MIAMI (Oct. 18, 2019) - The anticipated showdown between the No. 12 ranked FIU men's soccer team and No. 10 Charlotte ended in a stalemate on Friday evening, as the Panthers posted a scoreless draw against the 49ers in front of a great home crowd.
FIU remains undefeated in 2019 and now holds a 9-0-4 record, including a 4-0-1 mark in Conference USA play. Charlotte now stands at 8-1-4 on the year with a 3-0-3 mark in C-USA.
"Physical game," said Head Coach
Kevin Nylen. "We [expected] that coming in, but I thought our guys held their own. I thought we played a good match tonight."
Playing in front of one of the largest crowds in program history with 1,532 fans in attendance at FIU Soccer Stadium, the Panthers displayed a valiant effort against a Charlotte squad that had remained unbeaten through the first 12 games of 2019.
FIU controlled possession heavily in the opening period and fired away eight shots at the opposing net while holding Charlotte to zero attempts before the break. The Panthers consistently penetrated into the attacking third and saw multiple opportunities at taking the lead, but the play of Charlotte goalkeeper Elliot Panicco kept FIU off the board as the score remained 0-0 at the half. The Panthers recorded four shots-on-goal in the first 45 minutes, with
Andoni Garrogerricaechebarria,
Xavi Olmos Ferris, and
Mohamed Conde all logging attempts.
The match became increasingly physical in the second half as FIU and Charlotte put forth excellent defensive performances, holding each other to zero shot-on-goal attempts and only six combined shots between the two teams.
FIU was forced into overtime for a fifth time this season after the match remained scoreless at the end of regulation.
Mohamed Conde nearly became the hero again for FIU when he fired an on-target shot in the final seconds of the first overtime period, but Panicco punched away the attempt to keep the score empty at 0-0.
Charlotte seemed to have a winning chance in double overtime when Owen Peeler got loose on a breakaway play at the 104-minute mark, but goalkeeper
Daniel Gagliardi made a spectacular game-defying save to deny Peeler's shot attempt. The Panthers out-shot the 49ers 4-1 in both overtime periods combined, but FIU was unable to find the back of the net as time expired and the match ended in a draw.
FIU held the 49ers to only four shots in the match, which stands as the second-lowest mark allowed by FIU this season. Conde led FIU with two shots-on-goal.
Daniel Gagliardi posted his fourth shutout of the season. Olmos Ferris,
Nick O'Callaghan,
David Garcia,
Andrew Booth, and
Anthony Cousins, Jr. all logged a full 110 minutes in the match.
FIU now controls its own destiny in the C-USA standings as they hold 13 points in conference play, while Charlotte possesses 12 points. The Panthers have two conference games remaining in the 2019 slate while the 49ers have only one.
"We got a [conference] point against a top team in the country," said Coach Nylen. "We're still in a really good position for conference and moving forward."
UP NEXT
FIU has a quick turn around as the Panthers travel to play at USF on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Kickoff against the Bulls is set for 7 p.m. ET
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