MIAMI – The FGCU men's soccer team (0-1) was narrowly edged out by No. 25 FIU (1-0), 3-2, Wednesday night at the FIU Soccer Stadium.  

"I thought tonight we were dynamic and dangerous at times," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We could've come out with at least one point tonight but there are some things we need to clean up defensively. FIU is a very quality opponent and we have to be able to match a team's physicality going forward. All said it was great to be back out there for the first time in over a year so, we'll correct our mistakes and continue to prepare for next week against FAU."

FGCU got on the board first with a goal in the 23rd minute by junior forward O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Secondary Height) Inside the penalty area, Mullings gathered a pass from Martin Veys (Caen, France/Jeanne d'Arc/Nebraska Omaha) before turning his body and shooting one off his right boot to the far post. The lead was short-lived as the 25th-ranked Panthers scored in the 27th and 29th minute to go ahead 2-1.

Coming out of the break, the Eagles applied the early pressure, eventually earning a free kick opportunity outside the left 15-yard box. Darius Kerr-Cooper (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary's HS) sent it into the box as a slight deflection found the head of Markus Maurer (Friedrichshafen, Germany/Monroe College) for the equalizer in the 58th minute.

The contest remained tight in possession over the next 15 minutes until a loose ball inside the five-yard box found the foot of FIU's Alessandro Campoy for the eventual game-winning goal in the 75th minute.

FGCU recorded nine shots Wednesday night compared to FIU's 13. In between the pipes, Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) recorded a pair of saves in his 90 minutes.

Up Next
FGCU returns home to face FAU (2-0-1) Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

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 is in his fourth year 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 26-20-7 (.491) record overall, including a 13-3-2 mark (.778) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for nine-straight seasons (every year of eligibility), as Cormier has coached 23 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 140-108-54 (.553) record as a head coach in his fifteen-plus seasons at the helm.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 83 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.