PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. | The FMU Lions (1-6-3, 1-2-1) scored the equalizer in the final 25 seconds of the match in a draw 1-1 against No. 6 St. Thomas in the Battle of Miami Gardens at Broward College South in Sun Conference play.
"I give all the credit to these players," said head coach
Daniel Radice. "Having a long trip to South Carolina and getting home at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, especially after a disappointing loss, it is not easy to turn right back around a couple days later and play one of the top teams in the country," Coach Radice explained.
Despite missing a handful of starters due to injury and yellow card accumulation, the Lions still managed to settle in and fearlessly battle against an NAIA top-10 opponent in the Bobcats, who possessed the ball for a good portion of the match.
"Key injuries and suspensions made our job even tougher," said Radice. "On top of that, we didn't have any practice time between our last game and this one; we stuck to the classroom and also broke down game film. These young men learned a completely new and unique formation which can be extremely difficult to do, but they are great students of the game."
Both sides created chances early on, but the opening half remained scoreless due to the stellar play from both goalkeepers;
Juan Palacio of FMU and Franco Acerbi of St. Thomas. The Lions' back line stood strong as
Burak Cuban,
Christian Alzate,
Diego Oviedo,
Darian Crespo along with defensive midfielders
Jasen Velken and
Matthis Couinet stayed busy all evening. Overall, the unit kept their shape and played brilliantly together, anchoring the busiest part of the field.
However, the Bobcats (5-0-3, 2-0-2) finally cracked the code early in the second half when Soeren Zeidler found Mark Oghogho for the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute of action.
Throughout the latter half, FMU strikers
Brad Tulley,
Alejandro Caicedo,
Tyrieke Spaulding and
Jaheim Rose continued to put pressure on the Bobcats defenders. The Lions used late substitutes
Johan Godoy and
Geovannie Lake to find a spark up top, but FMU simply could not beat Acerbi.
Tulley, who leads the Lions this season with seven goals, had his best chance in the 86th minute as he blew by a defender just outside the penalty area, creating a "1v1" chance, but his shot attempt was somehow blocked by Bobcats keeper Acerbi. Minutes later, the Lions found themselves equally lucky when St. Thomas striker Tomas Persico's fierce shot ricocheted off the post, keeping hope alive for FMU.
"We switched to a completely different formation at some point in the second half, and our team adapted to it beautifully," said Radice.
After several minutes ran off the clock due to tactical time wasting methods from St. Thomas, the Lions had one last chance in the dying moments of the match as the referee gave Florida Memorial a free kick near midfield. All 10 field players went to St. Thomas's penalty area before FMU goalkeeper Palacio launched a deep kick into the box that was headed by a Bobcat defender in an effort to clear the ball. In what seemed like slow motion, the ball somehow got to Lake who was making a run towards the opponents' penalty area. Lake beat his defender and played a perfect ball to the middle, finding his teammate Caicedo who struck the ball with force. His shot miraculously took a slight deflection off a Bobcats defender and landed in the back of the net as Florida Memorial tied the match in the 90th minute.
"I am not one that celebrates a tie, but with everything that has happened, this one puts a smile on my face," Radice explained. "It proves that these young men can go toe to toe with anyone, as long as they trust each other and believe."
As a team, the Lions produced seven shots on goal while the Bobcats finished with 19 shots. FMU fouled 11 times compared to 17 fouls from its counterpart.
The Lions continue conference play on Wednesday, October 19 as they host Webber International. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Broward College South Campus.
