MIAMI (Nov. 8, 2019) - The No. 19 ranked FIU men's soccer team went down in a heartbreaker on Friday night, as the Panthers fell to No. 14 Marshall in a contest for the Conference USA regular-season crown.

FIU finishes the regular season with a 9-2-5 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in C-USA, while Marshall finishes 13-2-3 overall and 5-1-1 in conference play. The result leaves FIU sitting at third place in the conference standings and gives the Panthers a No. 3 seed in the upcoming C-USA tournament. Marshall becomes the regular-season C-USA champions and earns a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

The Panthers were instantly in attack mode to start the match as FIU fired five shot attempts before the 14-minute mark, while Marshall mustered only one attempt in that span. FIU saw a chance to take the lead in the 7th minute after Owen Green fired a shot-on-goal from just outside the box, but Paulo Pita was able to punch the ball away and make the save for Marshall. Andrew Booth picked up the deflection and fired another shot-on-goal, but Pita denied the attempt once again. 

Marshall struck first in the match after Jamil Roberts found the back of the net in the 18th minute and put the Thundering Herd ahead by a score of 1-0. The Panthers fought back and answered with a goal of their own in the 20th minute after Andoni Garrogerricaechebarria beat his defender from the right side of the box and fired a shot past Pita to the left post. Booth assisted on the play to help the Panthers even the score at 1-1.

The Thundering Herd retook the lead in the 23rd minute as Jamil Roberts scored his second goal of the day. Andrew Booth nearly equalized in the 29th minute with a strike that landed just under the crossbar, but Pita was able to get a hand on the shot and deflect the ball high over the net. FIU led 10-7 in shot attempts after the first 45 minutes but trailed Marshall by a score of 2-1 at halftime.

The second half saw the match become increasingly physical as FIU and Marshall fought for a chance to win the conference crown. FIU logged seven more shots after the intermission including two on-goal, as the Panthers continuously pressured the Thundering Herd defense. The chance for a late equalizer seemed to arrive in the 85th minute when FIU was awarded a free kick merely inches outside the 18-yard line, but a shot attempt by Xavi Olmos Ferris on the ensuing kick was deflected just wide of the right post. 

FIU led Marshall 17-15 in the final shot margin and earned 10 corner kicks to Marshall's three in the match, but the Panthers were unable to find a second goal as the Thundering Herd claimed victory after a thrilling 90 minutes.

Garrogerricaechebarria notched his second goal as a Panther and now has four points in 2019. Booth logged his fourth assist of the year and continues to lead FIU with 14 points this season. Booth, Owen Green, Nick O'Callaghan, and David Garcia all logged a full 90 minutes in the match.

UP NEXT
FIU now turns its attention to the C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament next week in Norfolk, Virginia. The tournament is set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 13 and will end on Sunday, Nov. 17. Opponents and match times are still to be determined.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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