MIAMI (August 10, 2016) – The FIU men's soccer team officially kicked off the season with its first practice of 2016 on Wednesday. The Panthers, ranked No. 23 in the recent preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Top 25, took to the pitch for an early morning workout where the Panthers worked on conditioning, technique and fundamentals. In the afternoon, the team returned for its first intrasquad scrimmage later in the afternoon.
"I was pleased with the first day of training," said Head Coach
Scott Calabrese. "The players have come in motivated and ready to work."
FIU, who has been picked to finish third in Conference USA, returns nine starters from last year's starting 11, including leading scorer
Luis Betancur and defender
Marvin Hezel. The duo was also recently named to the C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team, while Hezel was named the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
FIU finished 2015 with its best record in over 11 years, posting a 12-7-1 mark. The Panthers claimed the 2015 C-USA Tournament title, earning the team's first NCAA appearance since 2004. Following the team's historic run in the C-USA Tournament, FIU moved into the top 25 in the NSCAA's final regular season poll at No. 16.
The Panthers will kick off its 2016 campaign on Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. against Furman University during the first day of the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston. They will then face the host Cougars on Aug. 28 at 2:30 p.m.
FIU's home opener will be on Sept. 2 when it welcomes Wisconsin to the FIU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. match.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
