Men’s soccer defeats Marshall to win first C-USA title


By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

FIU men’s soccer and Marshall entered the Conference USA Men’s Soccer Championship final Sunday, Nov. 15, as two unlikely underdogs looking to make history.

Neither had ever won a C-USA title, and although the Panthers dominated play for most of the first 75 minutes of play, the match remained scoreless with 15 minutes left in regulation. Then, the Panthers finally broke through.

Senior Patrick Lopez was the hero for the Panthers, delivering the lone goal of the match in the 75th minute to give FIU a historic 1-0 victory over the Marshall Thundering Herd. The goal gave the program its first C-USA title since joining the conference in 2005.

Now the Panthers (12-6-1) will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004, when the Panthers won the conference championship in their last season as a member of the Atlantic Soccer Conference.

The team will find out who their first round opponent will be during the NCAA Men’s Soccer Selection Show, which will take place Monday at 1 p.m. The show can be watched live on the NCAA’s website.

The FIU men's soccer team celebrates its first ever Conference USA title. The Panthers will go to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history.

The FIU men’s soccer team celebrates its first ever Conference USA title. The Panthers will go to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history.

“They did everything that they were asked to do and more. They’ve earned it,” Head Coach Scott Calabrese said. “When you get in the tournament, it’s just about an opportunity and the guys seized it.”

A nicely placed corner kick by senior midfielder Daniel Gonzalez, who was named the tournament’s offensive MVP, allowed Lopez to knock in a header just inside the left post past the goalkeeper and a Marshall defender to give the Panthers the late lead.

Gonzalez finished the tournament with two goals and two assists, playing an instrumental role in FIU’s surprising tournament run.

“It’s been huge and really rewarding,” Gonzalez said of the tournament experience. “I’m just really proud to be part of this incredible moment.”

After a tense final 15 minutes with the Thundering Herd desperately searching for the equalizer, and almost finding one in the waning seconds before the Panthers cleared the ball from the box, FIU broke out into celebration as the clock ticked down to zero.

Goalkeeper Arthur Clapot made one save to earn his second straight shutout – the Panthers upset and shut out No. 1 seed Kentucky 1-0 on Nov. 13 in the semifinals – to earn the tournament’s defensive MVP award.

The team will be honored during halftime at tonight’s men’s basketball game, which starts at 7 p.m.

For more information on FIU men’s soccer, go to FIUSports.com.