Box Score MIAMI (August 28, 2016) – After a double overtime match in the first contest of the afternoon and a lengthy weather delay of almost two hours prior to the Panthers taking the pitch, FIU picked up its first win of the young 2016 season on Sunday with a dominating 3-1 victory over homestanding College of Charleston on the final day of the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic.

The match was called with just over three minutes left due to hazardous weather conditions and rain that returned to the area.   

"This was an important result for us tonight," said FIU Head Coach Scott Calabrese. "There were mental hurdles we had to overcome in the match and the players fought through them and showed their character. We responded well to going a goal down and our second half performance was excellent. We worked hard and defended very well against a Charleston team that is very dangerous. We were far more dangerous going forward, we created two goals and some quality chances. It's a good performance and result to build upon."

Following the long delay to start the contest, both teams looked to establish who was going to control the match, and early on it looked like the Panthers (1-1) were going to gain the upper hand quickly with two solid chances from within the box in the first 2:30.

It was, however, Charleston (1-1) that drew blood first when Cornell Holland got the Cougars on the board by virtue of a lucky deflection off of teammate Avery Ryan in the box. Holland, who was in the right place at the right time, buried a loose ball top-shelf past FIU goalkeeper Arthur Clapot in the 27^th minute.

That would be the last time that the maroon and white would see the scoring column as the Panthers regained the control that it looked like it had to start the match  
Just 12 minutes later, Santiago Patino took a pass from Juan Benedetty in the area and beat Charleston net-minder Kevin Shields far post for the Panthers' first goal of the season.

The teams would enter the intermission tied at one. FIU held a slight 5-4 advantage in shots, and a 3-2 edge in shots on goal after 45 minutes of play.

The Panthers didn't waste any time in the second half as Benedetty served up his second assist of the afternoon with an offering to Jamar Campion-Hinds who placed the ball low on the near-side to give FIU a 2-1 lead just one minute into the second stanza.

FIU continued to control the pace during the second half, and the pressure they were putting on paid off in the 69^th minute. Patino maneuvered his way through the Charleston defense and fired a low liner past Shields to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead.

Neither side would pose a serious threat the remainder of the way as the weather quickly deteriorated and the rain became hard enough – and visibility bad enough – for the match officials to call an end to the contest in the 87^th minute.

FIU would finish the match outshooting the Cougars 14-6 and held a commanding 7-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Clapot picked up his first win of the year making just one save on the day.

FIU returns to Miami, setting its sights on the upcoming weekend and its home opener on Sept. 2. The Panthers welcome Wisconsin to the FIU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. match. FIU will close out the weekend hosting Niagara on Sept. 4 at 2 p.m.

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/.