MIAMI (Aug. 28, 2023) – The No. 14 ranked FIU men's soccer team played at FIU Soccer Stadium for the first time in 2023 Monday night, taking down Virginia Commonwealth, 4-0.
 
All four goals were scored by different players with Paulo Alves, Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro, Kasper Skraep and Yushi Nagao all scoring their first goals of the 2023 campaign.
 
Graduate Student goalkeeper Tyler Hogan was stellar in goal again after posting his first shutout of the season.
 
FIU wasted no time getting on the score board, going up 1-0 in the fifth minute.
 
Alves and Eduardo Mustre showed great chemistry, as the two forwards executed the give-and-go to perfection to get deep into the VCU box.
 
One final pass by Mustre set up Alves, who fired a shot past the rushing goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
 
Goal number two came just ten minutes later.
 
Fumiya Shiraishi played a line breaking pass from the center circle to Dos Santos Monteiro at the top of the Rams penalty area. Dos Santos Monteiro took two quick touches and hammered his shot into the side netting to put the Panthers ahead, 2-0.
 
With mere seconds left in the first half, FIU would add another.
 
After drawing a foul at the midfield line and with time running out, Tim Schels lofted a ball deep into the box. VCU keeper John Ermini came off his line to punch way the pass, but Skraep beat him to it and headed home the first goal of his Panthers career.
 
FIU went into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
 
The Panthers attack continued where they left off, scoring just three minutes into the second half.
 
FIU's aggressive pressing forced a VCU defender into miss hitting a clearance attempt. In the ensuing scramble in the Rams penalty area, Nagao one-timed the loose ball into the back of the net to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead.
 
The Panthers continued the pressure all night and stifled VCU, limiting the Rams to just two shots while registering seven of their own.

After the final whistle blew, FIU was victorious, 4-0.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers are back at home this Friday September 1 to host Central Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match can be streamed on ESPN+.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUMSoccer), Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Women's Soccer news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.