The Mavericks lost a heartbreaker to the Panthers

Josh Coleman • March 23, 2022

The Mavericks fall 15-16 to the No. 14 ranked team in the nation Florida Tech University (FTU).

Redshirt sophomore midfielder James Steinke recorded five points in the game and picked up three ground balls in the game. Steinke scored two goals and recorded three assists in the game.

Redshirt sophomore midfielder Trent Pernell recorded one goal and four assists in the game. He picked up four ground balls in the Maverick’s effort.

Dylan Checketts picks up a ground ball after winning a faceoff to himself against Westminster College on Feb. 27. | *Mikayla Olave for The Criterion*

Sophomore faceoff man Dylan Checketts got the Mavericks off to a fast start as he won the opening faceoff, charged down the field and scored seven seconds into the game. Redshirt sophomore attackman Alex Blatt gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead with 11:33 left in the first quarter.

Andrew Walenty answered with the first Panthers goal of the game less than 30 seconds later. Steinke didn’t allow FTU to build any momentum up as he recorded his first goal of the game with 9:05 left in the first quarter.

Blatt scored his second of three goals in the game with 3:47 left in the first quarter to give CMU a 4-2 lead.

FTU opened the second quarter with a two-goal run to tie the game up at 4 with 9:28 remaining in the first half. Steinke scored his second goal of the game on a man-up opportunity to give the Mavericks a one-goal lead.

The Panthers close the final five minutes of the first half on a three to one run to take a 7-6 lead into the halftime break.

Sophomore midfielder Sergio Pelayo tied the game up at seven with 13:28 left in the third quarter. Both teams traded one goal each as the game remained tied.

Redshirt sophomore attackman Braden Lowe gave the Mavericks a one-goal lead as he beat his man and rifled a shot into the back of the net while going away from the net. FTU came back with another two-goal run to take a 10-9 lead with 4:29 remaining in the quarter.

Redshirt sophomore attackman/midfielder AJ Switzer fired a shot into the back of the net on a man-up opportunity to tie the game at 10. Lowe scored his second goal of the game to give CMU an 11-10 lead with 2:53 left in the third quarter.

The Panther’s offense wasn’t done just yet as Zach Rozgonyi scored with one second left in the third quarter to tie the game at 11. FTU opened the fourth quarter with a two-goal run to take a 13-11 lead in the opening minute and a half of the quarter.

AJ Switzer attempts a jump shot against Westminster College on Feb. 27. | *Mikayla Olave for The Criterion*

Pernell brought the Mavericks back within one as he got out in transition and beat everyone down the field to beat the goalie in a one-on-one situation. The Panthers went on a three-goal run to take a 16-12 lead with 7:52 left in the game.

Switzer and Lowe cut the lead back down to two goals with 6:42 left in the game, and both goals were assisted for the Mavericks. Freshman midfielder/attackman JJ Brummett brought the Mavericks within one goal with 3:46 left in the game.

The Mavericks weren’t able to put another shot into the back of the net as they fell to the Panthers for their second consecutive loss.

CMU held a 65 to 35 advantage in the ground ball battle as they were able to control the hustle plays. The Mavericks also dominated the faceoff x winning 26 of the 35 faceoffs in the game.

Freshman goaltender Reece Sullivan finished the game with 12 saves and recorded a 42.9% save percentage.

The Maverick’s next game is Friday, March 25 at 9:00 a.m. against Flagler College in the final game of their spring break trip.

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