Above – Austen Zugelter scored twice –  Photo by Amanda Stratford Photography. MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men’s Lacrosse) – Despite nine penalties, Florida Tech (1-3) held Wheeling Jesuit University (3-0) to three man-up goals. The Panthers scored four unanswered goals between the third and fourth periods to take an 11-10 lead with 4:42 remaining in regulation. However, a goal with 32 seconds left tied the game at 11 and in overtime, the Cardinals were able to strike first, escaping FIT’s home opener at Hustler Stadium with a 12-11 victory. Seven first-half penalties allowed the Cardinals to take an 8-4 lead after two periods. Andrew Conley and CJ Nichols scored two goals apiece in the first half. Jordan Hayes recorded eight saves in the first 30 minutes of action. A heartbreaking loss for the Panthers for the third straight game, FIT trailed by as much as five goals in the third quarter. FIT followed with three goals by Nichols, Nick Wynne and Brian Bacarella to make it a 9-7 contest with 6:52 remaining in the period. A goal by the Cardinals gave WJU a three-point cushion, and goals by Austen Zugelter (two), Wynne and Nichols allowed Florida Tech to erase its deficit and take a one-goal lead with just under five minutes left to play. “The hardest part about losing three consecutive games by three goals is that we rallied back to tie the game or take a lead,” said third year head coach Ryan McAleavey. “It’s just a heartbreaker. We started off slow with most of our penalties coming in the first half and whenever you spot a great team like Wheeling Jesuit six man-up opportunities, they will capitalize. Fortunately, Jordan Hayes and our man-down unit came up big and limited its man-up goals. We gave them too many opportunities.” Nichols led FIT with four goals and added an assist, Wynne, Conley and Zugelter each scored two goals, and Nick Brown and Mike Marshner registered two assists. In his second start of the season, Hayes recorded 14 saves but fell to 0-2 while Cardinals goalie Joe Amsler improved to 3-0 after stopping four shots. The Panthers return to action in two days, hosting Catawba College on Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. Live stats, audio and video will be available and can be accessed by visiting FloridaTechSports.com, the official home of FIT athletics. Admission to all home lacrosse games is free with a valid Florida Tech ID. Ticket prices are $7 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens ages 65 and up, youth ages 5-16 and non-Florida Tech students with school ID. Children ages four and under are also free.