Lexington, Ky. (November 7, 2015) – The FIU men's soccer team (9-6-1, 3-4-1 in C-USA) fell to the Wildcats in the final regular season match of the 2015 campaign. The Panther offense controlled most of the match and the defense remained rock-solid throughout. FIU dominated the Wildcats the entire night, but one blemish ultimately decided the match.
The first half was a scoreless affair by both teams. The Panthers dominated most of the time of possession and were overall the more aggressive team. Kentucky was not ready for the speed of the Panthers out of the gate. FIU had an early opportunity with a header by junior
Patrick Lopez from a corner kick, but the shot sailed wide. The best opportunity to score for either team in the first half came by the way of senior
Daniel Gonzalez, but the corkscrew shot on goal resulted in a save for the Wildcats. Gonzalez attempted the bicycle kick to end the half, but the shot went wide.
To start the second half, the Panthers escaped an early barrage of Wildcat shots. FIU managed to get past an initial scare, when a wide open Kentucky shot off a corner kick hit the cross bar and led to no damage. FIU quickly regained the tempo of the match, but still struggled to find the back of the net. Junior
Arthur Clapot made a phenomenal save in the 65
thminute. Kentucky finally put the first point on the board in the 80
th minute. The Panthers would not be able to respond.
The Panthers finish the 2015 regular season with a record of 9-6-1 (3-4-1 in C-USA). Even with the loss, FIU will be heading to Charlotte this week to partake in the 2015 Conference USA Championship Tournament. The quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Seeding and time of play will be announced later in the week.
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).
#####
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/.
