Memphis Men’s Soccer finished the regular season on the road in Miami against the FIU Panthers, tying the game 2-2. Thanks to a stunning first half, the Tigers have secured their first ever AAC regular season title and the top draw in the American Tournament.
The contest started slow, as both teams traded attacks to take an early advantage. While only one shot was taken in the first 15 minutes by either squad, an unsuccessful attempt by Jose Maria Ojeda for Memphis, they both tried to feel out the defenses for later efforts to be successful.
FIU dominated time of possession during this stretch, but Memphis prevented the Panthers from gaining anything but field position.
The Panthers would finally produce a shot in the 22nd minute by Prince Ngeleka, who drew Memphis keeper Filip Sabatti high in the box and had an angle to the net. The shot stayed left of the goal.
Minutes later, Panthers forward Eduardo Maustre battled amongst several Memphis defenders and barely sneaked a goal past Sabatti in the lower left corner to give FIU the early lead.
Micheal Appiah would sub in for the home team and immediately make an impact, taking a remarkably close shot in the 33rd that forced a great save by Sabatti.
The Tigers finally got a shot in the 40th minute by Adam Yousfi. He took the shot from about 22 feet and drilled the attempt in the top left corner to tie the game…only for a moment.
Seconds later, Gabriel Christensen dove for a header from a pass by Ryan Ruguaru, sending the shot in the lower left corner to give Memphis a shocking advantage headed into the halftime break.
When the teams returned from the half, FIU bombarded the Tigers, quickly taking a shot two minutes into the half. They were looking for the equalizing goal very quickly, as they had win-and-in scenarios for a top four seed in the AAC Tournament relying on this game. As for Memphis, they came out very relaxed, they had a lead and started to play a tad slow and conservative.
The teams would trade corner kicks and free kicks with each other, assessing the discipline and execution in set pieces. Both teams passed these tests as the game grinds to a snail’s pace.
Prince Ngeleka would make his presence known yet again, sending a missile of a shot into the top right corner from a great distance in the 66th minute to tie the contest once again.
The Panthers kept this momentum going and put up a pair of shots, but neither really had a chance of breaking the tie. The Memphis defense made several plays down the stretch to keep the tie in place, including Logan Longo deflecting a shot out of bounds in a scramble situation.
FIU continued to make the game stressful, attacking over and over. They were desperate to steal a win and secure their tournament scenarios. Chaos ensued on Memphis’ defending half, but the Tigers remained poised and resolute.
The Panthers had one last chance in the final minutes of the game, a corner kick in the 88th. The ball sailed in the air and dropped directly in front of Memphis, as they secured the tie.
