MIAMI (August 25, 2016) – The No. 23-ranked FIU men's soccer officially begins its 2016 campaign on Friday night when it takes the pitch against Furman on the first day of the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic hosted by the College of Charleston. First touch between the Panthers and Paladins is slated for 5 p.m. FIU will close out the weekend on Sunday when it butts heads with the homestanding Cougars at 2:30 p.m.
Click here for live stats for all matches of the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic. In addition, Sunday's FIU-College of Charleston match will be streamed live and can be accessed by
clicking here.
This weekend's contests will mark two of three matches that the Panthers will play away from the friendly confines of the FIU Soccer Stadium in its first five outings.
Following the final match of the Classic, the Panthers will return to Miami and get ready for their opening weekend at home against Wisconsin on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. and Niagara on Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. The match against Niagara is the second match of a women's and men's doubleheader with the women's team facing Miami (Ohio) at 12 p.m.
Friday will mark the fifth meeting all-time between FIU and Furman dating back to the 1979 season. The Paladins hold a 3-1 series lead and have won three-straight after the Panthers won the first meeting, 7-1, on Sept. 29, 1979. The two teams last met on Sept. 14, 2012 when the No. 21 Paladins defeated the Panthers 2-1.
FIU also begins the 2016 season appearing in three of the four preseason national polls. The Panthers are tabbed No. 23 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the College Soccer News Top 30 rankings. In addition, TopDrawerSoccer.com has FIU as one of five teams receiving votes in its poll, three of which are Conference USA members.
The Panthers' home opener will be on Sept. 2 when they welcome Wisconsin to the FIU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. match, followed by Niagara on Sept. 4 at 2 p.m.
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/.
