Charlotte, N.C. (Nov. 13, 2015) -- The FIU Men's Soccer team (11-6-1) shut out top-seeded Kentucky (12-4-2) in the Conference USA semifinals, 1-0, on Friday evening. The win gives FIU its second-ever appearance in the C-USA Championship game on Sunday.
FIU handed the No. 11-ranked Wildcats their first loss versus a C-USA opponent this season as the Panthers scored just the second goal by a league opponent versus UK.
"It was a very different game from the ODU game," Head Coach
Scott Calabrese said. "We had 48 hours rest, and Kentucky came in fresh. They were a little bit quicker than us, especially in the beginning, and we had to survive it. We got the goal and then settled in. I think when that goal happened, we got our confidence back. We were able to deal with their movement, which was very good. The interchange between their different players was difficult to deal with; they are an excellent team that's very hard to score on -- just the second goal they allowed all season [against a conference opponent]. When we got that goal, we knew we had to hold on and our guys knew it. Sometimes you have to grind out results, and we were able to do it."
Transamerica Field saw the lone goal of the match in the 21st minute. After a foul in the box on UK, Senior
Daniel Gonzalez set up for a penalty kick. The shot was deflected off Wildcat Irving Callum as Gonzalez found the back of the net off the rebound. The goal was the seventh of the season for the Miami native and his second of the C-USA tournament.
The Wildcats, possessing the most respected defense in C-USA, were out-shot by the Panthers, 11-6, allowing four shots on goal. Gonzalez struck four shots for the match, three of which were on goal.
The Panthers shut down UK's offense as defensive stalwarts
Patrick Lopez,
Paul Marie,
Jesse Wear,
Deshawon Nembhard and
Marvin Hezel anchored the backline allowing only one shot on goal.
Goalkeeper
Arthur Clapot improved his record to 7-3-1 with the victory, while recording his third shutout of the season.
The Panthers will return to action for the Conference USA Championship final Sunday, at 2 p.m. FIU will face the winner of the Marshall-South Carolina semifinal for the right to represent C-USA in the NCAA Tournament.
"I think these guys have worked so hard and they have committed themselves to it," Calabrese said. "They're such a good team; chemistry and spirit is there and any time you win, it validates what you are doing. A championship would validate what we are doing and the direction, and it would be an incredible reward."
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/.
