TULSA, Okla. (Nov. 19, 2015) – The FIU men's soccer team (12-7-1) fell to Tulsa University (8-6-6) in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 3-2, in overtime.

The Panthers took an early lead in the 17th minute with a goal scored by junior Luis Betancur off the cross by sophomore Paul Marie. The header was scored from two yards out into the left corner. Betancur registered his ninth goal of the season and led the Panthers in goals scored this season.

Despite being out-shot 10-3 in the first half, FIU went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

In the 52nd minute, the Golden Hurricane's Juan Sanchez tied the match with a goal to the upper 90. Three minutes late, Tulsa took the lead with an unassisted goal by Geoffrey Dee off a rebound from a saved penalty kick.

FIU sophomore Brad Fountain scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute with a shot from 20-yards out to find the left side of the net. At the end of regulation time, the Panthers were knotted up 2-2 with the Golden Hurricane.

In overtime, the game-winner was shot by Tulsa's Miguel Velasquez from 12-yards out into the left corner of the net to finalize the score 3-2.

The Panthers ended their season with a 12-7-1 record; the best record FIU has seen since 2004. Thursday's match marked FIU's 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their eighth appearance since joining Division 1 in 1987. 

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/.