CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 11, 2014) – Three first-half goals weren't enough to tame No. 7 Charlotte, as the FIU men's soccer team (3-7-1, 0-4-0) dropped a 4-3 decision to the 49ers on Saturday evening.

Following a four-goal performance against South Carolina on Wednesday, the Panthers' attack was troubling for the 49ers defense in the first half, as Charlotte allowed three goals.

Junior Daniel Gonzalez got FIU on the board in the 14^th minute, following opening play in which neither team was able to gain much momentum. On the first shot of the night, senior Quentin Albrecht played a lovely ball into the box before finding Gonzalez' foot from five yards out for the Miami native's second goal of the season. He finished the night with a team-high and career-best six shots, four of which were on goal.

Gonzalez continued to be persistent in the 49ers' defensive third, forcing Charlotte's goalkeeper, Austin Pack, to make two saves in 40 seconds, while Albrecht and senior Roberto Alterio had shots blocked towards the end of the 22^nd minute. The 49ers didn't get their first shot off until the 20-minute mark.

Redshirt freshman Donald Tomlinson made it 2-0 in the 30^th minute. From 20 yards out, he struck the ball to the back, left side of the net for his second goal of 2014. Not even two minutes later, sophomore Josue España gave FIU a commanding, 3-0, edge off his first goal this season.

FIU entered halftime outshooting Charlotte, 10-4. Junior Robin Spiegel had one save in the first 45 minutes.

The 49ers' offense woke up in the second half, firing three shots in 15 seconds, with Charlotte's seventh shot of the half sliding past Spiegel to make it 3-1. A ball towards the lower right side post cut the Panthers' lead to one in the 58^th minute, as the 49ers held FIU to just one shot in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

The equalizer came in the 65^th minute off a redirect inside the box, which found Harrison Steadman's foot by the right post, while the go-ahead goal came five minutes later. The 49ers' Luke Waechter struck the ball from five yards out, finding a hole on the right side.

FIU was forced to play one man down for the final 20 minutes following a red card booking.

With limited chances in the second half, Gonzalez struck a shot at Pack in the 72^nd minute. Albrecht had a good look in the 84^th minute, but he missed just wide of the target.

Spiegel finished the night with six saves, while a physical game resulted in five total bookings. Each team was handed two yellow cards, while FIU also had one ejection.

The Panthers return to Miami to host UCF on Wednesday, Oct. 15. First kick is slated for 7:30 p.m. from the FIU Soccer Stadium.

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 offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoralprograms in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 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 ofConference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.