The Florida Tech Panthers improved to 3-0 on Friday, beating Young Harris 17-10 in a women’s lacrosse game in Georgia.
Mollie Kaplan led the Panthers offense with six goals on seven shots. Alexis Townsend finished with a hat-trick and two assists accounting for five points, while Aleah Fjelstad added two goals and two assists for a four-point game. Kailee O’Brien had two goals and one assist. Freshman Kylie Morris scored her first collegiate goal for Florida Tech with 5:29 left in the game.
Young Harris (1-3) got a hat-trick from Sierra Haas in this one, but they were inundated with turnovers, committing 23 in this one, many of them leading directly to Panthers’ goals. The Panthers had 13 turnovers.
Florida Tech took 36 shots (31 on goal), keeping YHC goalie Maddy Meyers under siege most of the day. She was forced to make 14 saves. The Mountain Lions took 20 shots, 18 on goal with Madison Fields making eight saves for the Panthers.
Young Harris got off to a good start, getting a goal from Leigh Ann Turner as she knocked home a rebound off a free-position shot. Fjelstad tried to get the Panthers on the board and she eventually did after having one shot saved, and another go off the post. Her third chance came a bit later and she put it home, tying the game, 1-1.
Aubrie Valvo scored two of the next three goals for the Mountain Lions, giving her team a 4-1 lead with 4:08 elapsed in the first half. Fjelstad and Madison Savje answered with goals 21 seconds apart to close the gap to one, before Kaplan scored with 12:54 left in the half, tying the game 4-4.
Ansley Coles and Morgan Leonard traded goals, tying the game 5-5. O’Brien then banged home back-to-back goals to give Florida Tech a 7-5 lead. Young Harris was let down by their defense, late in the half as Kaplan and Townsend scored with 38 seconds and 25 seconds left, respectively.
Kaplan’s hat-trick goal came 1:08 into the second half, doubling the Panthers lead to 10-5. After Haas scored to close the gap to four, Kaplan scored two of the Panthers’ next three goals, and Florida Tech led 13-6.
Young Harris tried to claw their way back in with three straight goals, closing the gap to 13-9. The goal by Morris broke that run. It was her first as a Panther and made it 14-9.
Florida Tech scored three of the final four goals, including the last one by Kaplan, her 10th of the season.
For more info: Florida Tech @ Young Harris Box Score
The Panthers have one more road game before their first home game at Panther Stadium on Tuesday, March 3 against Regis. That road game will take place this Sunday against Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA. The opening draw is scheduled for noon.