Flagler Men Edge FIT 14-13 in Wild Back and Forth – STA Alum McDonald with 5G/1A and GWG
via the school’s press releases/website
Saints Take Down Panthers With Last Minute Goals
MELBOURNE, Fla. – Trace McDonald led Flagler College with five goals and an assist in its 14-13 win tonight against Florida Tech at the VTC Field.
The Saints move up to 3-1 overall while the Panthers drop to 0-4 for the season so far.
The game was neck and neck until Logan Tobias and McDonald scored back-to-back in the last three minutes, securing the Saints win.
Flagler got an early but close lead ending the first half with a 6-5 advantage, and three of the goals were from McDonald.
The Panthers were able to hold the Saints off only allowing them to get two goals off in the third quarter. The Panthers began to close the gap and ended the third quarter 10-10.
Goalie Nate Lehr also helped the Saints achieve victory making 12 saves. Matt Mitrega paced the defense with seven ground balls.
Although they came up short in the end the Panthers goalie Jax Francisco stood out with 10 saves for the night.
Zach Rozgonyi, Joe Coveleski, and Griffin Martin each scored three goals for Florida Tech.
The Saints will return to the Flagler Lacrosse Field on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. to take on No. 15 (USILA/Blatant Division II Top 25) Florida Southern College.
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Florida Tech Comes Up Short against the Flagler Saints
MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech returned home on Saturday night to welcome Flagler in a non-conference matchup. After going down by two in the first two minutes of play, the Panthers fought to stay within one up until the third period. Despite coming back from a three-goal deficit in a 1:06 span, the Panthers were unable to hold off the Saints.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 13, Flagler 14
Records: Florida Tech (0-3, 0-0 SSC) | Flagler (3-1, 0-0 PBC)
Locations: Saints Field | Gaffney, S.C.
FIRST QUARTER:
- Flagler put the pressure on the Panthers early in the first quarter, netting two within the first two minutes.
- Joe Coveleski put the Panthers on the board with 7:55 to go on an assist from Griffin Martin.
- The Saints would net another before Martin tallied his first of the night, followed by a man-up Coveleski goal off a feed by Ben Foster.
- Flagler would get one more to end the period and go up 4-3.
SECOND QUARTER:
- Teams traded goals in the second period.
- Panther goals came on a rebounded shot by Cam Johnson and an unassisted goal from Martin.
- Flagler went into halftime with a one-goal lead, 6-5.
THIRD QUARTER:
- The Saints opened the third period scoring three straight, with the first goal coming just seven seconds in.
- Back-to-back goals by Foster, including a man-up goal, cut the Panthers deficit to two, 9-7, with 6:32 to go.
- Flagler put up one before the Panthers went on a crucial 3-0 run to tie it up, 10-10.
- Zach Rozgonyi got into the scoring mix on a man-up goal assisted by Foster with 1:12 on the clock.
- Back-to-back faceoff wins put the Panthers in position for the next two goals.
- Brooks Van Esselstyn found the back of the net on an unassisted effort, followed by Rozgonyi notching his second of the night off a feed from Colin Olson.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- Teams traded goals in the first five minutes, with each team netting two.
- Panther goals came from Martin and Coveleski, who each completed a hat trick.
- Cam Johnson found Rozgonyi to give Tech their first and only lead of the game, 13-12, with 5:15 to go.
- Flagler posted two straight to take back the lead 14-13, with 2:27 to go.
- The Panthers got two shots off in the final 16 seconds but were unable to find the back of the net.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- Griffin Martin led the Panthers with four points on three goals and an assist.
- Ben Foster tallied four points on two goals and two assists.
- Zach Rozgonyi completed his first hat trick of the season and collected three ground balls.
- Joe Coveleski posted a hat trick and one ground ball.
- Cam Johnson added three points on one goal and two assists.
- Kevin Wolfe recorded a team-high five ground balls.
- JP Panchookian led the defense with three caused turnovers and one ground ball.
- JR Radun forced two turnovers and collected four ground balls.
- Jax Francisco recorded 10 saves and a .471 save percentage.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- Both teams posted 36 shots.
- Florida Tech went 13-of-14 on clears while Flagler went 11-of-13.
- Florida Tech went 3-3 on man-up opportunities and Flagler went 1-3.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Florida Tech moves to 2-1 all-time against the Flagler Saints.
- Zach Rozgonyi broke the program record for points and now leads with 142 career points.
- Joe Coveleski’s posted a hat trick for the second straight game.
- Griffin Martin completed his first career hat trick.
- JR Radun’s four groundballs ties his career high.
UP NEXT: Florida Tech heads to Naples for the Southwest Shootout. The Panthers will face SSC rival #4 Tampa at 3 p.m.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.