Game Details
Charlotte 3, No. 8 FIU 1
FIU (11-1-4), Charlotte (8-4-6)
Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 | 4:30 p.m.
Norfolk, Virginia | ODU Soccer Complex
 
The Basics
- After an 11-day break the No. 8-ranked – and top-seeded – FIU men's soccer team took the pitch in the semifinals of the 2017 Conference USA Tournament, and found itself in a dogfight, before dropping a tough 3-1 decision to the No. 4-seed Charlotte on Friday afternoon at the ODU Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Virginia. The loss snaps the Panthers' 15-match unbeaten streak, the second longest in school history. FIU drops to 11-1-4 on the year while the 49ers improve to 8-4-6.
 
- FIU struck first in the 12^th-minute when Paul Marie (Cannes, France/Lycee Bristol) took a soft touch from reigning C-USA Player of the Year, Santiago Patino (Orlando, Florida/Freedom), and beat Charlotte goalkeeper Elliot Panicco to make the score 1-0. It was Marie's seventh goal of the season for the C-USA first team member.
 
- Charlotte got the equalizer in the 24^th-minute when Daniel Bruce fed Marco Sunol-Rojas and he buried a shot past FIU's Hugo Fauroux (Cannes, France/Lycee Bristol).
 
- In the 77^th-minute Joe Brito tallied the eventual game-winner, making the score 2-1. With 21 seconds left in regulation, Charlotte's Noah Seach scored an insurance goal putting the game out of reach.
 
- Hugo Fauroux recorded three saves for the Panthers in the loss.
 
- The 49ers had the upper hand offensively, outshooting FIU 14-7, including a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.

"Quotable"
"It was a tough game tonight, I feel for the guys. We played well for the first 20 minutes, but Charlotte was better on the night. We will bounce back, we have a good team and the players now need to respond. We now wait to see about the NCAA tournament seeding." – FIU men's soccer Head Coach Kevin Nylen
 
Stat of the Game
Although FIU and Charlotte were tied at one apiece at the half, the 49ers held the Panthers, the top scoring offense in Conference USA, to just two shots in the first 45 minutes (9-2).
 
Scoring Summary
FIU – Paul Marie (Santiago Patino; 11:50)
CHA – Marco Sunol-Rojas (Daniel Bruce; 23:46)
CHA – Joe Brito (Dean Rutherford; 76:01)
CHA – Noah Seach (Unassisted; 89:39)
 
Up Next
FIU will now set its sights to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show that will take place on Monday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. live on NCAA.com.  

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 eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Riccardo Silva 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/.