FIU Men’s Soccer Advances To American Championship

For a second straight year, the FIU Men’s Soccer team advanced to The American championship game following a win in penalties over the top-seeded Charlotte 49ers.

This also marks their third appearance in the championship game in the last four seasons.

Regular Period + 10 min OT

In the regular period, it was a defensive showcase between both teams, with opportunities created from both sides. Charlotte outshot the Panthers, 19-13, with only two shots on goal from FIU against the six shots on goal from Charlotte.

FIU had multiple players with two or more shots, while for the 49ers, Andreas Evangelou and Natsuki Ogata led the way with three shots, with Ogata having two shots on goal.

FIU junior goalie Nigel Van Haveren had himself a big day, with eight saves, his second-highest mark of the season. Charlotte goalie Leo Stritter had two saves on the night.

Penalties

After both FIU and Charlotte scored three straight goals to begin the penalty shootout, FIU was the first team to miss, but Charlotte also missed right after.

The shootout went up until the 11th round, where Jemone Barclay missed the shot, thanks to Van Haveren’s save. Eduardo Mustre, who kicked off the penalty portion of the round, went back up again, making the winning shot at the bottom center of the net, defeating the 49ers.

NEVER IN DOUBT LALO 🦈 pic.twitter.com/wd5jwfrhOG

— FIU Men's Soccer (@FIUMensSoccer) November 13, 2025

What’s Next?

FIU will now head to the championship game against its South Florida rivals, Florida Atlantic. The Owls won a share of the American regular season and defeated Tulsa 3-0, sending them to the championship game.

These two teams matched up earlier in the season in Boca Raton, where the Owls would come out on top, 2-0, with goals from Eli Conway and Mamadou Diarra.

The game will take place on Saturday, November 15, at 6:00 pm ET, and it can be streamed on ESPN+.

About Post Author

Kevin Barral

Hello, my name is Kevin Barral. I am currently covering FIU Football for Lemon City, but have been covering Miami Marlins baseball since the 2021 season with Fish Stripes and that has been my main forte so far in my young sports media career. I am excited to cover FIU Football this season and moving forward. I love to travel, play sports, and go out with my friends to Flanigans when not covering or writing.

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