MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team opened up conference play on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Lions of Florida Memorial University at Dr. Lester Brown Park in Miami Gardens. The Gyrenes could not break through on the host Lions, and dropped a 2-0 decision in their first Sun Conference match of 2021.
Florida Memorial was completely in control in the first 45 minutes on Saturday, as the Lions held a 12-0 lead in shots during the first half. Ave Maria was able to keep the Lions off the board despite this barrage for much of the period, but FMU finally broke through in the 40th minute. Johan Godoy beat the AMU goalkeeper to give the Lions a 1-0 lead, which remained the score entering the halftime break in Miami Gardens.
In the second half, the tide turned and Ave Maria was the more aggresive team. The Gyrenes outshot the Lions 9-5 in the final 45 minutes of the match, which included several major scoring opportunities. The best chance for AMU came in the 87th minute, when FMU goalkeeper Jesus Tovar was assessed a yellow card for grabbing the ball outside the box. Ave Maria's subsequent free kick was blocked, as was a follow-up, keeping FMU ahead.
Godoy then put the match away with his second goal of the day in the 88th minute. On a counterattack, Godoy scored on an assist from Quavon White, finding the back of the net with less than two and a half minutes to play. The second goal from Godoy proved to be the final tally in Florida Memorial's 2-0 win.
FMU outshot the Gyrenes 17-9 on Saturday, with the Lions also holding a 9-4 edge in shots on goal. Florida Memorial also had more opportunities from the corner, as the Lions took five corner kicks to just one for Ave Maria. Individually, Josh Gaeng was Ave Maria's most active attacker, taking three shots. The lone player on the roster with multiple shots on goal was Andre Blanco, who had two. Rhys Lawlor kept the Gyrenes in the match for most of the day, turning away seven FMU shots.
Ave Maria will have one full week between conference matches, as the Gyrenes will return to the field next Saturday for their second match in league play. AMU will host the Night Hawks of Thomas University, with kickoff scheduled for 11:00 a.m. It is the opening game of a soccer doubleheader at Gyrene Field, as the AMU women will battle Thomas at 1 p.m. It is also the opener of a tripleheader of AMU action on the turf, with the football game against Reinhardt University serving as the nightcap.
