MIAMI (August 15, 2016) – The No. 23-ranked FIU men's soccer team took to the pitch on Monday night for the first of two preseason exhibition matches prior to its Aug. 26 season opener against Furman in the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic in Charleston, South Carolina. The Panthers didn't waste any time in looking to test themselves facing No. 19 USF at Corbett Stadium.

FIU dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to the Bulls, however the result was not as important as seeing just where the Panthers were following one week of training camp. FIU made sure to spread the playing time around as 19 of the 27 players on the roster saw action.

After a slow start by both teams, FIU applied the pressure and controlled the majority of the first half of the match outshooting the Bulls, 4-3, despite a 0-0 score going into the break.

Luis Betancur gave the Panthers its first quality chance of the contest with a shot on the left side of the 18, only to have USF goalkeeper Spasoje Stefanovic make an acrobatic diving save in the 26^th minute. Just two minutes later Betancur had another open look from 22 yards out that was stopped by Stefanovic once again.

In the 36^th minute, FIU's Jamar Campion-Hinds served up an impressive cross into the 18 that was struck by Jesse Wear, however the chance was denied.

Shots were hard to come by in the second half with both teams combining for just five during the final 45 minutes as each side made sure they got good looks at their personnel.

Despite the Panthers control of the match in the first half, USF got on the board first in the 60^th minute when Lindo Mfeka scored off a pass from Marcus Epps from five yards out beating FIU keeper Arthur Clapot in the bottom right corner of the goal.

The Panthers had one last shot to tie the game in the 88^th minute when Inigo Sagarduy put a point blank shot on goal that Stefanovic punched away to preserve the clean sheet.

FIU finished the game outshooting the Bulls 7-5, and held a slight 2-1 advantage in corner kicks.

The Panthers' home opener will be on Sept. 2 when it welcomes Wisconsin to the FIU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. match.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.