The scoreboard at Pickering Field following a previous home match. The Eagles earned their first-ever victory over an ACC opponent with a 2-1 win at Virginia on Aug. 31 (Photo by Zachary Gibbons/ The Eagle Sports Report )

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s soccer team (2-2) beat the University of Virginia 2-1 at Klöckner Stadium on Monday night for its first victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference team in program history.

Forward Michael Ndiweni made the match-winning shot, capitalizing on a service from Job Choute inside the 18-yard box to net his first career goal as an Eagle. The 86th-minute strike capped off a second-half attacking effort by FGCU, which took full advantage of Virginia’s Prince Abanfo who was shown a red card in the 81st minute, reducing the Cavaliers to 10 men for the final stretch of the match.

Following the victory over Virginia (1-3), FGCU head coach Oliver Twelvetrees praised the execution of the game-winning goal

“I was really happy on that play where Job was able to get to the end line and get to those areas of the field that we practice a lot,” Twelvetrees said. “He was able to do that and get his first assist of the year. So, you know, we are really happy with the assist and the place on the field that Job was able to get to, which created the goal, and then Michael was exactly where he needed to be. You know [Micheal’s] battling some injuries, but if he can get to full fitness we know the potential that he has.”

Ndiweni, a former Premier League academy product who transferred to FGCU after a stint at Ohio State, represents the growing wave of high-level European talent pursuing collegiate pathways in the United States.

“There’s a lot of players from top academies around the world that see this as a such as amazing avenue to continue playing the game they love at professional level and it’s a great avenue,” Twelvetrees noted regarding Ndiweni’s transition. “The opportunity to come to America and be in full-time football, where you’re training every single day… is very intriguing. We’re excited he got his first goal and hopefully that’s the first of many.”

The Eagles controlled the tempo through the final 45 minutes, outshooting the Cavaliers 7-3 in the second half and applying constant pressure to Virginia’s backline. FGCU finished the night outshooting the hosts 12-8 overall, forcing five saves from Virginia goalkeeper Tom Garill while putting seven total shots on target.

FGCU originally fell behind early after Virginia forward AJ Smith opened the scoring in the 12th minute, converting off a build-up play set up by Chase Duke and Alex Parvu. The Eagles answered back in the 26th minute when defender Hugo Munter set up midfielder Aron Martinez, who buried his second goal of the season to draw FGCU level at 1-1 heading into halftime.

FGCU finished its trip to Virginia with back-to-back victories, beating Liberty University 3-2 in Lynchburg on Friday, Aug. 28, prior to Monday’s match against Virginia. According to Twelvetrees, the foundation for the road performance was laid during a tough 10-man stretch in a prior match against the College of Charleston on Aug. 23 when FGCU was given a red card in 73rd minute and lost 3-2 to the Cougars.

“In the first two games [of the season], we were able to show our quality at certain moments, but we didn’t match our quality with our fight and determination,” Twelvetrees said. “The last few minutes of the game against Charleston, where we had to play with 10 men, we fought so hard to stay in that game… I think it gave the boys the understanding of what it’s going to take to get three points at Division I. When we went into the Liberty game, we were able to combine our great attacking quality with that fight and desire.”

On the defensive end, FGCU goalkeeper Eduard Garcia anchored the Eagles through all 90 minutes. Garcia made three critical saves on four shots on target to hold Virginia off the scoresheet in the second half and preserve the victory, improving FGCU to 2-0-2 on the season and completing a perfect two-game swing through the state of Virginia.

While the attack clicked in crucial moments, Twelvetrees noted that stabilizing the backline remains an active focus for his young defensive rotation, which leans on true freshman Javier Brown alongside Hugo Munter at center back, with Marco Santana and Emilio Rossi operating on the flanks.

“We’ve got a young backline and it showed,” Twelvetrees said. “We have made some adjustments. Javier Brown has come in at the center back position—another true freshman right out of high school—and he’s done well. We have conceded quite a lot of set-piece goals, so that’s something we’re working really hard on in training to improve.”

Despite the landmark ACC win, Twelvetrees emphasized that the main focus remains long-term consistency as the Eagles shift toward ASUN conference play.

“The result is not going to have a massive impact on our season. The result is a standalone result,” Twelvetrees said. “It’s a phenomenal, great moment for the boys and it was a special moment, but the reality of it is we want to have consistency when we get to our ASUN play. That’s our main motivation, our main focus.”

The Eagles will get that exact opportunity Saturday, Sept. 5 when they travel to Pensacola, Florida as they open ASUN play against conference newcomer the University of West Florida at 7 p.m. Facing a compact defensive setup, Twelvetrees expects a physical chess match that will test his squad’s discipline and defensive transition.

“It’s going to be incredibly difficult,” Twelvetrees said of the upcoming conference opener. “Right now they’re playing in a back five, so they’re really trying to make it difficult for the opponent. We’ve got to be careful that we don’t get caught in transition, keep it really tight defensively.”