RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The No. 14 FGCU men's soccer team (3-1-1) suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of UC Riverside (4-1-0), who is receiving votes, by a score of 2-0 Friday night at the UCR Soccer Stadium.

"This game is a very good example for everyone involved," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We are no better than anyone else when we're not ready to compete,  when we play as individuals, and don't work well collectively."

Keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) was on his toes early on coming up with two saves inside 17 minutes to keep the home side off the board. On offense for the Eagles, Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) fired off four of the six first half shots for FGCU, with one hitting off the right post in the 27th minute. Just before the intermission, Miguel Perez (Caracas, Venezuela/Cypress Bay HS) tested the UCR keeper but was denied with save down the middle in the 41st minute.

In the second stanza, the Highlanders scored two goals in two minutes. The first goal arrived in the 54th while the second tally was driven home in the 56th minute. Olli Pirinen recorded an assist on both goals for UCR.

FGCU registered six shots in the second half with two coming on target by Ivan Rosales (Houston, Texas/San Jacinto), one in the 87th and the final one with just under 30 seconds left. Adams and Rosales each registered four shots apiece. The Eagles capped off the night launching 12 shots, three on frame and edged UCR in corners, 7-5. Keeper Vasconcelos secured five saves in the losing effort as he moves to 3-1-1 in net.

"We didn't play all phases of the game and have the right amount of determination and focused energy to pass this test tonight," added Cormier. "UCR deserved to win, they wanted it more and took care of key details and plays to be the more effective team tonight. Our biggest challenge is to see how much we can learn from our failures and do a better job against Cal State Fullerton Sunday."  

Up Next
FGCU will face No. 23 Cal State Fullerton (4-0-0) Sunday night at 8 pm EDT (5 PM PDT). The Titans are facing Air Force tonight. 

Fall Sports Single-Game, Season and Group Tickets On Sale
Single game tickets for volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer are on sale now. Prices are $7 for adults and $5 for military/veterans (with ID) and youth (age 15 and under).

Season tickets (entry to each home game) are $55 for volleyball and women's soccer and $40 for men's soccer. Group tickets are $7 for groups of 15 or more and will include reserved seats, group recognition, a group activity and choice of FGCU gear or food. Fall Frequent Flyer passes, which includes a total of 30 entries to all three sports, are just $99.

For all inquiries, you can visit FGCUtickets.com, call 239-590-7145 or stop by the ticket office, which is open daily Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to all home events.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men's soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer, and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER
Jesse Cormier completed his second as head coach of the FGCU men's soccer program after being hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. Cormier has guided FGCU to a 20-12-6 (.605) record overall, including a 9-2-2 mark (.773) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for eight-straight seasons (every year of eligibility), as Cormier has coached 16 all-conference selections since his arrival (program-record 10 in 2017). Cormier was the head coach at his alma mater the University of Vermont for the previous 13 seasons. He won 14 games with the Catamounts in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. During his time with Vermont, Cormier guided the program to the America East Tournament in 12 of 13 seasons, making five title game appearances, winning two tournament crowns, claiming a regular-season championship and advancing to three NCAA tournaments, including a pair of Second Round appearances. Cormier holds an overall 134-101-53 (.557) record as a head coach in his fourteen plus seasons at the helm.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including both men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's basketball again in 2018-19. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in spring 2018 and have outpaced their institution's undergraduate student body GPA each of the past 20 semesters. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl in 2017.