TAMPA, fla. – The FGCU menS soccer team suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against South Florida on Sunday evening at Corbett Stadium. Despite a second-half equalizer, the Eagles were unable to overcome a late goal by the Bulls and a disallowed goal in the final minutes.
FGCU fell behind early,but Caio Oliveira scored at 43:52 to cut the deficit to 2-1 before halftime. South Florida had controlled the first half, outshooting FGCU 11-4, with a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal, and earning four corner kicks to the Eagles’ two. Goalkeeper Oliver Weng recorded four saves for FGCU in the opening period.
Ignatius DeMark leveled the score at 2-2 in the 55th minute with his first goal of the season, assisted by Arber Shala, who also earned his first point of the year.The game remained tied for over 25 minutes until Jakob Auby scored for South Florida at 82:33, assisted by Faife, to regain the lead.
A potential tying goal by Dylan Zavatini at 87:47 was called back for offsides,sealing the Bulls’ victory.
South Florida outshot FGCU 14-11, though the Eagles had a 7-3 shot advantage in the second half. USF finished with eight shots on goal to FGCU’s seven, and six corner kicks to FGCU’s five.
FGCU’s Beeman led all players with four shots, three on target. Oliveira and Murguia each added two shots. Weng finished with five saves.
The Eagles (0-2-0) continue their five-match road trip on Wednesday at Memphis (1-1-2), with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.FGCU will play its first home game of the season on Sept. 9 against Florida Memorial at pickering Field. Season tickets are available, starting at $60, and include access to both the men’s and women’s soccer programs. All FGCU home matches are streamed on ESPN+.
