MIAMI (Nov. 4, 2011) - A late goal in the 88th minute by sophomore Nicolas Rodriguez-Fraile sent the FIU seniors out as winners as the Panthers defeated the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 3-2 to close out the 2011 season.
Freshman Andri Alexandersson started the Panthers off with a score in the 9th minute when he took a rebound from the keeper and buried it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
After the Eagles scored two unanswered goals, freshman Colby Burdette netted the equalizer in the 59th minute taking yet another rebound home for a score.
With two minutes left in the match, Rodriguez-Fraile took a header from Burdette and launched a left-footed shot to the left corner to give the Panthers the lead for good.
FIU finished the 2011 season with a 5-8-4 overall record. Freshman Quentin Albrecht led all Panthers with five goals.
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 17 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools 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 is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls 46,000 students in two campus and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 17 sports. In 2010 the Panthers won their first bowl game. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
-- www.FIUSports.com --
