DELAND, Fla. - The Stetson Hatter's men's soccer team fell to the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles in Fort Myers on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Hatters were looking to build on their recent successes, having secured wins against North Florida and FAU, with the former being their first conference victory. However, the Hatters faced a tough challenge and ultimately fell to the Eagles in a 0-4 loss.

The game began with Stetson applying its usual offensive pressure, firing three shots early on. However, the momentum quickly shifted as the Eagles unleashed a barrage of shots on the Hatters' net. Florida Gulf Coast University opened the scoring with a goal off a corner kick, connecting with a header into the left side of the goal to take an early lead. A little over ten minutes later, the Eagles extended their lead with a penalty kick goal.

In the 65th minute, the Eagles found the back of the net once again, increasing their advantage. Their fourth and final goal of the match came in the 79th minute after the initial shot by the goal scorer was saved by Stetson's goalkeeper, Nicolo Radaelli.

In a rare occurrence, Stetson found themselves outshot 20-13, with Alessandro Gabbani leading the team with three shots. Xavi Csato attempted two shots, both on target, while Andres Mata and Afonso Conde each tallied a shot on goal. Junior midfielder Charles Ahl saw the most playing time on the pitch, aside from Radaelli, taking two shots during his 85 minutes of play. Of the 20 shots taken by the Eagles, 9 were on target, and Radaelli, the sophomore goalkeeper for Stetson, made five saves.

Following this defeat, the Hatters will return home for an extended three game homestand, where they aim to defend their 3-0-1 home record. They will face the Jacksonville Dolphins on Sept. 30 at 7:00 PM at the ATC as they look to bounce back and regain their winning form.