FGCU Again Controls Play, But Ties Brown

September 20, 2014

FORT MYERS, Fla. – In a theme that’s beginning all too familiar, the FGCU men’s soccer team (1-3-3) once again controlled the majority of play but couldn’t get a result as the Eagles and visiting Brown University (2-3-1) played to a scoreless double-overtime tie Saturday evening at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

FGCU out-shot the Bears, 22-11, and put eight shots on frame compared with just two for the Ivy League member. The Green and Blue’s best chance came in the 3rd minute of the first overtime session when Derek Gebhard (Severna Park, Md./George Steinbrenner HS) played a ball on the ground to a cutting Henry Penagos (Margate, Fla./American Heritage School of Boca/Delray) in the box. The redshirt senior one-timed his effort and rang it off the post, just two inches too far left from what would have been his first goal of the season.

“We’re very disappointed because we felt like it was a game we shouldn’t have tied,” head coach Bob Butehorn said. “We know that we have the guys who can score goals; we just have to get them a little bit more in tune with how they move. We’re going to work on that and scoring goals will come.”

Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) earned his third shutout of the year and 13th of his career as he lowered his goals-against average to 0.52 while increasing his save percentage to .867 over 690 minutes of action on the year. The redshirt junior is now six shutouts shy of tying 2011 graduate Adam Glick’s program record for shutouts with 19. The biggest save of his evening came late in the first half as Ingham made a point-blank, close-angle stop following an FGCU turnover deep in its own end.

The 0-0 tie is already the second of the year for FGCU, which prior to this year had never had two scoreless ties in the same season in program history.

The game was played primarily in the middle third of the pitch for much of the opening 20 minutes. FGCU’s first shot – and it was a good effort – came off the foot of Skylar Wilks (Tampa, Fla./Newsome HS), who let one go from about 20 yards but was saved by Brown keeper Mitch Kupstas.

After playing in a 4-4-2 diamond formation for the first half hour with little offensive results, Butehorn subbed in Santiago Echeverri (Medellin, Colombia./Celebration HS) – his only first-half change – and moved to a 4-3-3 formation in the 30th minute, switching FGCU to a more offensive-oriented club with three forwards.

The move resulted in a plethora of second-half shots as the Eagles completely tilted the pitch and locked Brown in its own end for most of the stanza. After having a 6-5 shot deficit at halftime, FGCU out-shot Brown 13-4 in the second half and 17-5 including the two 10-minute overtime sessions.

In the 55th minute, Butehorn brought in a completely fresh attack up front with Felipe DeSousa (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS), Kamar Marriott (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS) and Arion Sobers-Assue (Miami, Fla./DeMatha Catholic HS). DeSousa led the offense with six shots in only 33 minutes, with one being put on frame and stopped by Kupstas in a 1-on-1 situation late in regulation.

Shortly after DeSousa’s effort, Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala City, Guatemala/College Internacional Montessori) made a run off a set piece and was open in the middle of box, but his header skipped off the ground from about six yards out and into Kupstas’s hands with only 90 seconds remaining in regulation.

FGCU will return to action with a mid-week non-league tilt at FIU on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. The match will serve as the pseudo finale to the non-league docket as the Eagles will then kick off Atlantic Sun Conference action the following Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Jacksonville. However, FGCU will still play three more non-conference matches throughout its league slate. FGCU next returns home to host Stetson on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Gebhard finished with four shots – the second-most on the FGCU roster and two times more than any Brown player … FGCU had eight corners compared with four for Brown … Brown was issued six yellow cards compared with just one for the Eagles.

For 2014 men’s soccer ticket information, visit the Alico Arena Ticket Office, call 239-590-7145 or log on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer and Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer.

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