ORLANDO, Florida (Aug. 29, 2021) - The FIU men's soccer team began the 2021 fall season in dominant fashion on Thursday night, as the Panthers routed No. 13 ranked UCF by a shutout score of 4-0 in Orlando.
With the win, the Panthers now stand at 1-0 on the young season while the Knights fall to 0-1.
"For us to come out and put a 4-0 result on them, it was earned," said Head Coach
Kyle Russell. "Nothing was given. Credit to the whole team. This is a tough place to come up and play. Anyone who has played UCF knows they are a good team. I'm very proud of our guys tonight and I'm excited for our next game as we gear up for FGCU."
In a true team effort, FIU saw goals from four different Panthers on the night and played 19 of its 21 players that traveled to Orlando. The Panthers recorded their first clean sheet against UCF since Oct. 25, 2016, and their first victory in Orlando since the 2015 season.
"We've got 15 new players, but with our new players that we've recruited we also have a lot of experience," said Coach Russell. "We have a lot of guys that take pride in wearing the Blue & Gold colors and FIU on the chest. They were ready for this moment and I thought they handled themselves well tonight against a very good UCF team."
The Blue & Gold wasted no time getting on the board early on, after a UCF turnover led to a goal by
Rasmus Tobinski in the 4th minute. FIU tacked on another goal in the 34th, when newcomer
Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro fired a scoring strike just inside the right post to extend the Panther lead.
Philip Hildebrandt set up the second score with a curling pass from the right side of the pitch. The Panthers led the shot margin by a tally of 10-7 at the break and took a commanding lead into the locker room.
FIU kept its foot on the gas after the intermission, seeing goals from
David Garcia in the 47th minute and
Stephen Afrifa at the 84th. Garcia continued to display a knack for scoring on set piece opportunities, as he banged in a header off a free kick service from
Matias Barraza. The Panthers stamped an exclamation point on the dominant performance, when speedster
Stephen Afrifa got free on a breakaway and sent another strike home for FIU.
Freshman midfielder
Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro claimed his first goal in a Panther uniform against the Knights, while junior defender Hildebrandt notched his first assist with the Blue & Gold. Barraza was also credited with an assist in the match.
Between the posts,
Grant Makela recorded the clean sheet for FIU while nabbing five saves.
UP NEXT
FIU hits the road again this Sunday, Aug. 29, to battle in-state foe FGCU in Fort Myers. First kick against the Eagles is set for 5 p.m. ET.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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