#11 FIU Men’s Soccer Claws Back, Forces Late Draw Against #6 UCF

After having to settle for a scoreless draw against the unranked Central Arkansas Bears in their last game, the FIU Panthers looked to rebound against perhaps their biggest challenge of the season so far – the #6 UCF Knights.

In a tightly contested match in which the Knights led most of the way, the Panthers prevailed through some late-game theatrics to force a 2-2 tie on the road.

UCF, who themselves were ranked #6 in the country (The second-best ranking in program history) made some noise early. After a deep bass into the box by Knights forward Emmanuel Bam, forward Lucca Dourado sank a fast shot into the net 15 minutes in to secure a 1-0 lead and his 30th goal of the season.

The rest of the first half was a heated battle for possession. For UCF, their goalkeeper, Juanvi Muñoz, had the game of his life with nine recorded saves off of 11 shots on goal. (24 shots in total)

After halftime and into the 82nd minute, the match intensity picked up into something special. After an FIU foul following a UCF shot, the Knights were awarded a free kick which Beto Ydrach nailed, doubling their lead.

FIU did not give up, however, and on the following kickoff, a foul was called on the Knights. A deep kick by goalkeeper Tyler Hogan was met with a header by defender Skraep Kasper that found its place in the net, bringing FIU back with not much time left.

Two minutes later, the resilience of head coach Kyle Russell and the Panthers was in play. On another breakaway, Francesco Renzi capitalized off a missed shot with a rocket of his own, tying the game with only five minutes to go.

Hanging on to life with minutes to spare, the Panthers get a much-needed draw that must certainly feel more like a win in their book. This is UCF’s first draw in a regular-season match since 2019.

An unbelievable ending to a match caps off a night well blended by offensive struggles and breakaways. In total, the Panthers attempted more shots, (16 to 7) but UCF’s keeper recorded more saves. (9 to 3) FIU was a bit sloppier with fouls, committing 25 compared to the Knight’s 14.

FIU has not lost a match this season and currently stands with a 2-0-2 record. They’ll head back south to take on the 19th-ranked New Hampshire Wildcats on Friday, September 8th at 7pm.

This’ll be a rematch of the crazy NCAA tournament match between the two schools that resulted in a 12-round shootout in favor of the Panthers.