Capriati's Late Goal Gives FIU a 1-1 Draw at Temple — and the Playoff Spot That Came With It
FIU fired 34 shots at Temple, its most in a game since 2013, and still needed Pasquale Capriati's late equalizer to get the only result that mattered: the 1-1 draw that puts the Panthers into the American Conference Championship.
FIU's men's soccer team is going to the postseason, and it took the scenic route to get there. The Panthers drew 1-1 at Temple on Sunday, with Pasquale Capriati scoring in the closing minutes — his second goal of the season — to cancel out Temple's 76th-minute opener and secure FIU's place in the American Conference Championship.
The draw was the least FIU's pressure deserved. The Panthers outshot Temple 15-1 in the first half and kept coming, finishing with 34 shots — the program's most in a game since 2013 — and 19 of them after halftime. For 76 minutes the volume produced nothing, and Temple's goal against the run of play briefly put the tournament place itself in danger before Capriati's late answer settled it.
FIU closes the regular season at 7-4-5 overall and 2-3-3 in conference play, and now waits on its seeding and first-round opponent in the American Conference Championship. The first-round matches begin Friday, November 6 — a short week, and, after 34 shots for one goal, a finishing note at the top of it.
