Saturday, September 24, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. – Finding the net in the opening minutes of each half, the FGCU men’s soccer team handed unbeaten No. 8 UCF its first loss of the year in a 2-1 victory on Saturday at the UCF Soccer Complex. In a level game, junior midfielder Andres Navas (Miami, Fla./Sunset Senior HS/Florida International) provided the decisive goal in the 49th minute on an assist from senior Francesco DiStefano (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola HS).

“It is obviously an important win for us, there’s no doubt about it,” said fifth-year head coach Bob Butehorn. “To win on the road against a very talented team like UCF takes hard work and focus, and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort our guys put forth today. Hopefully, we can use the momentum from this win to propel us forward as we prepare for our first conference match next week.”

Competing on Saturday afternoon following Friday’s postponement, the victory improved the Eagles record to 3-2-2 on the season. The win marked the second time in program history that the Green and Blue have beaten a top 10 opponent, as the Eagles shutout then-No. 5 Ohio State, 1-0, in front of a record crowd of 1,322 at the FGCU Soccer Complex last season. FGCU also improved to 3-2 all-time against opponents ranked in the top 25.

The Knights fall to 6-1-1 in the losing effort and now stand a 3-1 versus the Atlantic Sun Conference this season.