MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Panthers took on their second nationally ranked opponent this season and held their own throughout the game. Davenport is showing signs that they can compete against the best of the best. With 4:51 left in the game, the Panthers were only down two goals after a goal by Ryann Deuel. Florida Tech finished the game scoring two unanswered and preserving their lead.
 
The Basics
Final Score: Davenport University-13 | #15 Florida Tech-14
Location: Melbourne, Fla.
Record: DU (1-2) | FT (2-2)
 
Goals Per Period
First period: DU-4 | FT-9
Second period: DU-9 | FT-8

How It Happened
Davenport got off to the start that they needed when playing a road game. The Panthers scored two goals before Florida Tech got on the board. Ries and Brenna Knoll each scored one of the goals. Florida Tech scored their first goal of the 5:55 into the game and they continued to score six straight. Aaliyah Miller helped stop the Florida Tech run with a goal with 9:04 left in the half. Deuel followed that up with a goal of her own just 30 seconds later, cutting the lead down to two goals. Florida Tech went on a 3-0 run to end the half and led 9-4 at halftime.
 
Ries started the second period like she did the first, scoring the first goal of the half. Ries scored on an unassisted effort, her second of the game. Shortly after, Florida Tech strung together three goals together and took a 12-5 lead. Davenport responded with three goals of their own, one from Kenzie Warren, Knoll, and Deuel. Every time that Davenport strung together a couple goals Florida Tech had an answer. Davenport was right on Florida Tech's heels late, trailing 15-13 with 4:51 to play. Florida Tech ended the game scoring two unanswered, including a late goal with only one second on the clock.
 
Makenna Pitchford ended the game with 16 saves, which ties for 10^th most in a single game by an individual at Davenport!
 
Coaches Corner
"I was happy to see how we came out. The girls fought hard. We made some bad decisions on clears, but we will clean those up and keep progressing. We know we can compete with anyone when we play smart." –Head Coach Rob Harris.
 
Inside The Box
Ries (3 G, 6 A, GB)
Knoll (4 G, 2 CT, 6 DC, 1-1 FPS)
Deuel (3 G, 4 DC)
Warren (2 G, A, 2 GB, 0-1 FPS)
Jordyn Harrison (3 GB, 5 CT)
Amber Park (3 GB, 4 CT, 10 DC)
Pitchford (60:00 minutes, 17 GA, 16 saves, 5 GB)
 
Up Next
Davenport takes a day off before they go play Palm Beach Atlantic University on Wednesday, February 27.

Story by: Devin Steiner