FIU picks up shutout win over Nova Southeastern in season opener

By: Andres Leon / Staff Writer

The FIU men’s soccer team beat Nova Southeastern 2-0 in their home opener Friday night. With the absence standout players Nicolas Rodriguez Fraile and Jahbari Willis, Coach Munga Eketebi was confident in his young squad, giving Boca Raton native Colby Burdette the chance to shine on Aug 26.

Burdette assisted international star Sebastian Frings on the second goal for FIU. Off a quick run, Burdette got behind the Sharks back line and unselfishly pass up a shot, giving Frings a chip pass to finish it off in the net.

“It’s great to get the win first game of the season, and Colby is going to be great for this team. He’s a team player and gave me the chance to finish the play,” said Frings after Friday night’s win.

The Golden Panthers enjoyed possession throughout the game, keeping the ball away from nova Southeastern and preventing them from having quality opportunities. The Sharks only threatened on two occasions.

Late in the first half, Halil Tozar was able to get a shot on goal after getting a through ball and passing the FIU defense. Tozar’s shot fell into the hands of starting goalkeeper Eric Reyes. Reyes, cleared to start this past Monday, made one more save on the night, stopping a long shot from NSU forward James Pucci.

The first goal for FIU came early on when Mario Uribe ran past the NSU defense and gave a lob to Lucas Di Croce. Di Croce controlled the ball off his chest and after quick bounce off the pitch, he chipped it past the Sharks keeper.

“It feels great to get this early win, especially in the opening minutes. To score like that gives us a ton of confidence towards the rest of the season,” said Di Croce.

The Golden Panthers shot 50 percent from the field, taking 14 shots with seven of them on target.  Meanwhile, NSU fired seven shots with only two on net. NSU keeper Steffen Rau compiled five saves on the night.

As far as minutes for the home opener, five players for FIU play for the entire  match. Keeper Eric Reyes along with defenders Nicholas Chase, Anthony Hobbes and John Kite saw all 90 minutes of action.

Freshmen Arnthor Kristinsson and Quentin Albrecht received about 40 minutes each off the bench.

“We have a lot of talent on the team and few of the players are getting used to our playing style, while others are getting accustomed to the humidity,” said Coach Eketebi. “We are going to expose our talent this season and I think it’s great that these freshmen play hard.”