FIU Men’s Soccer Knocks Off Mercer To Advance In NCAA Tournament

MIAMI, FL – Following a tough loss to FAU in the conference tournament, the FIU Panthers looked to redeem themselves against that nation’s best in the NCAA D1 Men’s Soccer Tournament.

They began their joiner against a fierce Mercer team that gave them everything they could handle, with an FIU lead never feeling safe. But in the end, the Blue & Gold held on for a 1-0 win and will advance to the next round.

“We knew this team was going to be difficult when you look at their schedule”, said head coach Kyle Russell postgame. “They travel often and sign up for tough road trips so we knew them coming down to Miami when it’s raining wouldn’t bother them or phase them.”

“It was so important for our guys to leave a good taste in the fan’s mouths. The last time we played here…we didn’t do that. We recognized that, held our hands up, and were accountable. We’ve been training, and training, and training. We finally got a game, and we finally got the result we know we’ve been working so hard for.”

While clean shots on goal were hard to come, the Panthers found their break 20 minutes in when Simon Afrifa found himself in the perfect position to capitalize off a barrage of shots on goal, squeezing by defenders for a chip shot in the back of the net.

“All season, I’ve been working,” said Afrifa postgame. “Even when I had my low moments, I always kept telling myself that I’ll be better, and I kept going on and I started improving. I started to get more minutes and I’ve been making an impact.”

This was a tough break for Mercer, and exactly what the Panthers needed to secure momentum early on. They carried it over for the rest of the game, with the defense doing just enough to thwart the Bears.

FIU attempted 12 shots, but only six of them found the goal. They were also the sloppier team when it came to racking up fouls with 15 on the night compared to the four of Mercer.

Still, most stats are relatively even. It was anybody’s match, and the Bears can’t say they didn’t have their opportunities. Credit to Tyler Hogan with four saves and an overall clean sheet on the night.

“A clean sheet…any time, it’s happy,” said Hogan postgame. “Of course, after a loss, it’s even sweeter. Clean sheet – my two favorite words in the game.”

The duo of Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro and Eduardo Mustre led the way on offense with nine combined shots. Interestingly, Afrifa’s lone goal came off a deflected shot by Philip Hildebrandt.

With the win, the Panthers will now head to Charlottesville to take on the #7 Virginia Cavaliers of the ACC on Sunday, November 19th at 1pm.