FORT MYERS, Fla. – When an opportunity to earn its first win in program history over an ACC opponent presented itself, FGCU took advantage.
With the game tied 1-1 in the 86th minute,
Michael Ndiweni scored his first goal as an Eagle after Virginia's goalkeeper was unable to control a rebound, putting FGCU up 2-1 over the Cavaliers. FGCU held on for the remainder of the game to secure its first ACC victory and first power conference win in seven years. Â
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The Eagles equalized in the first half after Virginia's first red card of the match in the 26th minute.
Aron Martinez took a free kick from just outside the box that was deflected by a Virginia defenseman, but
Hugo Munter made a nifty play to return the ball to Martinez, who buried the Eagles' first goal to level the contest at 1-1.
Meanwhile, fifth year goalkeeper
Eduard Garcia made his first career start in goal and earned the win. Garcia, who had logged just 11 career Division I minutes before Monday evening, made three saves against the Cavaliers to help seal the victory.
"Amazing result, amazing night, so proud of the boys," head coach
Oliver Twelvetrees said.
"Worked so hard, didn't start so well, we went down one goal, but we showed the character and the strength of will to fight back and played some great football in the end. It was a really special moment, you're searching for those special moments and the second goal, the winning goal from Mikey, was a special moment that we're all going to remember. It'll go down in FGCU history."
"I think to establish yourself in FGCU history, beating an ACC school for the first time is pretty special," Ndiweni said. "Hopefully the boys can kick on because we've got a talented group, and I'm excited for the rest of the season."Â
FGCU entered Monday night's tilt 0-8-0 all-time against ACC opponents and 8-17-3 all-time against power conference opponents. The Eagles hadn't tallied a result against a power conference opponent since tying Michigan State 1-1 in East Lansing on Sept. 2, 2019, and earned their last win over a power conference opponent on Aug. 30, 2019, defeating Michigan 4-3 in Ann Arbor. Seven years and one day later, FGCU found itself back on top of a power conference team.
The Eagles were aided by two Virginia red cards on the evening. Marco Dos Santos, the Cavaliers' leading scorer, drew the first red card in the 26th minute. He was initially assessed a yellow for a tackle at midfield, but FGCU challenged and it was upgraded to a straight red card. Martinez scored as a result of the ensuing free kick, taken just outside the Virginia box as the Eagles played down the field with the advantage following the card.
FGCU created pressure after scoring following the first card, taking three shots before the halftime break, but couldn't find the back of the net. The Eagles continued applying pressure in the second half, taking six shots, three of which were on goal and saved.Â
In the 81st minute, though, Virginia was assessed its second red card of the evening. The 11-9 advantage allowed an opportunity for
Job Choute on the left wing five minutes later. He played it into the box, and the ball bounced off the chest of Virginia's goalkeeper straight to the feet of Ndiweni, who tapped it over his head for the game-winning score.Â
The Cavaliers opened with an early lead after a 50-minute weather delay in Charlottesville, as AJ Smith scored in the 12th minute.Â
Next, FGCU returns to the Sunshine State to close out its five-game season opening road trip with its first ASUN game of 2026 at West Florida at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5.
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