FORT MYERS, Fla. – In a back-and-forth second half, it was freshman Preston Kilwien who provided the most dramatic moment of the evening as he delivered a left-footed shot from 35 yards out into the upper-corner of the net in the 89th minute to give the FGCU men’s soccer team (1-1-1) a 3-2 victory over Princeton (1-1-0), snapping the Tigers’ nation-best 10-game unbeaten streak Thursday at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

Prior to Kilwien’s dramatics, Dylan Sacramento (Winnipeg, Manitoba/York University) found the back of the net twice for the Eagles, with the second coming in the 55th minute just after Princeton had tied the contest at 1-1. However, the Tigers knotted the game back up in the 71st minute and the match appeared destined for overtime until Kilwien intervened.

Kilwien (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS/Campolindo HS) – who was making his collegiate debut – received a ball from senior Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala City, Guatemala/College Internacional Montessori) up the left side of the pitch. From there, with only 75 seconds remaining in regulation, he ripped a shot which was struck perfectly into the upper-90 of the left corner of the frame.

“I had a lot of space on the left side and Rodrigo did a good job of finding me,” explained Kilwien, whose parents were in attendance from California and aunt from Texas. “I got the trap and it wasn’t the greatest touch, but I just hit it. I didn’t really know it was in until I saw it hit the net. It was the greatest moment I’ve had so far.”

The victory was the first for FGCU this year after starting with a 0-0 draw against then-No. 3 Georgetown at home and a 1-0 loss at then-No. 20 (now No. 14) Wake Forest. It also stopped what was the nation’s longest unbeaten streak as the Tigers had not lost in 10 tries dating back to last year (9-0-1 entering the Thursday night).

After dominating the opening 25 minutes, the Eagles got on the board in the 28th minute after freshman Dennis Zapata (Orlando, Fla./University HS) was taken down in the box. Sacramento, who started at central forward in Butehorn’s 4-3-3 formation and had attempted five shots in the first 24 minutes, stepped up to take the penalty kick. As Princeton goalkeeper Ben Hummel dove to his right, Sacramento calmly sent the ball directly into the center of the net.

FGCU continued to apply pressure the rest of the half and took that 1-0 lead – which could have been a lot more – into the break. The Green and Blue out-shot the Ivy League school, 10-2, had more corner opportunities, 4-2, and forced Hummel into making five saves compared with only two for FGCU keeper Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS).

However, Princeton – which went 11-3-3 last year – responded and netted the equalizer in the 50th minute and also knocked one of the best keeper’s in the nation in Ingham out of the contest. With a crossing ball heading toward the top of the 18, Ingham came off his line and leaped to punch the ball, but it got through to Nico Hurtado who finished it into an open net. Ingham remained down after the goal and did not return to the game after suffering an undisclosed injury.

That forced freshman Sawyer Jackman (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East HS) into action, and he nearly immediately received offensive support as Sacramento deposited his second strike of the evening five minutes later after some great passing by the Eagles’ midfield.

Steven Oliveri (Stuart, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) started the play with a throw-in to Cameron Thomas (Safety Harbor HS/USF/Countryside HS). Those two connected on a few short passes until Oliveri finally played Thomas into space right near the goal line. He played a pass to a streaking David Robledo (Dallas, Texas/Hillcrest HS), who one-timed a ball perfectly into the box and onto the foot of a cutting Sacramento who easily finished FGCU’s second goal of the season.

The Eagles were hopeful that was the game-winner, but the Tigers again clawed back, and after a failed clearance from the FGCU backline and several close chances by Princeton, Josh Miller headed in the game-tying goal after Brendan McSherry fired a shot off the crossbar from close range.

“I thought we played a really good first half. We had a lot of good opportunities, Dylan gave us some great runs and it was nice to be rewarded,” said FGCU head coach Bob Butehorn about his team’s opening 45 minutes. “In the second half they got a goal right away and we lost Nate, so they started to believe. But I love the way my guys responded to a good team right away. Princeton dictated and changed the second half by being a little more physical, so I’m proud of the way our guys responded. But we need to get better at dictating the game throughout.”

Making the win even more impressive was that the Eagles – who were already short-staffed due to injuries – had to go even further into their deep roster. Kilwien entered after Miguel Jaime (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) took two big blows in close succession early in the first half and did not return. Meanwhile, Jackman – who was credited with the win – became the first FGCU goalkeeper besides Ingham and Danny George to appear in a game since 2011. After utilizing 22 players all of last year, Butehorn has already used 22 players through the first three games of this year.

After holding that 10-2 edge in shots at halftime, Princeton completely flipped the script in the second half, out-shooting FGCU, 14-5, and finishing with a 16-15 edge. Sacramento led the way for FGCU with seven shots, five of which went on frame. The seven shots are tied for the second-most in a single game in program history, one shy of the record of eight set by Felipe DeSousa against FIU last September.

FGCU will host another Ivy League member in Penn on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Quakers (0-2-1) took an early 1-0 lead on FIU Thursday night, but the Panthers responded with three unanswered goals en route to a 3-1 triumph. Butehorn spent 2001-05 with the Quakers as an assistant coach, helping lead them to an Ivy crown in 2002.

GAME NOTES: Davidson now owns the nation’s longest unbeaten streak at nine (5-0-4) dating back to last year … four yellow cards were issued: three to Princeton and one to FGCU … each team was whistled for being offsides once … Kilwien attempted three shots in 67 minutes of action … only three FGCU members logged all 90 minutes … FGCU now leads the all-time series with Princeton, 2-0, following a 1-0 overtime win in 2013 in New Jersey.

TICKET INFORMATION
Season- and single-game tickets are available for the 2015 campaign, with season tickets starting at just $35. More information, including special discounts and group rates, can be accessed by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/tickets or by clicking here. To purchase tickets, or for additional inquiries, call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men’s soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

COACH BUTEHORN
FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached 45 A-Sun All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just four years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three A-Sun Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented five-straight A-Sun regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets. Now in his 13th season as a head coach, Butehorn has a 109-88-23 overall record, 75-56-19 mark in his 9th season at FGCU and 44-17-5 record in A-Sun contests.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics’ charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.