BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Sept. 25, 2021) – The No. 23 ranked FIU men's soccer team earned its first Conference USA win of the 2021 season on Saturday night, as the Panthers extinguished the Blazers by a score of 2-1 on the road.

FIU's record improved to 6-1-1 with the win and 1-0 in C-USA play, while the Blazers fell to 2-5 and 0-1, respectively. 

"I am extremely proud of the boys tonight," said Head Coach Kyle Russell. "It's a tough road trip against a tough UAB team. We are in conference play now and everyone is desperate to win. We've played against a lot of different teams this year but UAB plays the most direct style we've faced all year. Our backline was able to adjust and do what needed to be done in order to secure the win, and Benny [Dos Santos Monteiro] and Stephen [Afrifa] had excellent goals up front. It was a total team effort by the guys to start 1-0 in one of the toughest conferences in the country."

The Panthers and Blazers played a scoreless first 45 minutes that saw each team trade four shot attempts apiece. Andoni Garrogerricaechebarria fired off two shots, with Yushi Nagao and Noriyuki Ito also seeing an attempt. Grant Makela recorded two saves between the pipes in the opening period.

FIU broke the scoring open shortly after the intermission, when Stephen Afrifa set up Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro for the go-ahead goal in the 49th minute. The Panthers didn't take long to extend their lead, as Afrifa found the back of the net in the 51st minute. Talla Faye sparked the play with a clever pass ahead that created a run for the Panthers.

The FIU defense played strong and kept a clean sheet until the final moments, when the Blazers found a goal at the 88th minute. On the day, the Panthers out-shot the Blazers 11-9, including 5-3 shots-on-goal.

Dos Santos Monteiro and Afrifa each logged their fourth goals of the season and are tied for the team lead in the category. Faye and Afrifa notched their first assists of the year. 

David Garcia, Kareem Riley, Matteo Gasperoni, and Julian Hodek all played a full 90-minutes in the match.

Senior Steven Riad made his FIU debut in the contest against UAB, after the talented attacking player was cleared to return from an injury he sustained in the spring.

"Very happy Steven was able to make his debut after a six-month recovery," said Coach Russell. 

Riad recorded 23 minutes off the bench for the Panthers.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to FIU Soccer Stadium for their C-USA home opener next Saturday, Oct. 2, when they host a rival Charlotte squad that has been receiving votes in the USC Top-25 poll all season. Kickoff against the 49ers is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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