BOCA RATON, Fla. – There has been little room for error in the women's soccer series between Lynn University and Florida Tech as the last six match-ups have been decided by a goal. Saturday's game made it seven straight with the Fighting Knights falling 2-1 to the 21st-ranked Panthers. Jackie Hellett scored her third goal of the season. Lynn drops to 8-5-1 overall and 3-4-0 in the Sunshine State Conference.
It was LU who drew first blood in the 38th minute of play. The Blue & White had been putting pressure on the Florida Tech defense for much of the match and were finally rewarded when a poor pass out of the back landed at the feet of Hellett. The freshman out of Ponte Vedra, Fla., ripped a shot from the right wing off the inside of the left post to put Lynn on top 1-0.
Florida Tech didn't trail long, scoring the equalizer on a set piece in the 42nd minute. A hand ball just outside the box, near the left corner, gave the Panthers a free kick. Casey Lademann set up and lofted a cross to the middle of the box and Ann-Marie Helgestad headed it in to knot the game at one.
Lynn took it to FIT for much of the second half but a minor mistake allowed the Panthers to grab the 2-1 lead in the 74th minute. Lademann once again set up the Florida Tech goal, this time beating her defender down the left sideline and passing a square ball to the top of the box. Chelsea Pushman collected the pass unmarked, took a touch to her right and sent in a shot to the top-right shelf for the game-winner.
With 16 minutes remaining, LU put on a hard-court press in the Florida Tech zone. Kirstie Schults and Lauren Impey both had opportunities thwarted by the Panthers while Meghan Dolan made an incredible one-on-one save to keep the game at 2-1.
Dolan stopped 10 shots in the loss while her counterpart, Mist Eliasdottir, made six saves. Florida Tech outshot Lynn 25-12 and edged LU 3-2 in corner kicks.
The Fighting Knights return to action on Thursday, October 27, at 2 p.m. when they host longtime rival Barry in their regular season finale. Fans can watch the game live at www.LynnFightingKnights.com by selecting the Game Central icon and receive in-game tweets from Sports Information Director Chad Beattie at @Chad_BT.
