PORTLAND, Ore. – The FIU men's soccer program battled valiantly on the road but came up just short against No. 1 Portland, falling 2-1 Tuesday evening.
After trailing 1-0 for much of the night and playing a man down, fifth-year forward
Eduardo Mustre delivered the equalizer in the 70th minute, blasting a left-footed strike into the back of the net for his third goal of the season. The score leveled the match against the nation's top-ranked squad before Portland responded four minutes later with the game-winner.
The Pilots struck quickly, finding the net just 62 seconds into the match for a 1-0 advantage. FIU would go a man down after a red card was issued to
Pasquale Capriati in the 33
rd minute. The Panthers continued to pressure the nation's highest-scoring offense in the second half, recording three shots before Mustre's equalizer.
FIU outshot Portland 8-7 on the night, with Mustre leading the way with two attempts in 84 minutes of action. Defensively,
David Boccuzzo,
Leonardo Consoloni,
Scott Neil,
Owen Travis, and
Alfonso Gilleard-Soriano each logged a full 90 minutes. Boccuzzo and Gilleard-Soriano recorded assists on Mustre's goal.
In goal,
Nigel Van Haveren turned in another steady performance, recording four saves to bring his season total to 32—most in the American.
The match marked FIU's first contest against a top-ranked opponent since Nov. 5, 2021, when the Panthers earned a 4-1 victory over then-No. 1 Marshall at home.
UP NEXT
FIU returns home to host the Temple Owls on Friday, Oct. 3 at Leyva Family Field at FIU Soccer Stadium. Match is set for a 7 p.m. kick and streamed live on ESPN+.
BAPTIST HEALTH
The 2025 season is presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
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