Kevin Calcagno / Staff Writer
The FIU Men’s Soccer team held the Florida Atlantic Owls scoreless in their 2-0 victory at home on March 6.
FIU’s record improves to 2-1 overall on the season, and 1-0 against Conference USA opponents. They are now ranked second out of the eight teams in the conference, and are ranked 24th in the country.
The Panthers continue to dominate the series against the Owls, extending their winning streak against FAU to seven games. The overall series record is now 12-2 in favor of FIU, dating back to their first meeting in 2006.
FIU got off to a strong start, firing two shots at goal in the first fifteen minutes of the game. In the 18th minute, Junior midfielder Mauro Bravo found forward Alessandro Campoy in the box, converting the chance into the first goal of the game and Campoy’s second goal of the season.
The Owls began to gain momentum, and had a penalty kick awarded in the 44th minute of the game. FAU’s penalty shot bounced off the crossbar and went back into play, keeping the score 1-0 at halftime.
When the second half started, FAU got off to a quick start offensively, marking three shots on goal within the first fifteen minutes of the second half. FIU Goalkeeper Johan Penaranda denied the Owls all three times.
The Panthers were able to put the game out of FAU’s reach in the 74th minute when freshman midfielder Omri Ezra placed a lofted pass into the penalty box and Bravo met the ball with his head, guiding it into the back of the net. This marked Bravo’s first goal of the season.
Despite the shutout, the Owls had 13 shots with six on goal. FIU only had nine shots with three on goal. Still, the Panthers had six saves and three corner kicks. Both schools had 17 fouls called, and six yellow cards were given out in total.
Up next for FIU is a faceoff at Huntington, West Virginia, against the Marshall Thundering Herd on March 13th at noon. The Herd is the only team above FIU in the C-USA standings, and the Panthers will be looking to overtake them.
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