No. 17 Panthers Play to Draw with Saint Leo

by Jonathan Hower

September 22, 2012

MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women’s Soccer) – For the second time in as many games, No. 17Florida Tech finished in a scoreless tie. This time the Panthers outshot Saint Leo by a margin of 34-4, 8-0 throughout both overtimes, to end in a 0-0 draw on Saturday at Rick Stottler Field.

Florida Tech (4-2-2, 0-1-2 SSC) has registered 71 shots over the last 220 minutes of play, but has been unable to find the back of the net. On the flip side, the Panthers have dominated play over that time span, allowing only a total of six shots.

“I told the girls to stay persistent,” head coach Fidgi Haig told his team after the match. “At some point the goals are going come, and when they do, they are going to go in by the numbers.”

Saint Leo (2-5-1, 1-2-1 SSC) registered its first shot of the game much earlier than Eckerd did on Tuesday--the Tritons did not record a shot until the 83rd minute on Tuesday. In the 29th minute, the Lions’ Sam Buterbaugh headed a ball from a corner kick that bounced to the goal line. Freshman defender Ty Rosemellia, standing as the last line of defense, booted the ball out of the box.

The Panthers held a 26-4 shot advantage through regulation, firing 14 shots in the first half. For the second-straight game, senior Kelly Whittaker led the team in double-digit shots with 10. Erika Forsberg, who recorded zero shots at Eckerd in 50 minutes of play, emerged with eight shots.

In the first overtime period, Forsberg headed a beautifully crossed pass from Whittaker that rung off the post, causing the crowd to gasp. Two minutes earlier, Forsberg hit the post after collecting a rebound from blocked shot that Christina Edwards sent in.

“We did a very good job pressuring Saint Leo,” Haig said. “I am very pleased with the performance of the players.”

FIT possessed the ball for almost the entire 20 minutes of overtime, holding an 8-0 shot advantage over the Lions.

The Crimson and Gray will travel to Rollins on Wednesday, Sept. 26 next. The Panthers and Tars will square off at 5 p.m.