ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 15 UCF men's soccer team defeated the FIU Panthers by a score of 3-1 in the final exhibition of the preseason.
"This was a really good game for us," said UF head coach Scott Calabrese, "FIU is a quality opponent so the intensity of this game was higher and I think will serve us well when we go to play Wake Forest and UNC. Always good to see some of the newer players and get to know them better to see how they fit into the team. There were some really good performances from the young guys which is nice because now it looks like we've developed some depth."
The Knights opened the scoring in the twenty-eighth minute with a goal from Louis Perez that spun perfectly into the top left corner just over the reach of the outstretched goalkeeper. A joyous celebration ensued following the goal as it was Perez's first taste of match action since going down with an injury in the conference tournament last season. He got the feed from captain Jonathan Dean.
Nobody found the back of the net until the second half. Cal Jennings registered his fourth goal of the preseason in the sixty-fourth minute on a pass that was threaded through two defenders by Mauricio Villalobos Vega.
Fans didn't have to wait long for the next goal as Gino Vivi netted his first goal at the collegiate level during the sixty-seventh minute.
At the end of 90 minutes, UCF held a 3-0 lead. The two sides decided to play two extra 15 minute periods after the original 90. FIU found their lone goal in the extra time, as Ronaldo Marshall netted one on a breakaway in the in the one hundred and first minute.
In the dying seconds of the match, the Panthers had a chance on a penalty kick that was stopped by Matt Douglass. After the save, FIU collected it once more and fired another shot in the direction of Douglass. He was able to dive in the other direction and deflect the ball just enough to glance off the crossbar and out of harm's way.
In the original 90 minutes of play, the Knights rifled off 14 shot attempts with five of them on target.
Last season, the Knights went on the road against FIU and found a similar result, as UCF claimed a 3-1 victory.
UP NEXT
UCF will begin their regular season on the road at No. 4 Wake Forest on Friday, Aug 30. Following that match, the Knights will travel to No. 6 North Carolina before returning home for their home opener on Sep. 6 against Penn State.
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