Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Kendall Bulkiewicz
The moment came in the final 10 seconds of the first half when Faife scored his first goal of the season, connecting with assists from defender, Jemone Barclay , and midfielder, Marcelo Mondragon. Faife, who had been hungry for a goal after close calls in previous games, fought hard for the finish.
“I’ve been fighting for it for a couple games now,” Faife said. “The other day, they took it off the line, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m hungry for that one goal.’ I was giving everything, and then I executed.”
FIU had their chances, with midfielder, Diego Castillo taking two key shots — one saved by USF goalie Felix Schaefer early in the first half and another that flew off-target.
Despite their efforts, the Panthers couldn’t find the back of the net.
In the second half, USF kept pushing, with shots from Faife, forward John Adekunle and midfielder Michael Owens . FIU’s goal keeper, Nigel Van Haveren made several crucial saves to keep the deficit to one, but the Panthers struggled to generate offensive momentum.
Faife credited the Bulls’ tactical discipline for the second-half dominance.
“It was basically just stick to the plan and keep the ball… We were just doing our plan and didn’t play the game like we did in the first half,” he said.
The match was interrupted by frequent fouls from both teams, resulting in multiple yellow cards. FIU’s midfielder, Driss Nasser, and forward, Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro received cautions, while USF saw bookings for forward’s Michael Luande and Gunnar Studenhofft followed with defender Mathis Haugen.
The Panthers pressed hard in the closing minutes, with Dos Santos Monteiro rattling the crossbar twice in quick succession. Despite their late efforts, FIU couldn’t break through, and the Bulls’ defense stood firm until the final whistle.
USF now looks forward to their next game which will be held this Friday, Sept. 27 in Charlotte at 7 p.m. Fans can stream the game via ESPN+ to tune into the match.
