Florida Tech Falls in Sudden Death Overtime 3-2
BOCA RATON, Fla. -Florida Tech Panthers (5-6-2, 1-3-1) falls in heartbreaking overtime play 3-2 to the Lynn University Knights (9-6-0, 3-1-0) in Sunshine
State Conference women’s soccer action.
Lynn’s senior midfielder Kim Pyra (Calgary, Alberta) propelled the Fighting Knights over Tech 3-2, scoring her second of the game in the single overtime
victory.
The Panthers struck first when senior midfielder Megan Kramer (Satellite Beach, Fla.) headed her second goal of the season off a junior midfielder Tara
Euginedes corner kick. This first goal of the game was Tech’s quickest point on the season notching it at the 10th minute.
The Knights answered back in the 34th minute when they scored their first goal. Pyra placed a shot low and left of Panther’s keeper sophomore Erica Wales
(Huntsville, Ala.) after she latched on to freshman Molly Anderson (North Lauderdale, Fla.) who passed the ball through the middle.
The two teams continued to be almost inseparable throughout the second half until senior defender Rebecca McCray (Racine, Wis.) in an attempt to prevent
Tech’s sophomore forward Ericka Hildreth (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) scoring unfortunately redirected the ball right into the path of fellow senior Panther forward
Kelli Huarte (Manteca, Fla.). Huarte drove a fierce shot past freshman goalkeeper Jen Shropshire (Bothell, Wash.). This put Huarte in the double figures
for the season as her 10th goal.
Shropshire would finish the game playing all 98 minutes and recording a total of seven saves on the day for the win.
After falling behind for the second time, the Knights pushed forward in search of a second goal and it finally came with just over ten minutes remaining in
the regulation playing time. Junior midfielder Brittany Kompare (Highland, Md.) found some space on the right hand side, cut into the box before firing a
shot high and to the left that ricocheted off the cross-bar and into the net.
After the second goal scored by Lynn, head coach Fidgi Haig replaced the 5-5 Wales with a 5-11 freshman keeper Julie O’Brien (Franconia, N.H.). The tying
goal was a high shot that Wales was unable to knock above the post.
The goalie switch which had gone in Tech’s favor in the past, did not in this game.
Heading into overtime both teams looked tired and it was a matter of time before one team made a costly mistake. That costly mistake was made by Panthers
replacement O’Brien. Pyra fired a shot low to the goalkeeper’s left hand side and O’Brien dove, only to watch the ball slide through underneath her hands.
The goal came in the 98th minute into the contest and sudden death appeared to be the only way that these two conference opponents would be separated this
afternoon.
The Panthers will face another SSC opponent when they travel to Miami Shores next week on Friday, October 31st and play Barry at 7:00 p.m.
