MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of West Florida women's soccer team finished its opening weekend in Melbourne 1-1, falling to Florida Tech 2-1 in a game that was forced into overtime. The Argonauts are now 2-1 all-time against FIT, which includes a 2013 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
"Today is an opportunity to learn," head coach Joe Bartlinski said. "We have several new quality pieces in our puzzle, we just have to figure out how to put them in the right places."
 
UWF controlled possession for much of the first half, totaling eight corner kicks compared to FIT's one. Both teams were held scoreless after the first 45 minutes, with freshman keeper Elizabeth Bankhead making five saves before halftime.
 
West Florida opened the second half in strong fashion, with junior Kaljit Atwal notching her first goal as an Argonaut after connecting with a thru ball from Marjorie Boilesen for a wide open shot just inside the 18-yard box. The assist was Boilesen's second of the year.
 
Florida Tech, however, would convert a goal just two minutes later to put the score at 1-1, when Bankhead dove to make one of her seven saves of the day on the first Panther attempt, and Keira McCarthy followed up toward the open goal to even things up.
 
The Argonauts still controlled the ball for much of the second half against a stingy FIT defense, while both teams posted several strong defensive stops in the final 45 minutes of regulation. The teams combined for 11 total shots in the second half, with just one of those going on goal.
 
Both team defenses were particularly strong in the 10-minute overtime period. While Florida Tech put up six shots in the period, UWF kept the Panthers from putting on competitive chances until the final 90 seconds. With 1:03 left in the period, McCarthy scored her second goal of the game to close it out.
 
West Florida opens its home schedule against Rollins on Friday, September 9, at 5 p.m. In their last get-together in 2015, UWF beat then-No. 1 Rollins 5-1 in Winter Park.