ANN ARBOR-FIU's men's soccer team dropped yet
another tough decision, this time losing to Michigan State
1-0 in double overtime.
Once again,
The Golden Panthers (0-4-1) defense did a stellar job, but was done in by the
offensive drought. Junior goalkeeper Kyle
Thomas (Jensen Beach, Fla.) recorded eight saves, but it was the
one error he made in the second overtime that led to the winning Spartan goal.
FIU has now lost three consecutive matches by the same score.
As all of
FIU's games this season have been, this was a defensive struggle. Although FIU
was outshot 25-16, the Golden Panther again proved to be as good as any in the
nation as they kept Michigan
State off the scoreboard
for over 103 minutes.
However,
FIU's defense took a hit in the 68th minute when junior defender Cory Kendall (Pembroke Pines, Fla.)
received a red card. FIU would play a man down the rest of the game, but still
managed to stand toe to toe with the Spartans.
The Golden
Panther defensive stand finally faltered in the 104th minute when
MSU's Raushawn Mckenzie fired a long distance shot that perhaps could have been
stopped by Kyle Thomas, but nonetheless found the back of the net giving the
Spartans the 1-0 win.
FIU returns
to action on Sunday when they face the host Wolverines of Michigan, who are
currently ranked 18th.