Liberty Rallies Late; Falls Short to FGCU 3-2
8/28/2026 9:48:00 PM | Men's Soccer
LYNCHBURG, VA. – Down 3-0 with 10 minutes to play, Liberty scored twice in a span of 1:24 to cut their deficit to one, but could not find the equalizer as the FGCU Eagles edged the Flames 3-2 Friday evening at Osborne Stadium.
The visiting Eagles took a 1-0 lead into halftime, scoring in the 29th minute. FGCU added two goals in the second half to take a 3-0 advantage.
Liberty, taking advantage of the Eagles playing a man down after a red card in the 64th minute, struck twice around the 80th minute to cut its deficit to one late in the match. Forward Samson Kpardeh scored twice, netting a penalty after being pulled down in the 18-yard box during the 80th minute. Less than two minutes later, the forward struck once again, taking a pass into space in the midfield and burying a shot from the top left corner of the box for his second goal of the night.
The Flames pushed the attack over the final 10 minutes, firing five shots. However, Liberty could not find the tying goal.
Liberty falls to 1-3 on the season. FGCU moves to 1-2.
Scoring Summary
29' – FGCU – Brooks Beeman (Assisted by Emerson LaOrden)
48' – FGCU – Emerson LaOrden (Assisted by Aron Martinez)
77' – FGCU – Flavio D'Angelo (Unassisted)
80' – LIBERTY – Samson Kpardeh (Penalty Kick)
82' – LIBERTY – Samon Kpardeh (Assisted by Pablo Matavele)
Key Stats & Notes
Next Up
Liberty travels to Statesboro, Ga., for a match against the Georgia Southern Eagles on Wednesday. Match time at Bo Pitts Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The visiting Eagles took a 1-0 lead into halftime, scoring in the 29th minute. FGCU added two goals in the second half to take a 3-0 advantage.
Liberty, taking advantage of the Eagles playing a man down after a red card in the 64th minute, struck twice around the 80th minute to cut its deficit to one late in the match. Forward Samson Kpardeh scored twice, netting a penalty after being pulled down in the 18-yard box during the 80th minute. Less than two minutes later, the forward struck once again, taking a pass into space in the midfield and burying a shot from the top left corner of the box for his second goal of the night.
The Flames pushed the attack over the final 10 minutes, firing five shots. However, Liberty could not find the tying goal.
Liberty falls to 1-3 on the season. FGCU moves to 1-2.
Scoring Summary
29' – FGCU – Brooks Beeman (Assisted by Emerson LaOrden)
48' – FGCU – Emerson LaOrden (Assisted by Aron Martinez)
77' – FGCU – Flavio D'Angelo (Unassisted)
80' – LIBERTY – Samson Kpardeh (Penalty Kick)
82' – LIBERTY – Samon Kpardeh (Assisted by Pablo Matavele)
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty outshot FGCU, 13-7, in the match. The Flames have eight shots on goal, while the Eagles had four.
- Liberty held a 7-3 advantage over FGCU in corner kicks.
- After only three shots combined in the first half (2-FGCU, 1-Liberty), the Flames outshot the Eagles, 12-5, in the second half.
- Kpardeh records his first multiple-goal game of the season. The sophomore leads the Flames with four goals on the year. Kpardeh has scored at least one goal in each of the Flames' contests in 2026.
- Liberty forward Pablo Matavele assisted on Kpardeh's second goal, stripping a defender of the ball around midfield and sending a pass forward to spring Kpardeh free for the goal.
- Eagles' Brooks Beeman and Emerson LaOrden each scored their second goal of the season, while Flavio D'Angelo scored his first goal of the year for FGCU.
- Liberty goalkeeper Dan Rose made one save over the 90 minutes. FGCU goalkeeper Marcelo Lacayo recorded six saves during his 90 minutes in goal.
- Tonight's match was Liberty's first home match of the 2026 season. The contest drew 1,023 fans to Osborne Stadium.
Next Up
Liberty travels to Statesboro, Ga., for a match against the Georgia Southern Eagles on Wednesday. Match time at Bo Pitts Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, May 19
Sunday, October 26
Saturday, October 25
Friday, October 24