🆚 Florida Gulf Coast University
📆 Sunday, September 14, 2025
⏰ 6 pm CT
🏟️ Pickering Field – Fort Myers, Florida
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
Houston Christian University begins a month-long road stretch on Sunday evening when it travels to take on Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. The first-ever meeting with the Eagles kicks off five straight matches away from home, a span that includes the first three OVC games of the season.
The Huskies have been off for a week having not played since this past Sunday, a 3-1 home win over rival Oral Roberts University. Picking up where they left off in California, the Huskies came out attacking from the kick-off and got their reward seven minutes in when
Ryan Okerayi was clipped in the box. His calm finish from the spot provided a 1-0 margin that HCU would not relinquish.
A second goal came across in the 61st minute after HCU earned a corner.
Ben Thirkill swirled it in to
Nico Kross, whose header glanced to
Hans Leza for a redirect and a two-nil advantage. ORU would cut the lead in half in the 86th minute, but HCU got that right back when a ball in the box was punched out to
Aidan Lopez who then raced down the left flank before dropping it off to
Ian Belong streaking down the middle of the pitch. Belong softly connected past a drawn-out keeper for his first career goal and the final margin.
HCU posted its fifth straight match with double-figure shots and the staunch defense allowed just two shots on target by the visitors.
Alex Aitken picked up the victory in the pipes, tying Michael Bouchahine with 20 career wins, second on the all-time list, making him just the third keeper in school history with 20 or more victories.
Okerayi leads the club with eight points coming on a team-high four goals, having put eight of his 14 total shots on goal thus far for a .571 SOG%. Reid, a freshman from New Zealand, has five points on goal to go with his team-best three assists.
Nico Kross and
Ben Thirkill are second on the club in helpers, tied at two.
HCU and FGCU meet for the first-time ever on the pitch, just the eighth match all-time for the Huskies versus teams from the Sunshine State. The Huskies are 4-3 in those games, with the most recent outing being a 5-2 loss at home to Florida Atlantic in 2021.
FGCU is led by first-year head coach Oliver Twelvetrees. The Eagles are now 3-2-1 on the year after defeating Florida Memorial 4-0 in their home opener on Tuesday evening, and are led by three graduate transfers: midfielder Cairo Oliveria, defender Ignatius Denmark and forward Edson Murguira.
Oliveria (4 goals / 2 assists) and Denmark (2 g) both followed Twelvetrees from Colorado State-Pueblo. Murguira is a transfer from UMKC (2 g / 2 a). Florida Gulf Coast employs a platoon in the pipes, with sophomore Oliver Weng leading the way at 2-2-0 with 19 saves on the year.
The Huskies have begun the campaign 4-1-0, the best season-opening five-match start since the 2007 team went 5-0. Now, after After four of five at home to start the season, the Huskies are now road warriors for a month, beginning with the match in Florida.
HCU plays its next five away from Fondren Road, a stretch that includes the first three tilts of Ohio Valley Conference play. The return to the friendly confines of Sorrels comes on October 9, when it hosts Eastern Illinois University at 7 pm.
#DawgsUp
