made it 11-5, Cassiliano got her fourth of the night with 16:32 to go. O’Brien scored over a minute later, and Townsend scored two consecutive goals to make it 14-6.
Caroline MacLeod and Madison Savje got the Panthers’ last two goals and Cassiliano got her fifth for the Eagles in the final minutes.
For more info: Post Vs. Florida Tech Box Score (Sparks, MD)
The Panthers are right back at it on Sunday with a non-conference game against Palm Beach Atlantic. The opening draw is at 4:00 p.m.