Three Golden Panthers were recognized with All-Tournament Team selections. Senior Ainsley Deer (Kingston, Jamaica), sophomore Juan Guerra (Caracas, Venezuela) and freshman Steven Jair Cabas (Miami, Fla.) all received All-Tournament nods.

After an incredible run that saw the Golden Panthers reach the Conference USA Championship Tournament finals, the FIU men’s soccer team fell nine minutes short of reaching the NCAA National Championship Tournament as they lost to No.9 and top-seeded Tulsa 3-2 Sunday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala.

FIU defeated No.5 SMU 3-1 in the opening round of the tournament before beating Marshall 3-2 in overtime to reach the finals.

The FIU offense came alive during the Golden Panther’s three tournament matches. FIU netted eight goals in three matches after producing just 15 in 18 regular season matchers. The main reason for the offensive outburst was the stellar play of Guerra and Cabas. First Team All C-USA forward Juan Guerra finished the tournament with three goals, while  C-USA All-Freshman selection Steven Jair Cabas added two. Ainsely Deer, like he did all season long, helped FIU’s defense be a force all tournament long. Playing without senior leader and Third Team All C-USA defender Raoul Voss (Mulheim, Germany), the defense was stretched even thinner during the final game after Phill Fisher (Swindon, England) picked up a red card in the semi-final match and had to sit out the finale.

The Golden Panthers finish the season with a disappointing 5-14-2 record, but the stellar run in the championship tournament gave everyone a glimpse of a bright future.