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1
Winner FIU FIU (8-2-3, 4-0-1)
0
FGCU FGCU (3-5-4, 2-1-2)
Winner
FIU FIU
(8-2-3, 4-0-1)
1
Final
0
FGCU FGCU
(3-5-4, 2-1-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
FIU FIU 1 0 1
FGCU FGCU 0 0 0
Landon Ameres

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Eagles fall 1-0 in close battle against No. 23 FIU

FORT MYERS, FLA. – The Florida Gulf Coast University men's soccer team fell 1-0 in non-conference action against American Athletic Association member No. 23 Florida International University Tuesday at Pickering field.

 Niall Reid-Stephen led the Eagles in shots with five, and sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Copeland made one save.
 
"This is our third NCAA Tournament team in a row that we have played, and I think in all three games, we have been better in many phases. Even though these teams are ranked we are dominating them in so many areas," head coach Jesse Cormier said. "The only area we are not dominating is goal productivity, and we need to find someone in the team to take moments for us.
 
"I am happy with many pieces, the defending, the ability to build and play but we have to find and be clinical in the moment."

Even though the Panthers (8-2-3) won the game, the Eagles (3-5-4) dominated with shots, having 12 with four on goal compared to FIU's five with only two on goal. The Eagles also won the possession battle with 58 percent of the ball

In the first half, the Green & Blue fired four shots while the Panthers only had one within the first 30 minutes of the game, but Florida International would find the back of the net first. FIU's Matthias Lavenant sent a cross to Andrew Bennett, who passed it to Simon Afrifa. Afrifa would bury his shot in the bottom right side of the net to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

From there, both teams stepped up its defense, and the No. 23 FIU only had one shot for the remainder of the first half.

In the second half, the Green & Blue started with a bang, firing off five shots, with two coming from Luis Lugo, but none would connect to put the Eagles on the scoreboard.

For the final 20 minutes of the Florida matchup, both teams kept searching for a goal and the Eagles' chances were higher with two shots compared to the Panthers' one. Reid-Stephen took the game's final chance at 77:37, but his shot was too powerful and soared over the net for FIU to leave with the 1-0 victory.
 
The Eagles will return to ASUN action as they host University of Central Arkansas  Saturday on Senior Night. The Sugar Bears are sixth in the league, while the Eagles are tied for second with Stetson University and Bellarmine University. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Pickering Field, and all the action will be on ESPN+. 
 
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Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Team Scoring Play
30:01
FIU Simon Afrifa (3)
Assisted By: Andrew Bennett , Matthias Lavenant
GOAL by FIU Afrifa, Simon Assist by Bennett, Andrew and Lavenant, Matthias.

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