Header photo: Guillermo Segovia Marcos – Credit: Florida Tech Athletics

The ninth-ranked Tampa Spartans (12-2, 9-1 SSC) beat a very resilient Florida Tech team on Saturday, winning their sixth straight match 3-2 with a goal late in the second overtime.

Juancho Fernandez scored Tampa’s first goal with 3:59 gone in the first half and he ended the match with a game winner with 4:23 left in the second overtime.

Prior to the game Florida Tech celebrated 10 players who were taking the pitch for the final time at Rick Stottler Field, including Dani Garcia Martin, Stian Hagboe Olson, Guillermo Segovia Marcos, Daniel Talisuna Owurum, Abram Murphy, Sander Golmen, Thibault Chretien, Julien Remiti, Liam Wiles, and Kenan Ersow.

Tampa out shot the Panthers 26-7. Nick Brady had to make 12 saves in the Florida Tech net, including three in the first overtime. Florida Tech only had four shots on goal, but scored on two of them.

Following the first Fernandez goal, the Panthers scored in the 23rd minute when Remiti sent in a corner kick that Segovia Marcos converted, tying the score at one.

The score stayed that way until Tampa got a goal 22 minutes into the second half when Omar Thali scored to make it 2-1. That lead didn’t last long as Chretien took the ball up the field and scored just 1:07 after Tampa took the lead. That goal knotted the match at two.

Fernandez took 11 shots for Tampa on this night and his final one beat Brady to give the Spartans a 3-2 win and the 2021 Sunshine State Conference title.

For more info: Tampa @ Florida Tech Box Score

The Panthers (5-7-1, 2-6-1 SSC) will conclude their season on Tuesday when they travel to Boca Raton to take on No. 19 Lynn. The match gets underway at 6:00 p.m.