LAKE WALES, Fla. ( Aug. 23, 2023) – Florida National University’s men’s soccer team’s history of dominance over the Warner University Royals (0-1-0) continues after a hard-fought 2-1 win Wednesday. Florida National (2-0-0) now holds a 4-0-1 record against this Sun Conference standout spanning the last eight years.
No. 21 Florida National was aggressive from the first whistle, with 11 shots in the opening half, but no goal to show for their monstrous effort on the offensive end. Warner’s goalkeeper Gustavo Infante racked up six saves in the opening 45 minutes, while FNU had three corners awarded before both teams headed to the benches at the half.
Five minutes into the second half, a corner kick from Marcos Bakale set up a beautiful header from Matias Leaniz that crept past the line for FNU’s first goal of the afternoon. Bakale’s corner kick expertise would come in handy once again, as Geronimo Luna Grebe shot in a goal off a deflected Bakale corner for a 2-0 Conquistador advantage at the 55-minute mark.
But the Royals were not deterred by this deficit, recording its lone goal of the contest courtesy of Deven Ingley off a throw-in from Joseph Shaw. But Warner’s offense was stagnant, recording just four shots in the second half to FNU’s 16. Without much left in the tank, the Royals suffered their first loss of the season as the clock trickled down on a cloudy day in Lake Wales, Fla.
FNU recorded two yellow cards (Pedro Navarro and Luna Grebe) and won the corner kick race with eight attempts to Warner’s one, and Conquistador goalie Vitor Caetano Pedrosa had two saves in the victory.
Up Next: FNU’s first home game of the season sees the Conquistadors play host to the No. 11 ranked St. Thomas University Bobcats. Kickoff at Milander Park is scheduled for 6 p.m.
