MIAMI (Oct. 19, 2021) - The No. 14 ranked FIU men's soccer continued its magical run in front of the Panther faithful on Tuesday night, as the Blue & Gold defeated Conference USA newcomer Coastal Carolina in a thrilling comeback by a score of 2-1 at FIU Soccer Stadium.
 
FIU's record improved to 9-1-2 on the season, including an undefeated 4-0-1 in league play, while the Panthers also remained unbeaten at home with a perfect 5-0 mark.

"You've got to be a good team to beat Coastal [Carolina]," said Head Coach Kyle Russell. "You can't just come in and expect to win. You've got to dig deep to beat them."

Coach Russell secured a special victory against his alma mater and former team, as the Panthers won the program's first-ever meeting with Coastal Carolina and handed the Chanticleers their first C-USA loss of the year.

"I spent 14 years of my life as a player and a coach at Coastal Carolina," said Coach Russell. "[We were] Top-25 every single year. It's near and dear to my heart. I got a lot of respect and gratitude towards [CCU Head Coach] Shaun Docking. He's had a ton of success, and he gave me my shot. He gave me an opportunity and by the grace of God I've been able to come here to FIU and I love it here. Tonight it was special to win, but [FIU] is my team. This is my family. I bleed blue, and I'm Miami through and through."

With FIU down by a score of 1-0 in the waning moments of the match, the Panthers persevered and exploded for back-to-back goals within 75 seconds as FIU saw goals from both of its center backs with only six minutes remaining in regulation.

"We've been in this position before," said Coach Russell. "We don't want to go down a goal, but it doesn't matter. We stick to the principles, we stay disciplined and we stick to the plan. At any point once we get one [goal], another one can follow very quickly."

After the Chanticleers got on the board in the 36th minute of the contest, the Panthers fought and clawed for the equalizing chance against a sound CCU defense. FIU saw solid opportunities in the opening period as the Panthers led the Chanticleers by a margin of 7-6 in shot attempts, including two attempts on-goal, but the tying goal had to wait until after the break.

The Blue & Gold imposed its will after the intermission and ramped up the pressure, firing off six shots on goal and leading CCU 12-6 in the second-half shot column.

Rasmus Tobinski nearly found the FIU equalizer in the 78th minute, but a header attempt by the Panther forward hit the far post. Stephen Afrifa had a chance of his own a minute later, but an excellent shot attempt by Afrifa barely missed left of the net.

FIU's efforts were finally rewarded in the 84th minute when the Panthers were awarded a penalty kick due to a handball in the box by the Chanticleers. Center back Kareem Riley took the opportunity for FIU and sunk it to give FIU an equalizing goal, bringing Riley to a perfect three-for-three on PK opportunities this season.

With the home crowd energized and the Panthers smelling blood, the go-ahead goal arrived merely two minutes later following a corner kick by FIU. After the Chanticleers attempted to clear the FIU cross, center back Carlos Scheckermann located the loose ball and fired a pin-point strike to the bottom left corner of the net to give FIU the lead and send the Panther fans into a frenzy.

FIU held strong over the remaining minutes, as the Panthers secured their fifth home victory of the 2021 season.

Scheckermann logged his first start as a Panther and also scored his first FIU goal, while leading the contest in shot attempts (4) and shots-on-goal (3). Team captain Riley scored his fourth goal of the year and now ranks second on the team in the category. Julian Hodek was credited with an assist on FIU's final goal.

Between the posts, goalkeeper Tyler Hogan nabbed four saves and improved his record to an unbeaten 4-0-1 this season.

Scheckermann, Riley, Hogan, and defensive midfielder Matteo Gasperoni all logged a full 90 minutes in the contest.

UP NEXT
The Panthers have a quick turn-around this Friday, Oct. 22, as FIU welcomes ODU on Alumni Night for the second of two home games this week. First kick against the Monarchs is slated for 7 p.m. ET at FIU Soccer Stadium.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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