FIU men pick up win over FC Dallas

2/21/10

An 82nd minute goal by Jabari Willis and a spectacular performance by goalkeeper Shane Lopez lifted the FIU men’s to a 1-0 upset victory over FC Dallas of Major League Soccer, Sunday morning. The match, which was part of FC Dallas’ preseason schedule, was played at the Disney Wide World of Sports soccer complex in Orlando.

“The boys played really well, said FIU head coach Munga Eketebi. “Shane was huge for us, because this isn’t the kind of game that you will be able to dominate.”

Lopez kept the Golden Panthers in the game by thwarting every single shot that came his way, several of them from setpieces. Twice Lopez turned away shots on breakaways, once by speedster Marvin Chavez and once by Eric Avila.
In the 82nd minute, Lucas Di Croce sent a corner kick into the box that Willis controlled and put into the back of the net to give the Golden Panthers the 1-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It was a hard fought battle and we were able to steal it at the end,” added Eketebi. “It’s always an honor to play against a professional team and even bigger to be able to get a win.”