OREM, Utah - The Florida Gulf Coast University men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season Thursday, falling 2-0 to Utah Valley on the road. The Eagles' record dropped to 1-1-0 with the defeat accompanying their season-opening victory over SIUE last week.
The match began with both teams employing a conservative style. There were no shots or corner kicks for the first nine minutes, until Utah Valley finally earned a corner in the 10th minute, but nothing came of it.
The Eagles threatened for the first time in the 12th minute when midfielder
Edson Murguia attempted the maiden shot of the evening and forced the first save.
Utah Valley's first real scoring chance came in the 23rd minute. The Wolverines nearly connected on a 30-yard pass that would have created a one-on-one with Eagles' goalie
Oliver Weng, but it was foiled by FGCU's
Pedro Arcoverde, who swept the ball away from Trevor Walk before he could control it.
A minute later, the Wolverines took their first shot, which called on Weng to make his first save of the match. Two minutes after that, however, Utah Valley pierced the scoreboard courtesy of a Sharif Sayawu header from within the six-yard box.
The Wolverines doubled their lead in the 41st minute. A scramble at the top of FGCU's penalty area bounced right to Utah Valley's Lewis Knecht. The substitute found the back of the net from distance to make it 2-0. That score held to the end of the first half. Through 45 minutes, the Wolverines boasted five shots, four of which were on goal, while Murguia's attempt was the Eagles' lone one of the period.
FGCU began the second half by creating opportunities to get back in the game.
Victor Lopes forced a Utah Valley save in the 47th minute, and across the first 20 minutes of the second frame, three of the four shots taken belonged to the Eagles.
Weng was called on to make his best stop of the night in the 77th minute on a hard shot low and to his left from the top of the area. The sophomore smothered the attempt, keeping the Eagles within two goals and not allowing a potentially dangerous rebound. Two minutes later,
Arber Shala cleared the ball from the six-yard box to thwart a tap-in opportunity for Utah Valley which followed a dispossessing tackle by Weng.
An 84th minute corner kick, the Green and Blue's sixth of the match and sixth of the second half, proved both unfruitful and the final scoring opportunity for FGCU. Utah Valley ran the clock out on a 2-0 win, finishing with 12 shots, eight of which were on goal. FGCU racked up nine tries, of which two were on target.
FGCU (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ASUN) returns to the pitch Sunday for an in-state clash with South Florida. The Eagles and Bulls are set to kick off at 7 p.m. in Tampa.
The Eagles open the home portion of their 2025 schedule on Sept. 9, when FGCU hosts Florida Memorial in a 7 p.m. matchup at Pickering Field. For the first time in program history, FGCU is offering season tickets for its soccer programs, with packages starting at $60. Fans who purchase season tickets for either the men's or women's soccer teams will receive a season ticket combo for both programs. Mini-plan and single-game tickets are also available, with single-match ticket prices as low as $12.
Fans who can't make it out to Pickering Field to support the Eagles in person can still catch all the action online, as all FGCU home matches are streamed on ESPN+.
