MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women’s Soccer) – Florida Tech entered Saturday’s match needing a win against Barry to secure a spot in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament for a fifth-straight season. The Buccaneers, also needing a win to stay in the discussion for a postseason berth, scored five minutes into the game to shut out the Panthers, 1-0, at Rick Stottler Field.

“We have to give credit to Barry. They showed up today and fought very hard,” head coach Fidgi Haig said. “We had many chances to tie the game up, but we were not able to find the net. [Barry’s] keeper was outstanding and kept them in the game.”

Five minutes into the game, Barry (6-6-1, 3-4-1 SSC) found a goal. Kayla Hodge was rewarded with a tap-in goal on a centering pass from Lavinia Nkomo to give the Buccaneers an early 1-0 lead.

The Panthers (6-5-3, 2-4-2 SSC) opened the game with three quick shots, two of them on target. Barry’s goalkeeper Becca Rogers showed no early game jitters, making two saves in the opening four minutes.

FIT controlled play in the first half, much like they have all season, firing 12 shots to Barry’s three.

“One of weakness all season has been finishing on chances,” Haig said. “Today it showed up again. It was very hard to not see the girls get rewarded for their great offensive effort. I am very proud of them for their hard work.”

Junior Carly Hunt recorded five shots in the first half to lead the match. Three of those shots looked to be equalizers for the Panthers. But Rogers stood her ground, stopping all three of Hunt’s scoring chances. Rogers finished the first half with eight of her 12 saves.

The Panthers put up double digits in shots again in the second half, holding a 10-4 advantage.

In the 67th minute, FIT put together a string of five shots over a span of four minutes that showed to be its best opportunity to tie the game.

Hunt, with three of the five shots, placed a header just wide of the goal in the 71st minute. The shot beat the goalkeeper and rolled inches wide of the post. Not even a minute later, Kristin Howe hit the cross bar with a shot from 25 yards out.

In the 85th minute, Ashley Vezina made one last attempt to tie the game, but Rogers made one more save to earn her fifth shutout of the season.

The loss eliminates the Panthers from a spot in the SSC Tournament, ending a four-year streak. FIT, however, will look to pick up two more regional wins next week and try to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 in the first NCAA South Regional poll on Wednesday.

The Panthers hosted Barry in its annual “Kick for the Cure” Game to raise the awareness of breast cancer. They collected donations to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Central Florida.

FIT will host Nova Southeastern on Wednesday, Oct. 24 for Senior Day. It will be the Panthers’ final regular season home game of 2012, and they will recognize their seniors prior to the contest. The Panthers and Sharks are set to start at 1 p.m.

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