MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team defeated Florida Tech on the road tonight 3-1 in the semifinals of the SSC Tournament. The No. 7 ranked Sailfish move to 14-2-2 on the season after defeating the Panthers in Melbourne for the second time in four games. 

After defeating Florida Southern 3-0 on Monday, PBA had a date with the number two seeded and No. 23 ranked Panthers. The Sailfish jumped on Florida Tech early through a goal from the newly named SSC Player of the Year in the 10th minute. Cadu Cusatis got on the end of a Claudio Rivadeneira cross off the right-wing when Panther's keeper Jason Fesquet's attempted punch clearance fell to the feet of Cusatis who was quick to put the ball past him and give PBA the early 1-0 lead. 

Sailfish keeper Patrick Nettekoven was called upon to make two big saves in the first half to keep the Sailfish ahead. In the 33rd minute, PBA's depth was put on display once again as two substitutes connected for the second goal. Simone Pacielli took the ball off of a Panther defender and found an open Harun Velic running into the box. Velic beat Fesquet for his second goal of the season and gave PBA the 2-0 lead before the half. 

There were difficult playing conditions on the pitch after a day of hard rain, and with a trip to the finals on the line the second-half turned into a physical affair. Seven players were shown yellow cards as the referee tried to keep control of the action. PBA stayed on the front foot right out of the half forcing Fesquet into three second-half saves. However, Flordia Tech was the team that scored first in the second half once they began to throw more numbers forward. Big striker Per Henrik Nag got on the end of a cross on the doorstep of goal and got the Panthers back in the game at 2-1 in the 68th minute. The Sailfish were quick to answer the Florida Tech goal two minutes later and put an end to their possible comeback effort. Giancarlo Triulzi beat Fesquet to a ball over the top of the defense and he found an open Greg Pagni who put the game away. 

With the victory, the Sailfish move onto the SSC Championship game on Nov. 17. They will face the No. 2 team in the country in Lynn who defeated the Sailfish 3-1 in Roca Raton when they played earlier this season. Ever since the defeat, PBA has looked like a different squad winning seven consecutive matches. PBA will be looking to win their second straight SSC Tournament with a win over the Knights.