The FIU men's soccer team took advantage of a penalty kick in the 81st minute to beat the Jacksonville Dolphins 1-0, Monday night at the FIU Soccer Stadium. The Golden Panthers (4-7-0) snapped a five match losing streak on the goal by Steven Jair Cabas.
Jacksonville (3-7-1) wasted a golden opportunity to score in the seventh minute of play, when FIU keeper Phillip Lamarre was caught out of position, giving Tyler Williams a wide open net. However, Williams' shot sailed wide right.
In the 38th minute, Steven Jair Cabas made a run and beat several JU defenders before taking a shot on goal. However, Jacksonville keeper Joey Sanchez denied FIU's first shot of the match.
At the end of the first half, the Golden Panthers unleashed an attack that nearly gave FIU the lead. With less than two minutes to go, Jordan Fernandez sent a throw-in down the sideline deep into JU territory. Jair Cabas controlled the pass and dribbled into the box to take a shot. However, Cabas' angle didn't allow him to get a good shot off as his attempt was off to the right, keeping the match scoreless as the teams headed into the halftime break.
After a fairly uneventful 35 minutes to start the second half, the action picked up in the 81st minute when FIU took the lead on a penalty kick by Cabas. A Dolphins foul set up an FIU free kick from the outside of the box on the right side and Diego Tamburus sent the ball towards the net. The ball was headed by FIU and saved by JU's keeper Johnny Foley, but the keeper couldn't control the rebound. Instead, it was Joseph Dawkins who took control of the loose ball and while fighting for position, Dawkins was fouled, setting up the PK. Cabas then made it look easy, pounding the goal into the top of the net for his fifth score of the season.
In the 87th minute, JU almost tied the game. Jacksonville's Stefan Runeman controlled the ball at the top of the box and found an opening to fire on goal. However, Lamarre was there to make the last of his eight saves, keeping the match scoreless.
FIU would hold the Dolphins at bay the rest of the way to secure their fourth victory of the year. Phillip Lamarre improved his record to 3-1-0 on the season as he stopped eight JU shots on goal.
FIU will hit the road again this weekend as they travel to Memphis, Tenn. for a C-USA matchup with the Memphis Tigers. Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
