It was a battle all the way until the final seconds as junior defender Max Edwards netted the game-winner to lead the No. 18 FGCU men's soccer team (2-0-1) past Seton Hall (1-1-0), 1-0, Friday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
"Seton Hall came in with some confidence and they stifled us, so I give them a lot of credit," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "In the second half I saw a switch. We were becoming more dangerous, guys were giving more effort with confidence and we created more opportunities. In the end, Max played an incredible game in the back for us defensively and got forward and scored the game-winner. If there was one guy that was really the man of the match and someone who epitomized how we wanted to play, it was him. He was fully deserving to be the hero tonight."
It was a quiet opening stanza for the Eagles as the squad had four shots the entire half, two on target coming from junior Kareem Riley and senior Miguel Perez. Seton Hall walked away with three shots none of threat to redshirt junior keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos. Both sides garnered one corner apiece.
The opening 10 minutes of the second period saw a more aggressive Eagle squad. Within the early stages, the Green and Blue recorded three shots, two coming on target. The constant attack started to pay off as senior Ivan Rosales nearly put FGCU on the board in the in the 68th minute. Rosales struck a liner off a cross inside the six-yard box but the SHU keeper denied the senior.
Over the next 10 minutes the Pirates started testing Vasconcelos, but the Brazil native stood firm, coming up with three saves. In the final eight minutes, Perez continued to attack with a pair of shots, his final proving to be the difference maker. With 15 seconds left, the left-footed striker this time used his right boot to launch a shot, only for it to come off the keeper for Edwards to bury it in the top corner with five seconds left.
It was Edwards' first goal as an Eagle and of the season. All said FGCU registered 12 shots, seven coming on frame. Vasconcelos secured three saves, moving to 2-0-1 on the season.
Up Next:
FGCU faces a quick turnaround hosting Georgia Southern (1-0-0) Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
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