MIAMI - Simon Afrifa scored the lone goal as the FIU men's soccer team posted a 1-0 shutout win over Mercer on Thursday night in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
 
The win marks the 23^rd NCAA tournament win in program history while advancing FIU to its 13^th second round matchup ever as they will take on the Virginia Cavaliers this Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. ET from Charlottesville.
 
FIU marches to its third straight year appearing in the round of 32, dating back to the 2021 season.
 
"Super proud of the boys front to back tonight," Head Coach Kyle Russell said. "It was so important for our guys to leave a good taste for our supporters that we have here at FIU because last time we played here, we didn't do that. We recognize that, we held our hands up and we were accountable. So we've been trained in training and training."
 
Afrifa's lone goal came in the 21^st minute as a cross in from Philip Hildebrandt paved way for Afrifa to tap the ball into the back of the net for his first career NCAA tournament goal. The senior logged his fourth-goal of the season, the career-high for the Toronto, Ontario, Canada native.
 
The Panthers limited the Mercer to no goals on the night, while outshooting the Bears 12-10 on Thursday evening. FIU controlled possession all night long led by the stout backline performance of Owen Travis, Kasper Skraep, and Hildebrandt.
 
In net, Tyler Hogan netted four saves for his career-high fifth shutout of the season. It's the first NCAA tournament shutout since Nov. 16, 2017 when the Panther took down Omaha 2-0 in a first round matchup.
 
In addition, Thursday's win marked the 19^th NCAA tournament home victory with the last win coming last season in a captivating match over New Hampshire in the second round, which saw FIU win in penalty kicks.
 
"Everyone knows who is a good team. So we're going to go out there, and we're going to give them everything we have," Russell added. "We don't hope to be in the game, we expect to take the game, no matter who's available, no matter who's tired no matter what type of travel we have.
 
UP NEXT
FIU advances to the Round of 32 as they take on the Virginia Cavaliers in the second round on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. from Charlottesville. The broadcast is set to be streamed on ESPN+.

SOCIAL MEDIA 
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General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.