By: Andres Leon / Staff Writer
After coming off a win against North Florida on Friday night, Coach Munga Eketebi felt confident that his team could pull off the crucial away win.
But FIU (3-3-2) traveled to Atlanta only to fall to Georgia State (5-1-1) in a 3-2 contest on Sept. 18.
“We need to take advantage of our opportunities and finish the ball in the back of the net. Outshooting your opponent and not winning is unacceptable,” said Coach Eketebi.
FIU out shot the opposition 24-10 with freshmen Quentin Albrecht and Arnthor Kristinsson leading the team in shots taken.
Albrecht led FIU with seven shots and four on target, while Kristinsson recorded five shots and three on target.
The GSU Panthers took an early 2-0 lead after defender Peter Vania and forward Ayokunle Lumpkin found the back of the net. In the fourth minute of play, Vania capitalized off a ricochet and chipped the ball into the top right corner.
Early in the second half, Lumpkin received a long cross from midfielder Scott Evan and buried the goal in the 50’ minute of play.
The Golden Panthers did not find the net until the 70’ minute, when Kristinsson stroked off a deflection to make it a 2-1 match.
The Georgia State Panthers answered right back. Off a tough angle, Yasser Majluf found the back of the net for the third goal of the night for Georgia State.
FIU stayed alive after Lucas Di Croce found Quentin Albrecht, who was able to score his fourth goal of the season. The freshman forward leads FIU in goals and shots this season.
“We out shot our opponents again and made silly mistakes on defense. We should have won this, we need to finish better,” said Eketebi.
FIU will go on to play Marshall to mark the beginning of Conference-USA play on Sept. 23. The Thundering Herd was predicted to finish last in the conference and FIU looks to begin their campaign for a spot in the tournament on a good note.
“These conference games are like a whole different season, every win matters more,” said Eketebi.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.