Game Details
No. 10 Duke 3, No. 20 FIU 1
FIU (0-1-0), Duke (1-0-0)
Friday, Aug. 24, 2018 | 7:30 p.m.
2018 John Rennie Nike Invitational
Durham, North Carolina | Koskinen Stadium
 
The Basics
- The No. 10 Duke Blue Devils took advantage of a Jordi Avila (Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah Gardens) red card in the 73' minute, forcing FIU to play a man down for the final 17 minutes of the match, and broke a 1-1 tie with two goals in the final 14 minutes to pull out a hard-fought 3-1 win during the first day of the John Rennie Invitational in Durham, North Carolina. It was the season-opener for both teams. The loss for FIU snaps the Panthers' 21-match regular season unbeaten streak dating back to the 2016 campaign.
 
- Despite facing only six shots on goal on the night, FIU goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux (Cannes, France) kept the Panthers in the contest with three saves, all three from point-blank range and within a five minutes of each other just before and after Avila's red card.  
 
- Duke struck first just before the intermission, to take a 1-0 lead, in the 42' minute, when the Blue Devils' Ciaran McKenna connected on a penalty kick just under a diving Fauroux to the low right side. McKenna was given the opportunity when teammate Suniel Veerakone was fouled steps outside of the box, and falling in. The offense was at a premium in the first stanza, with Duke holding a slight 4-2 advantage in shots, while both teams had just a combined two shots on goal.
 
- The Panthers came out in the second half with vengeance outshooting Duke, 5-0 in the first 10 minutes. Jakob Rylander (Stockholm, Sweden) fired a shot from the right side of the box that was saved by Blue Devils keeper, Will Pulisic, then, seconds later, Joris Ahlinvi (Bordeaux, France) struck a ball that beat Pulisic, however went just left of the goal in the 48' minute.
 
- Nick O'Callaghan (Winter Springs, Florida/Winter Springs) eventually got the Panthers on the board to even the contest up at one-all, when he headed an offering from Ahlinvi off a free kick and put it past Pulisic for his first goal in an FIU uniform and the Panthers first score of the year.
 
- Duke finally broke the deadlock when Matthias Frick connected on a header off a corner kick in the 75' minute, and then Daniele Prock beat Fauroux with an insurance goal in the 80' minute for the final score of the night.
 
- The Blue Devils finished the match with a slight 14-13 advantage in shots, while the shots on goal totals were even at six-apiece. Duke had seven of the 10 corner kicks in the contest.
 
- Ahlinvi led the Panthers with three shots on the night, including two on goal, while O'Callaghan took two shots with both coming on net.

Quotable
"We were pleased with our performance last night and how we started each half. The game had much adversity as Duke had three pk's (penalty kicks) and we had an initial yellow card switched to a red card. We must push on, be more disciplined and respond with a strong performance against a strong Elon side. I'm excited to see our guys play again on Sunday. I know the players will be ready." - FIU Head Coach Kevin Nylen

 Stat of the Game
- Duke had three attempts at penalty kicks on the night, going 1-for-3. The Blue Devils missed their last two in the second half.
 
Scoring Summary
Duke – Ciaran McKenna (Penalty kick; 42:29)
FIU – Nick O'Callaghan (Joris Ahlinvi; 52:30)
Duke – Mattias Frick (Seth Kuhn; 76:04)
Duke – Daniele Proch (Unassisted; 79:32)
 
Up Next
The Panthers will have a quick turnaround as they stay in Durham to face Elon on Sunday, Aug. 26, at 12 noon, to close out the John Rennie Invitational. FIU returns to Miami for its home opener on Friday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. when it butts heads with Stetson.

#####
 
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).