MIAMI (Sept. 4, 2021) - The No. 19 ranked FIU men's soccer team continued its magical start to the 2021 fall season with a clean sheet 1-0 victory over the No. 12 VCU Rams on Saturday evening at FIU Soccer Stadium.

FIU's remains undefeated and improves its record to 3-0 on the season, while VCU falls to 1-1-1.

The Panthers claimed their third consecutive clean sheet to start the year and knocked off a Top-15 squad for the second time in the last nine days, after defeating No. 13 UCF (4-0) on Aug. 26.

On a night that saw FIU endure a lightning delay for the second consecutive match, the Panthers remained resilient and claimed their first victory in front of the Panther faithful this season.

The Panthers controlled the tempo of the match throughout the night, outshooting the Rams 21-7 and firing off 11 shots on-goal to VCU's one. The Blue & Gold defense was able prevent any dangerous chances from the Rams, providing goalkeeper Grant Makela with a relatively calm night in front of the net.

FIU saw multiple chances to get onto the scoreboard in the opening half, placing four shots-on-goal and owning a 7-2 advantage over the Rams in shot attempts. VCU was able to hang on tight thanks to solid play from its goalkeeper, as things remained scoreless heading into the break.

The Panthers amped up the pressure in the second period, firing off seven more shots-on-goal and coming close on several incredible scoring chances. Stephen Afrifa and Rasmus Tobinski each rocketed shots hard off the crossbar, and Matteo Gasperoni had a dynamic bicycle kick attempt saved by the Rams' keeper.

FIU finally struck gold in the 73rd minute, when David Garcia found the back of the net yet again on a set piece opportunity. Mauro Bravo served up an excellent cross from a corner kick to Matthias Lavenant, who got a foot on the ball and deflected it to Garcia for the go-ahead goal.

Play was paused less than 30 seconds after the goal when lightning was detected in the area. Both teams emerged from the locker room over an hour later and resumed play around 10 p.m., but the Rams were unable to generate any chances for an equalizer in the waning moments of the match as the Blue & Gold proved victorious yet again.

FIU's backline continued to demonstrate its ability to generate offense, as a Panther defender scored for the third time in as many games this season.

Garcia notched his second goal of the year and now leads FIU in points (5) and goals. Bravo and Lavenant recorded their first assists of the season.

The FIU centerback duo of Kareem Riley and Garcia played a full 90-minutes in the contest and were instrumental in the clean sheet victory.

NEXT UP
The Panthers hit the road again next week to face an in-state rival, when they travel to Jacksonville on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to battle the UNF Ospreys. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET from Hodges Stadium.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news. Follow all of FIU's athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).