Salvador Martinez continued his case for back-to-back ASUN Player of the Week honors with a game-ending goal in the final minute over North Florida.
His late match heroics earned the FGCU men’s soccer team its first conference win of the season against North Florida on Saturday, Oct. 19. With the win, the team ended its six-match winless streak.
“The boys have been grinding and gone through some ups and downs this season, but the character of the team was what I was most impressed with tonight,” head coach Oliver Twelvetrees said.
After a slow opening 20 minutes, the first scoring opportunity belonged to the Ospreys. In the 23rd minute, the Ospreys (10-4, 3-1) streaked down the field with a counter-attacking opportunity. North Florida’s Paul Schacherer fired a shot 10 yards from the net, which was blocked by FGCU’s Pedro Acroverde.
Three minutes later, the Eagles’ (5-4-3, 1-2-1) defense rose to the occasion once again when Victor Lopes cleared the ball inches from the goal line. Both teams continued to battle, but could not capitalize. Despite having 56% of the possession in the first half, FGCU recorded three total shots, but failed to register a shot on target.
The Eagles’ best scoring opportunity of the match so far came in the 47th minute. Jose Bustamante connected on a low cross from the right wing with Martinez’s right foot, who shot the ball wide to the left.
With both teams concentrating on pressing and defending, it became difficult for the squads to create clearcut chances. The match went a little over 30 minutes without a shot for either team.
The shot drought ended in the 77th minute when a shot from FGCU’s Ryan Heron was blocked in the box. Nearly four minutes later, a broken play following a corner kick put the ball in the air, which led to a bicycle kick attempt by Martinez, but it missed the net.
In the 82nd minute, Lopes delivered another crucial defensive stop for the Eagles, blocking a shot attempt from North Florida’s Anton Khelil. The lone shot on target of the second half belonged to the Eagles, and it proved to be the most important.
In the 88th minute, Jai Sahni, who came on as a substitute just 30 seconds earlier, recovered possession of the ball and brought it to the top of the 18-yard box. Then, with a soft pass, the ball landed at the foot of Martinez, who rifled a shot into the right side of the net to give FGCU the lead.
The match-winning goal was Martinez’s fifth of the season and his fourth in the past three matches. Sahni, playing in his third match of the season, recorded his first career assist.
“He’s [Martinez] one of the best [strikers] that I ever played with. He’s a really important player for us,” Lopes said.
The Eagles led the match in total shots by a thin margin, 10-9. FGCU goalkeeper Oliver Weng recorded three saves on the night and earned his third clean sheet of the season.
“Having that [win] to boost the morale was huge,” Twelvetrees said. “We just have to believe and stick to the plan and stay together, and we’re going to be a force down the stretch.”
FGCU will travel to DeLand, Florida, on Oct. 25 to face Stetson in its final road match of the season.
