Tigers Fall 1-0 to FIU in Opening Match of American Conference Play

Friday, September 12

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 p.m.

University of Memphis

1-3-3, 0-1-0

FIU

2-2-2, 1-0-0

FIU

Memphis

Tigers Fall 1-0 to FIU in Opening Match of American Conference Play

Sep 12, 2025 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis (1-3-3, 0-1-0 American) men's soccer fell to FIU (2-2-2, 1-0-0 American) by a score of 1-0 in the Tigers' opening match of American Conference play Friday night.

A goal 20 minutes into the match gave the Panthers a narrow lead and that result held despite a revitalized Memphis attack in the second half.

KEY MOMENTS

20' – An FIU throw-in led to a ball in the box by Joao Domingues, eventually finding the head of FIU's David Bocuzzo for the first goal of the match.
33' – With a chance to widen FIU's lead, Alejandro Nasato's shot was stopped by Jakob Buhrkuhl to keep the goal difference at one.
46-54' – In an eight-minute stretch, a total of eight fouls were committed, setting the tone for the second half.
- Each side committed four fouls during the timespan.
61' – A foul just outside the 18-yard box gave Jacksonville a free kick that would sail high over the net.
71' – Memphis had a chance to equalize in the 71^st minute on a shot by Luciano Galizzi, but FIU goalkeeper Nigel Van Haveren pushed the shot over the bar for his first save of the contest.
75' – It was a crucial moment as Michael Holliday tackled an FIU attacker, earning a yellow card and giving the Panthers a set-piece opportunity.
84' – Memphis' final chance of the match happened with a ball in the box, but the shot grazed wide of the net.

NOTABLES

Memphis' winless streak against the Panthers is extended to six matches, going 0-5-1 during that span.
- Memphis has also gone winless in its last four contests with two draws and two losses.
- The Tigers have not scored in their last 247 minutes of match time, dating back to Saad Chaouki's goal in a loss to FGCU on Sept. 3.
The first half shot comparison was heavily in FIU's favor, 6-to-2, but Memphis outpaced the Panthers, 7-6, in the second half.
- FIU was able to put more pressure on Memphis goalkeeper Jakob Buhrkuhl by recording five shots on goal compared to Memphis' two.
Jakob Buhrkuhl made his second start in net for the Tigers, setting a new career high at the Division I level with four saves.
Memphis edged FIU in corner kicks, 6-to-3, but was unable to find the back of the net from any service attempts.
Memphis' freshman starting streak was snapped as none of the four freshmen made the starting 11 in the conference opener.
- All four freshmen did appear in the match, with Carson Banham recording 55 minutes in the loss.
Five Tigers (Jakob Buhrkuhl, Dino Stavros, Adam Aboohamidi, Eben McIntyre, Saad Chaouki) played a full 90 minutes in the draw.
- Stavros and Chaouki are the first Tigers to eclipse 500 minutes played, logging 586 and 582 minutes, respectively.
A total of nine yellow cards were issued in the match, with five to the Memphis Tigers and four to the FIU Panthers.
- For FIU, Pasquale Capriati, Owen Travis, Johan Arevalo and Nigel Van Haveren were assessed yellow cards.
- For the Tigers, Anthony DiFalco, Anthony Grudko, Fletcher Hedge, Michael Holliday and Filip Sabatti received yellow cards.

UP NEXT
The Tigers travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face the No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The match is set to be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.