MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Two second-half goals in just under six minutes helped Florida Gulf Coast University's men's soccer team earn a 3-1 win over Memphis in a non-conference match Wednesday night at the Track and Soccer Complex.
The victory stopped a two-match losing streak for the Eagles (2-2), who posted a season high in goals (three) and tied their season high in shots (11) and shots on goal (seven) in the win. Three different players scored for FGCU, and five Eagles scored points, either netting a goal or handing out an assist.
Wednesday's match started slowly, as the teams combined for just five shots in the first 17-plus minutes and each side had only one shot on goal as the teams were unable to muster much offense.
Memphis (1-2-2) finally broke through at 22:31, when Saad Chaouki netted his second goal of the season off an assist by Eben McIntyre to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. However, like Sunday's match at No. 22 South Florida, FGCU got a goal just before halftime to give the Eagles some much-needed momentum going into the second half. This time, with just 47 seconds remaining in the first half,
Caio Oliveira put a shot in the bottom left corner of the net for his third goal of the season, tying the match, 1-1, at the break.
Memphis outshot FGCU, 7-6, in the first half, but the Eagles had three shots on goal to the Tigers' two. Both teams had one corner kick, and Memphis was whistled for eight fouls, while FGCU had five fouls called in the opening 45 minutes.
In the second half, again like Sunday's match, FGCU scored early in the period, this time at 53:10, when
Brooks Beeman got his first goal of the year on a shot in the top left corner of the net, giving the Eagles a 2-1 advantage.
Brian Lopez also got his first points of the season on the play, getting the assist for FGCU.
Just under six minutes later, at 59:07, the Eagles struck again to widen their lead to 3-1. This time, it was
Ignatius Demark who scored on a shot in the bottom left corner of the goal off an assist from
Arber Shala. The goal was Demark's second of the campaign and Shala's assist was his second of the season as well.
The Eagles' defense took things from there, clamping down on the Memphis attack and allowing just one shot on goal in the second half en route to the victory.
Nicolas Leite made his season debut in goal for FGCU, playing all 90 minutes and making two saves to pick up his first win of the year.
For the match, Memphis outshot FGCU, 14-11, but the Eagles held a decisive 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. Memphis had six corner kicks to FGCU's two, and the Tigers had the only two offsides calls of the match. Each team had 13 fouls in the match and there were a total of four yellow cards handed out, three to FGCU and one to Memphis.
Edson Murguia and Demark had three shots apiece to lead FGCU, with all three of DeMark's shots and two of Murguia's three attempts being on goal.
Dylan Zavatini was the only other Eagle with more than one shot, as he had two for FGCU in the win.
FGCU closes out its season-opening five-match road swing on Saturday, when the Eagles travel to Birmingham, Ala. to take on UAB (1-2). The Blazers earned their first win of the 2025 campaign in their most recent outing, beating USC Upstate, 3-1, on Monday night in Spartanburg, S.C. Kickoff for Saturday's match at PNC Field is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
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 aren't able to 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+.
