thanks to Daniel Supraner Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Florida Tech Athletics for this press release (photo by Ryan Sieloff)   MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men’s Lacrosse) – Florida Tech (6-1) took down Saint Leo (4-3) to win its Sunshine State Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Saint Leo’s University Turf Stadium. The Panthers came away with the 13-11 win over the Lions to win their fourth game in a row. “We’ve had a lot of big wins this year and this win goes right there with them,” said head coach Ryan McAleavey. “We put together a complete game in this one. The guys are buying in and playing well together, it’s really exciting right now. Getting the first win in the conference schedule against Saint Leo, one of the best teams in the conference, at its own place is huge for this team.” Senior Andrew Conley paced the Panthers with three goals and three assists. “Andrew took charge today,” stated McAleavey. “He came out and wanted this game really bad. Finishing with three goals and three assists, he really played well. He played within himself and definitely had a big game today.” Senior Zach Wynne and sophomore Daniel Errett registered three goals and one assist apiece. Junior Nick Wynne and senior Brian Bacarella each scored two goals for the Panthers. Conley put Florida Tech on the board first less than two minutes into the game, but Saint Leo’s Sean Connolly drew the game even just 17 seconds later.  Conley and Bacarella pushed the Panthers back ahead 3-1 with two straight man-up goals. Dylan Yonts scored for the Lions to make it a one goal game. FIT added two more goals to take a 5-2 lead heading into the second quarter. Nick Wynne and Bacarella each scored to start the second quarter. The Lions added two consecutive goals by Matt Weller and Yonts to make it 7-4. Errett fired a shot past Saint Leo goalie Dave Moore to increase FIT’s lead to 8-4 going into halftime. Errett and Nick Wynne registered the first goals of the second half for the Panthers to push the lead to 10-4. The Lions drew closer with a goal by Freddie Williams to make it 11-9 but Zach Wynne fired in another goal to push the lead back to three. Josh Kaufling answered 50 seconds later to bring Saint Leo back to within two goals but Zach Wynne scored again to make it 13-10 with 3:29 remaining. Jake Gilmour brought the Lions back to within two with 10 seconds left on the clock, but it was too late as the Panthers came away with their sixth win of the season. Senior Eric Biller recorded 13 saves in the win over Saint Leo and is now 6-0 on the season. “Biller’s performance the last couple games has been monumental for us,” stated McAleavey. “He’s been the difference for us this season. He’s clutch, turning great shots away all game long. We would not be where we are without him.” Florida Tech returns home for a matchup with Saint Michael’s at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Palm Bay High School’s Pirate Stadium. Live video, audio and stats will be available at FloridaTechSports.com/live.   Box Score: http://www.floridatechsports.com/media/2014-15/mlacrosse/stats/fitm07.htm 2015 Schedule: http://www.floridatechsports.com/mlacrosse/schedule/ 2015 Roster: http://www.floridatechsports.com/mlacrosse/roster/   Daniel Supraner Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Florida Tech Athletics 150 W. University Blvd. Melbourne, Fla. 32901 Work: 321-674-7484 Fax: 321-984-8529