MIAMI (Aug. 30, 2019) -  After a lengthy lightning delay that lasted over two hours, the FIU men's soccer team finally took the field for its season opener on Friday evening and earned a 5-1 victory over St. Bonaventure at FIU Soccer Stadium.

The Panthers improved to 1-0 on the young season, while the Bonnies fell to 0-1.

FIU displayed an impressive performance in front of their home crowd, making sure that those who patiently waited out the lightning delay were not disappointed. The Panthers did not take long to put points on the board, as a header by Panther midfielder Inigo Sagarduy found the back of the net in the 10th minute. Less than 13 minutes later junior Owen Green contributed a score of his own and extended FIU's lead to 2-0. Redshirt junior Xavi Olmos Ferris assisted on both early scores after placing two excellent corner kicks for FIU, while Green was also credited with an assist on the Panthers' first goal.

Just before the half, Bonnies' midfielder Cuneyt Varder scored on an unassisted shot in the 41st minute to get St. Bonaventure on the board, but Andrew Booth quickly answered in the 43rd minute with a strike of his own that shifted the FIU lead to 3-1. The Panther attack consistently penetrated into the offensive third in the first half and out-shot the Bonnies by a margin of 11-4, while also leading 8-2 in shot-on-goal attempts.

FIU stayed hot coming out of the break, as midfielder Matias Barraza scored off a penalty kick in the 47th minute to give the Panthers a 4-1 advantage. Booth then notched his second goal of the night with a literal heads-up play in the 54th minute, when Green fired a shot attempt that ricocheted off the crossbar and led to a header by Booth that sent the ball back into the net. The Panthers earned their fifth goal and finished with a 19-11 shot advantage over the Bonnies, while outpacing St. Bonaventure 11-4 in shot-on-goal attempts.

Booth and Green both finished with a game-high four points, while Olmos Ferris led the match with a career-high two assists. Sagarduy and Barraza each finished with two points.

Senior transfer Alban Rousselet and freshman David Garcia earned their first starts as Panthers, while newcomers Ronaldo Marshall, Stephen Afrifa, Andoni Garrogerricaechebarria, and Anthony Cousins, Jr. appeared on the pitch for the first time as Panthers.

UP NEXT
The Panthers are back in action Saturday night when they host James Madison at 7 p.m. ET from FIU Soccer Stadium.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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