MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team traveled to Florida Tech to face the 24th ranked Panthers in an important Sunshine State Conference matchup.
 
Midway into the first half, the Panthers (8-2, 4-2 Sunshine State Conference) would take the lead courtesy of a deflection that redirected a Florida Tech shot into the back of the net. The 1-0 lead was all Florida Tech needed to overcome ERAU (2-5-1, 1-4-1 SSC).
 
Possession favored Florida Tech in the first half. The Eagles took a defensive approach and tried to take advantage of their opportunities to counter-attack. ERAU's backline did of good job of holding a high line, trapping the Panthers offsides six times in the half.
 
The Blue and Gold's best chance at goal in the first half came when Alex O'Brien's pass connected with, the reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week, Teddy West who attempted a shot off the volley. His shot nearly found the top-right corner of the goal, but it sailed high and wide.
 
After holding off the Panther attack for the first half of the period, the Eagles would concede the first goal of the match. Solomon Wheatley's shot looked like it was headed wide of the goal, but Henrik Nag deflected the shot and redirected the ball into the back of the net to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
 
The game evened out in the second half in terms of possession. The Eagles did a better job at creating chances on the offensive end of the pitch as the match winded down. Still, ERAU was unable to capitalize on any of its opportunities.
 
With 15 minutes in the match, the Eagles were awarded with a corner kick. The ball sent into the box by Christian Mather led to a shot by Olav Olsen Aamlid, but the Panther goalkeeper was able to make a clutch save.
 
The next best chance the Blue and Gold would have at goal came off a free kick from outside the box with four minutes remaining. West's pass was able to find the head of Ryan Kirby, but the shot would land on top of the goal.
 
Even though ERAU was outshot 15-5 by the Panthers, Florida Tech only held a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. Will Hanisch totaled five saves in his season debut. His performance helped hold the deficit at one.
 
The Eagles will return home to play Tampa on Wednesday. The match at the ERAU Soccer Stadium will kickoff at 6 p.m.