Disaster In Miami as FAU Steals AAC Win Over #22 FIU Men’s Soccer

MIAMI, FL – In the first round of the AAC Championship, #22 FIU Men’s Soccer began to prepare for overtime against the FAU Owls after a hard-fought 0-0 draw in regulation.

With five seconds left to go, however, disaster struck FIU when a late surge by the Owls caught them napping, and a shot inexplicably got by Tyler Hogan and the Panthers defense and found its way into the net.

The game clock hit zeroes, and in the blink of an eye, the Panthers were eliminated from the AAC Championship by their South Florida rivals.

How Did We Get Here?

No doubt, FIU was the aggressor on offense early on. They found themselves in FAU’s territory throughout most of the match, but clean shots on goal were hard to come by.

The Panthers never found their big break. They had opportunities with corner kicks and free kicks here and there, but it wasn’t enough.

FIU continued the pressure in the second half, but some major saves by the Owls held them.

Still, hope was high that the legs of Eduardo Mustre, who led the team with three shots, would make magic happen in penalties.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Before FAU’s win over the Panthers on October 20th, they hadn’t beaten FIU since 2013. Now, they’ve won back-to-back matches and have denied them a potential conference title for the third straight year.

FIU – now with a record of 9-4-4 – will have to move on and prepare for the NCAA Tournament under the assumption that they’re invited.