Nov. 4, 2007

Box Score

BOCA RATON, FL - Gianni Piccoletti and Igor Santos each scored a pair of goals, as the Florida Atlantic University men's soccer team defeated Florida International University by a 4-1 margin Sunday at FAU Field.

The Owls (8-7-2, 4-0-1 ASC) struck first and struck quickly on Piccoletti's first marker, just 23 seconds into the contest. The freshman forward took an entry pass into the box from Liam Ogle, sending a header past Golden Panthers goalkeeper Kyle Thomas.

FIU (2-12-2, 2-5-0 C-USA) countered in the 15th minute of the match, after Bruno Barbos converted a feed from Steven Cabas to knot the score at one-all.

Posting just a 5-3 advantage in shots for the first half, FAU exploded offensively in the second. The Owls outshot the Panthers 9-1 after halftime, including seven shots on goal, en route to a three-goal blitz to close the game.

Piccoletti showed great finesse in getting a header away off of a floating pass from Shire Standnes, finding the back of the net for the second time on the day in the 54th minute. It was the fourth goal of the season for the Boca Raton, FL native.

Santos added a pair of goals late, with Ogle and Standnes adding their second assists of the game on either score. The Pompano Beach junior made a slick one-on-one move against Thomas for his first marker in the 68th minute, then buried a header for his fifth goal of the season in the 80th minute.

Florida Atlantic closes the regular season by hosting Jacksonville on Friday, with a 7 p.m. start at FAU Field.