Head coach Ryan Moon got a win in his first game at the helm of the Florida Tech Women’s soccer team on Friday night as the Panthers cruised to a 4-1 win over Auburn University at Montgomery.
The Panthers offense was backed up well by the defense, who held the Warhawks to three shots for the entire match. Two of those shots were on goal and Florida Tech goalie Maria Sanchez Recuero only had to make one save. That came 2:59 into the second half.
Moon, who spent three years as a player for the Panthers beginning in 2008, was an assistant under Robin Chan with the men’s team since 2011 before taking the women’s job on June 8, 2020.
After playing six games this spring, Moon was on the sidelines Friday for his first meaningful game as head coach. His players made it a memorable debut as they scored three first half goals en route to the road victory.
Mariana Mazzocca got the scoring started with a goal 9:02 into the game, ripping a shot past AUM goalie Karla Gaytan. Alyssa Bartle and Marem Ndiongue were each credited with an assist.
Ndiongue would get another assist at 32:59 when she lobbed a free kick toward the goal as her Panthers teammates lay in wait. When the ball came down Mayara Queiroz Reis knocked it home and gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Florida Tech’s third goal of the half came in the 36th minute when Avery Kloeppel found Bryson Boyer who put it in the back of the net for a 4-0 Panthers lead. The Queiroz Reis goal and the Boyer goal came two minutes and 10 seconds apart.
The final goal on the Panthers side of the ledger came 14:59 into the second half when Emily Swope made it 4-0. The Warhawks got on the board with three seconds left in the contest on a goal by Jennifer Beharie.
For more info: Florida Tech @ AUM Box Score
Shots were lopsided to say the least with the Panthers getting 12 of their 19 shots on goal and as stated above, AUM had three total shots. Tech also held a 9-1 advantage in corners.
Florida Tech will stay in Alabama as they get ready to face Montevallo at 4:30 on Sunday afternoon.