FIU fall to SMU 6-4 in Dallas

The FIU men's soccer fans at their last home game. (Photo by FIU athletics)

Paula Silva | Staff Writer

Taking a trip to the Lonestar state, FIU Men’s Soccer fell 6-4 to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs on Sept. 23 in Dallas, Texas. 

The result is FIU’s third loss of the season, dropping their record to 4-3.  

The match started off with the Mustangs on the front foot, getting the first goal on the scoreboard just four minutes into the game. 

The Panthers didn’t stay behind for long, snapping back in the 17th minute with defender David Garcia heading home a corner from midfielder Julian Hodek to level the score.

Things started to heat up on the field as the Mustangs scored two goals in two minutes, scoring their first 4 minutes after FIU’s leveler. 

Garcia insisted on pushing forward and giving the offense a boost, but his shot missed in minute 30. Midfielder Julien Gastaldy let fly in minute 32, but was unable to cut into the two goal deficit. 

SMU’s fourth goal came in the 34th minute, just before the teams could walk into halftime. When the whistle for the break came, the Panthers found themselves down 4-1.  

The Panthers found a brief lifeline, grabbing a second goal from midfielder Andrew Bennett in the 56th minute. 

Stephen Afrifa and midfielder Yushi Nagao crafted some good buildup play before passing to forward Paulo Alves who scored the third goal for FIU in the 62nd minute, making the score 4-3 and giving the Panther some momentum.

The Mustangs shut down the Panthers comeback attempt, scoring again in the 65th minute and 78th, making the game 6-3. 

With less than five minutes left in the game, Hodek and Bennett created a chance for forward Fumiya Shiraishi who scored the fourth goal for FIU and the final point of the game in the 87th minute. 

The Panthers are set to travel to Richmond, Virginia, to face the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The two teams have only faced once before, with FIU winning 1-0 last season. 

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