MIAMI – FIU men's soccer earned its second consecutive victory Monday night, defeating St. Thomas (Fla.), 2-0, at Leyva Family Field at FIU Soccer Stadium to improve to 2-1-1 on the season.
FIU struck first in the 35th minute, as
Ezequiel Gonzalez found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, giving the Panthers a 1-0 advantage.
The Panthers doubled their lead in the 54th minute when
Jad Benjelloun scored his first goal of the season off an assist from
Mateo Stickler. The assist marked Stickler's first of the 2026 campaign and extended FIU's advantage to 2-0.
FIU continued to control the contest defensively, limiting St. Thomas to just two shots and one on goal.
In addition, FIU also saw first assists of the season from
Pasquale Capriati and
Mateo Stickler, while Gonzalez and Benjelloun each recorded their first goals of the campaign.
The match was called in the 77th minute due to lightning in the area, with FIU holding a 2-0 advantage at the time of the stoppage.
In goal,
Nigel Van Haveren made one save across 76 minutes of action to secure his second clean sheet of the season.
Up Next
FIU hits the road on Sunday, Sept. 6 to take on St. Johns in Queens, New York. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and streamed live on ESPN+.
Baptist Health
The 2026 FIU men's soccer season is presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
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.
