Offensive Masterclass as #23 FIU Men’s Soccer Routs Saint Mary’s

MIAMI, FL – After going 4-0-1 in their last five games, which were all against AAC opponents, the #23 FIU Panthers found themselves against the Saint Mary’s Gaels.

Instead of playing down to the competition, the Panthers instead put on a show at the FIU Soccer Stadium, with one of their best offensive performances of the season as they rolled to the tune of a 5-1 win.

The match didn’t begin with offensive fireworks but did feature a deadlock for who could get some momentum first. For the first ten minutes, it was a battle of who could get a few shots in rapid succession.

In the 17th minute, things worked out for the Gaels as a pair of players sneaked by FIU’s last line of defense and forced FIU goalkeeper Tyler Hogan out of the net, which they capitalized on for their first and only goal.

After that, the Panthers upped the ante on offense, and they found their answer 18 minutes later. A right-foot shot by Simon Afrifa found the bottom left of the goal for the equalizer. The 1-1 score remained to halftime.

To say FIU made some adjustments on offense is an understatement. Not only did they increase their number of shots, but they also made them count.

It began in the 60th minute, following a convenient substitution for Diego Castillo, who wasted no time finding the angle in the top right of the net just six seconds later to give the Panthers their first lead of the match.

Two minutes later, a familiar face capitalized off a pass by Eduardo Mustre as Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro raised the FIU lead to 3-1.

Mustre, by the way, was the next Panther to score 12 minutes later with a sneak-in left-side shot. One final goal for FIU came off a penalty kick by Francesco Renzi to seal the match with a 5-1 win.

Aside from the one goal given up, the Panthers played a near-perfect game. They recorded 15 shots, and seven corner kicks, and only needed one save on the night as the defense limited Saint Mary’s to two total shots.

The win bumps up FIU’s record to 7-2-3 and remains in second place in the conference, only behind the 7-2-1 Charlotte 49ers.

They’ll travel to Fort Meyers for their final non-conference matchup of the season as they take on the FGCU Eagles on Tuesday, October 17th at 7pm.