MIAMI (Sep 8, 2018) - After an intense and emotional match on the road in Jacksonville on Friday, the FIU men's soccer team returned home and earned a 2-1 win over Seton Hall at FIU Soccer Stadium on Sunday evening.

The Panthers remain undefeated in 2019 and improve to 3-0-1, while Seton Hall falls to 1-2 on the season.

"We continue to learn more about ourselves." said Head Coach Kevin Nylen. "It's early in the season, tonight was a good result against a very tough opponent. We continue to be humble."

Stephen Afrifa continued a stellar start to his freshman campaign with an impressive goal in the first half against Seton Hall. In the 39th minute, Afrifa displayed some fancy footwork as he toe-tapped a ball high over the Seton Hall defender to get behind the Pirates' backline. Afrifa turned on the jets in a breakaway opportunity and penetrated into the opposing box from the left side of the pitch, firing a shot past the Seton Hall goalkeeper and hitting the back of the net to give FIU a 1-0 lead.

Later in the 44th minute, Xavi Olmos Ferris added a score of his own after Inigo Sagarduy attempted a cross that was deflected by a Seton Hall defender near the goal line. Olmos Ferris showed alertness and good positioning in the box as he quickly picked up the deflected ball and fired it into the goal, extending FIU's lead to 2-0 just before the break.

Seton Hall was able to get on the board immediately after the intermission, as Vittorio Argeri contributed a score for the Pirates. The rest of the second period offered a physical, grind-it-out effort by both teams, but the match remained scoreless the rest of the way as the Panthers were able to fend off any equalizing opportunities by Seton Hall. 

Afrifa notched his third goal of the season, now bringing his 2019 point total to a team-leading six — tied with Andrew Booth. Olmos Ferris increased his season point total to four after earning his first score of the year. Freshmen Afrifa and Ronaldo Marshall earned their first starts as Panthers, while Talla Faye earned his first start of the 2019 campaign.

UP NEXT
FIU will face its in-state rival on Saturday, Sep. 14, when the Panthers make the short trip to Boca Raton to take on the FAU Owls. Kickoff for the match is set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
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