MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Sept. 4, 2024) - The No. 22-ranked Florida National University Conquistadors (0-2-0) were upset by cross-town rival Florida Memorial University (1-1-0) 3-2 in a feisty contest in Miami Gardens, Fla. During the 90-minute battle at Dr. Lester Brown Park, officials handed out 28 fouls, 11 yellow and three red cards. Despite some sloppy play in the middle of the field, both teams ended the first half with two goals under their belt.

FMU got on the board first with a stunner from Johan Arevalo, set up by a crossing pass delivered by Carlos Montenegro. FNU had controlled most of the pace of play up until that point, with six shot attempts to Florida Memorial's one. The Conquistadors finally broke through in the 29th minute on a goal by last year's leading scorer, Nicolas Martinez. The Colombian forward slipped a shot attempt into the net of FMU's Juan Mora on an assist by Ricardo Delwing. 

With the game level once again, Arevalo connected on his second goal of the afternoon with 12 minutes left in the period. The Conquistadors once again were left reeling, restarting play at centerfield with very little time left before halftime to make it a draw. The second half hero for FNU proved to be Juan Pugin, as the star sophomore had two attempts saved by Mora before his first goal of 2024 came with four minutes left in the period from long distance.

The second half was an aggressive and chippy 45 minutes for both sides. FMU's Burak Cuban and Tibo Gobet were accessed yellow cards in the first seven minutes of the half. Tension continued to rise between the officials and the competing sides. Frustration fouls by Martinez and Delwing both resulted in yellow cards and It was a rough frame for the NAIA All-American. On top of the caution, Delwing also had a header go wide of the goal in the 68th minute.

Three minutes after the missed header, FMU's Lucas Felipe Ramirez was shown a red card after FNU's attack was abruptly stopped in the open field. The Lions went down to nine men on the field after Rafael Coronado received a yellow on a foul call and proceeded to grab the retreating referee in order to argue his case. This automatically triggered a red card and things were looking bleak for the home team with 11 minutes still to play.

FMU's breakthrough moment came on a stellar pass by Arevalo that left Thomas Bailey all alone versus FNU keeper David Giraldo. Bailey raced towards the net from the middle of the field and darted a perfect shot to give his team a one-score advantage late in the half.FMU played a conservative game down the stretch, focusing on defense with a shorthanded group on the field. Mora had three inspiring saves in the final minutes and the Lions put away their first victory of 2024.

The Lions now stand 1-5 overall versus Florida National and the Conquistadors start 2024 0-2 versus Sun Conference opponents.

Up Next: FNU faces the toughest part of its 2024 schedule starting Sept. 9 on the road against No. 12 Keiser University.