Header pic: Kailee O’Brien – Credit: Lou Marinacci – Pictures of Motion

The Florida Tech Panthers remained undefeated with a 24-0 win over Davis & Elkins on Sunday night. The Senators were not only shut out on the scoreboard, but they also did not register a shot against Florida Tech.

The 24 goals equal a program record that was set back on March 5, 2018, against Alderson Broaddus when the Panthers were ranked sixth in the country. 

The scoring barrage started early and was spread out as the Panthers had 14 different players score at least one goal. Rachel Johnson had four goals to lead the charge, while Karly Liebendorfer had a hat trick and Kailee O’Brien had a hat trick and an assist.

Kayla Minton, Caroline MacLeod, and Fallon Mears had two goals apiece and eight players had one goal each including freshmen Kasia Lorenc and Caroline Finn who tallied their first collegiate goal. Mears’ first goal of the night was her first goal as a Panther as well.

Marissa Cuevas went the distance in goal for the Senators and she deserves a lot of credit. She made 14 saves in the game for a team that brought 15 players and had three scratches.

The Panthers had two shots in the first 36 seconds and three in the first 1:05 and Cuevas saved them all. Johnson would get the Panthers on the board 2:20 into the game, scoring her fifth of the season.

Charlotte Hardie and Johson would score nine seconds apart. Hardie assisted on Johnson’s goal and it was 3-0. Jennifer Boyle, who had six goals against Findlay in the Panthers’ last game along with MacLeod, would score 1:01 later to make it 4-0. MacLeod would score the next goal and it was 5-0 with 8:52 left in the opening quarter. For MacLeod, it was her 10th tally of the season.

Johnson would get her hat trick goal 13 seconds later and the Panthers had six goals on 14 shots. Minton made it 7-0 before Johnson struck for her fourth of the night to make it 8-0, 19 seconds later.

Karly Liebendorfer scored twice in 1:09 with the second triggering the running clock with 3:17 left in the stanza. Minton and O’Brien tallied in the final two minutes to make it 12-0 at the end of the first quarter, Florida Tech had 12 goals on 21 shots. Cuevas did all she could with nine saves.

Cailey Canessa started in goal for the Panthers and played the first quarter before giving way to Kellen Lucchesi who played the second and third quarters.

MacLeod, Carly Niro, Lorenc, and O’Brien scored in the second quarter and the Panthers went into halftime leading 16-0 and outshooting the Senators 28-0. Cuevas made two more saves in the quarter for the visitors.

O’Brien, Finn, Liebendorfer (hat trick goal), and Mears scored in the third quarter to make it 20-0.

Emily Harris played the final 15 minutes in goal for the Panthers and saw Hurt score the first goal of the period and assist on the first of the season for Madison Savje. Kylie Morris made it 23-0 with 4:08 left and the final goal came out of the stick of Mears who scored with just over five seconds left, and the Panthers a man-down.

Florida Tech ended the night with 40 shots, 38 of those on goal. The Panthers were dominant on ground balls (26-8), draw controls (17-7), and were 11-for-17 on free-position shots. Davis & Elkins turned the ball over 30 times to the Panthers 10.

For more info: Davis & Elkins @ Florida Tech Box Score

The Panthers are now 3-0 and will travel to Greenville, Tennessee on Wednesday, March 9 to meet Tusculum at 6:00 p.m.