FORT MYERS, Fla. - Florida Gulf Coast University men's soccer tied against Palm Beach Atlantic 2-2 for its final exhibition match of the season Sunday at Pickering Field.
 
Overall, FGCU had 13 shots with eight on goal, while the Sailfish had seven shots with four on target. 
  
"I was really impressed with our first unit, really think they played collectively," head coach Jesse Cormier said. "I think we still have work to do, but I do think a number of guys in the group are ready and prepared for the next couple of days and months."
 
Defense was the theme for both teams for the first 30 minutes before FGCU's Alejandro Lopez sent a strong, redirected cross to Gustavo Ferrari, who then buried it in the right side of the net to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. 
 
In the second half, the Sailfish equalized the match at the 47th-minute mark. 
 
A few minutes later at 55:10, the Green & Blue's Pau Santanach hit a low precision ball that snuck in the right side of the net. Shachar Nissim added his name to the stat sheet with the assist as the Eagles regained the lead 2-1. 
 
PBA continued knocking on the door and found success in the 58th minute with a header off a corner kick that tied the match 2-2. 
 
Both the Sailfish and Eagles kept pushing through in search of the game-winning goal but neither team was successful, and the match ended in a draw. 
 
FGCU will return to action Thursday, August 24, as the Eagles head to No. 3 University of Kentucky for its first official match of the season. First touch is 7:30 p.m. at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington.