MELBOURNE, Fla. – For the second-straight year the Florida Tech men’s lacrosse program hosted a successful “Battle at the Beach” tournament. Not only did the Panthers show great promise heading into the second year of the program, they also raised money for a good cause. All proceeds from the second annual “Battle at the Beach” tournament are being donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “I thought the weekend went well,” head coach Ryan McAleavey said. “It all started on Saturday with our kick off banquet. The parents did a phenomenal job setting it up and organizing the entire evening. It was really something special. “On Sunday, the way the guys played was a great way to get in our first competition. We wanted to see how the freshmen fit in so we mixed and matched some guys to try new things.” Melbourne Central Catholic’s Hustler Stadium saw crowds supporting each of the four teams competing at the event. Fan bases could be heard cheering after each goal was announced over the public address system. It didn’t matter which team found the back of the net. Joining FIT at the event were club teams from Palm Beach Atlantic, University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida. For the second-straight year the Panthers won all three of their games, totaling 47 goals on the day. The young corps collected six hat tricks by six different players. Their 23 combined assists showed that the team chemistry is already meshing well in the fall season. “I was most satisfied, not with the scores, but just how they played together,” McAleavey said. “I thought the guys we expected to be good stepped up, but we also had some surprises. Austin Wylie on faceoffs was lights out. We were able to control the ball a lot, which you can’t do when you are not winning faceoffs. I was happy with the way the offense moved the ball. I think we are a solid team heading in the right direction.” FlT will continue to prepare for its second season in the Deep South Conference beginning in February.