FIU Men’s Soccer Knocks Off Memphis, Will Compete In AAC Title Game

FIU Men’s Soccer just proved that their win over FAU was no fluke as they’ve knocked off the #1 seed Memphis Tigers in their crib by a final score of 3-1.

The regular season had its ups and downs for FIU, but they finished it on a hot streak, and that carried over to the AAC Tournament. After a solid showing in Boca Raton, a second-half explosion against Memphis has propelled them to the AAC title game on Sunday.

It was a close contest in the first half, with both teams finding decent changes in the opposing team’s side of the field. Still, no goals were scored and halftime featured a blank scoreboard.

Less than 10 minutes into the second half, the Panthers finally cashed in. On a fast rush to the net, Eduardo Mustre bounced a header from a Tiger defender and kicked a shot to his right from his left foot, getting past the Memphis goalie for a 1-0 lead.

Memphis didn’t back down and found their equalizer. Not even a full minute later, a rush to FIU’s net was spearheaded and finished by Anders Bordoy, with Nigel Van Haveren coming oh-so-close to making the stop.

In the 72nd minute, a foul was called on a Memphis player, setting up Mustre for a penalty kick which he was successful with, giving FIU a 2-1 lead with not much time left.

The Tigers looked for a spark, but a red card three minutes later left them shorthanded. FIU took advantage in the 80th minute when Michael Appiah nailed a shot to the bottom center of the net, giving the Panthers an insurance goal – a 3-1 lead which they held on to the very end.

In total, the Panthers landed 10 shots, with seven on goal. Van Haneren made three saves, and both teams committed 31 combined fouls.

Now, the #5 Panthers will take on the #3 Charlotte 49ers in the AAC Title game on Sunday, November 17th at noon. In the regular season, both teams met in the Queen City and battled to a 0-0 draw.