CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fourth-seeded FIU defeated host and No. 1 seed Charlotte 11-10 in a penalty shootout on Wednesday night to advance to the American Men’s Soccer Championship final.
 
Neither team could break the deadlock through 110 minutes of regulation and extra time, culminating in a 0-0 tie. The Panthers' goalkeeper, Nigel Van Haveren, was instrumental in keeping the match level, recording six saves against a persistent Charlotte attack that tallied 19 total shots. Charlotte’s Leo Stritter made two saves on 13 shots faced.
 
The suspense intensified in the penalty-kick tiebreaker, which saw an extraordinary 23 shots taken before FIU secured the 11-10 advantage off the foot of Eduardo Mustre. The 12-round penalty kick shootout is the longest in American Conference Championship history.
 
FIU (7-8-3) advances to their second straight championship finale and will play No. 2 Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m.
 
2025 American Conference Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
First round at campus sites
Semifinals and final at home site of the No. 1 seed Charlotte
(all times Eastern)
 
First Round - Friday, November 7
Game 1 - No. 6 Tulsa 3, No. 3 South Florida 2 | Box Score
Game 2 – No. 4 FIU 1 , No. 5 Missouri State 0 | Box Score
 
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 12
Game 3 – No. 2 Florida Atlantic 3, No. 6 Tulsa 0 | Box Score
Game 4 – No. 4 FIU 0, No. 1 Charlotte 0 (FIU advances on PK’s 11-10) | Box Score
 
Championship Final - Saturday, November 15
Game 5 – No. 4 FIU vs No. 2 Florida Atlantic | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Stats