USF men’s soccer beat FIU by 1-0 in a dramatic goal at the end of the first half at the American Athletic Conference home opener at Corbett Stadium on Friday night. 

With less than 30 seconds remaining in the first period, USF (3-1-4) managed to get a corner in. Junior defender Jemone Barclay served the ball towards the second post. 

Freshman defender Marcelo Mondragon passed inside the box, close to the six-yard box, and sophomore midfielder Pedro Faife headed inside, beating the goalkeeper, making it 1-0 for the Bulls.

As a Miami native, Faife said scoring his first goal of the season against FIU (2-4-1) was particularly exciting. He said he played against some of those opponents in high school before he came to USF. 

“I’ve been fighting for it [the goal] for a couple games now,” Faife said. “Very happy to get my first goal of the season and keep moving forward from there.”

Related: USF men’s soccer draws against No.10 UCF for the first time in almost 40 years – The Oracle

The game started slowly, with both teams studying each other and not taking many offensive initiatives.

The Bulls lacked in creating offensive actions in the first half due to the Panthers’ high pressure on the goal kicks. USF tried to take long balls behind the defensive line, but it was ineffective.

Coach Bob Butehorn made five substitutions in the first half following the team’s performance. 

Faife said the team stuck to the plan and was able to get a goal because of it. 

“That is a big win, we needed it,” Faife said. “We’ve been coming from a lot of ties and starting off at the right foot of our conference, it’s always great.”

The Bulls defensive work was enough to go home with a clean sheet. It was the second straight game in which USF did not concede a goal. 

Friday night’s game was the 34th all-time meeting between USF and FIU. The Panthers lead the series (16-13-5). 

The last showdown resulted in a FIU victory, 2-1 on Sept. 29, 2022. This was the Bulls’ first win against the Panthers since 2008.

The change in the Bulls’ energy was noticeable in the second half. 

The team came in aggressively and created several goal-scoring opportunities. USF had doubled its shots in goal compared to the first half by the 20th minute of the second half. 

Barclay came in hot on the game, being assertive and targeting the goal at all times with his fast pace and dribbles.

In the second half, the game got violent, resulting in six yellow cards being distributed among the players.

FIU hit the crossbar with seven minutes left on the clock—its only significant scoring chance in the game. 

The next time the Bulls come to action is on Sept. 27 on the road against Charlotte for the second game in their AAC schedule.