Caesar Alva/ Contributing Writer
On a late breezy night, the men’s soccer team (3-6-1) was ready to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (6-5-0) in a game that was expected to be highly competitive— and there were no disappointments from the start.
The Panthers were searching to bounce back from two defeats against the University of New Mexico and the University of Alabama at Birmingham prior to this game. With losses in conference play, it was more than pivotal for the home team to pick up a victory against their opponent. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks, lead by Head Coach Mark Berson, were also hungry to redeem themselves after a 3-0 defeat to No. 4 University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The game quickly kicked off, and the Panthers started on the right foot within the first few minutes. Possession was contained by FIU for the most part within the first 10 minutes. The midfield looked comfortable touching and passing all around.
However, after the first 10 minutes, the Gamecocks began to supplement their game plan. A quick stolen ball from the right wing led to a long pass to freshman midfielder Martin Ramos. Within a second, Ramos lined up a kick and the ball went through junior goalkeeper Robin Spiegel’s hands.
The Gamecocks had struck first.
While the Gamecocks were on top, they quickly backed up all their lines and began to adopt a defensive stance.
Nevertheless, the Panthers also adjusted to this defensive stance by moving their lines forward and attacking. It did not take long for FIU to strike back.
A quick forward pass from senior midfielder Roberto Alterio from the center midfield, connects to senior forward Quentin Albrecht, who wound up from the right side of the penalty box and was able to connect with a goal.
And with this, the game was tied up 1-1.
The game continued with the same trend; USC playing defensively while FIU continued to have possession and multiple attacks.
In fact, the Gamecocks senior goalkeeper Marco Velez was forced to make some spectacular saves; specifically the powerful header from sophomore forward Nicholas Bentacur in the 40th minute.
Right before heading to halftime, a mistake by South Carolina defender— he forced a handball, which consequently set up the Panthers for a penalty kick. Albrecht goes on to shoot. However, Gamecock goalie Velez is able to punch it out towards the right and exit the half tied up.
As the second half began, the Panthers once again started off well. With excellent midfield play from sophomore midfielder Josue Espana and junior midfielder Daniel Gonzalez, all members on the field were able to get touches on the ball.
“We wanted them to feel our attacking presence,” said Gonzalez after the game. And so they did.
Moments later, the midfield began to gel cohesively, and senior defender Sean McFarlane was able to take the ball up and from 17 yards out and burry a shot to the upper right hand corner, past the goalkeeper, giving FIU their first lead of the game.
But, unlike the first half, the Gamecocks came with a different game plan and began to attack and respond as a team. After a moment of hard-fought midfield play, the Gamecocks were able to reach their second goal of the game via junior midfielder Jeffrey Torda.
After this goal, it seemed the floodgates for goals had opened. Five goals were converted in a matter of 19 minutes.
The Gamecocks took the momentum from tying the game up to continue pressing forward. A free kick from sophomore midfielder Kurtis Turner placed the ball perfectly on senior defender Mahamoudou Kaba’s head for a goal and the lead in the second half.
With some time left, the Panthers continued to rally. In the 75th minute, the crowd got behind their home team. They continued to attack, and as the 76th minute approached, a cross from the corner to the far post found Gonzalez with an open shot to goal, which he successfully scored.
A 3-3 temporary tie gave FIU the confidence to continue fighting. Moments later, in the 78th minute, a missed shot opportunity on goal from Gonzalez was executed into a goal by Alterio. With this, the Panthers had scored their last goal of the game.
But the Gamecocks were not done.
The Gamecocks continued to attack. They took advantage of what seemed to be a fatigued Panther team in the later portions of the second half.
A misplaced long ball from FIU allowed for sophomore defender Ive Burnett to fetch the ball and give it to junior midfielder Ryan Arambula, who taps the ball slightly across the Goalkeeper for the tie.
Continuing, the last tie-breaker was made. A corner was later given to the Gamecocks in the 89th minute. Red shirt freshman forward Mikkel Knudsen took the honor of kicking the game-winning assist that landed in the feet of Arambula, who tips it in and through the legs of goalkeeper Spiegel.
And, with that, the Gamecocks were able to walk out of FIU stadium with a 5-4 victory.
The Panthers came up short to their opponents once again in the latter part of the game. Head Coach Scott Calabrese said, “We tried to protect our lead rather than continue playing football. We panicked and didn’t take advantage of opportunities.”
The Panthers were good, but not good enough for a victory for the night.
The Panthers now have one day to practice, and then travel to North Carolina to take on the No. 4 Charlotte 49ers on Saturday.