MIAMI (Nov. 2, 2022) – It took until the 86th minute, but the FIU men's soccer team ultimately prevailed Wednesday night, defeating rival FAU 1-0 to claim the 2022 American Athletic Conference regular season championship in front of 1,175 fans on Senior Night. 

The 22nd-ranked Panthers and head coach Kyle Russell earned their second consecutive regular season title, having won in Conference USA in 2021, but it marked FIU's first AAC title in the team's first year of competition in the league.
 
Freshman Kevin Harr was called into action in goal, making a solid save on the Owls' first attempt of the match and finishing the first half with three stops. 
 
In the fifth minute Yushi Nagoa nearly scored with his shot from just outside the box barley missing the inside post.
 
Harr was called upon again in the 14th minute as he stood his ground and caught a powerful shot.
 
The two teams continued to trade blows with FIU wrestling control of the momentum heading into halftime with the score locked at 0-0.
 
The second half was a battle of wills as FIU pushed for a goal and FAU looked to shutout the Panthers.
 
The Panthers came close multiple times as the clock wore down, but the breakthrough finally came in that 86th minute.
 
Julian Hodek stepped up to the ball near midfield after a foul and delivered a perfect ball into the box. It was Andrew Bennett who connected with the pass, beating the keeper with a header to put FIU up 1-0. 
 
UP NEXT
As the top seed, the Panthers have earned a first-round bye in The American Tournament. FIU will host the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 10 and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 13.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUMSoccer), Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.