MIAMI (August 3, 2016) – FIU men's soccer standouts Marvin Hezel and Luis Betancur were named, on Wednesday, to the Preseason Conference USA All-Conference team; while Hezel was also named the league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year as voted on by C-USA's nine men's soccer head coaches. 

Click here for complete Conference USA release.

"Marvin and Nandi (Betancur) worked very hard last season, performed well and hence were recognized by the conference," said Head Coach Scott Calabrese. "I believe both of them will make a significant contribution this fall again.  They are both seniors and are hungry for us to continue to improve."

Hezel, a senior defender from Waldshut, Germany, started in all 20 matches last year for FIU, leading a defensive corps that allowed just 1.3 goals-per-game, and posted four shutouts on the year. Two of those four clean sheets came in the Conference USA Tournament against No. 11 Kentucky (1-0) in the semifinals and Marshall (1-0) in the title game. Offensively, Hezel accumulated six points, with two goals and two assists, in his 1,783 minutes. For his efforts he was named to the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Southeast Region First Team, the All-C-USA First Team and the C-USA Championship All-Tournament Team.

Betancur, a senior forward from Parkland, Florida, saw action is 17 matches while getting the starting nod in 12 contests. He finished the season tied for the team lead in points with 19, on nine goals and one assist. He also finished the 2015 campaign fifth in C-USA in points and fourth in goals scored. Early in the season, Betancur was named C-USA Offensive Player of the week (week ending 9/28) after notching the program's first hat trick since 2005, doing so in a 7-0 win against Florida Atlantic. At the conclusion of the season, Betancur received All-C-USA Second Team recognition, as well as being named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Team.

In addition, the defending C-USA conference tournament champion Panthers have been picked to finish third in the Preseason C-USA Coaches Poll, behind only Kentucky and Charlotte who were chosen first and second, respectively. New Mexico and South Carolina are in a tie for fourth, rounding out the top five schools.
Old Dominion was picked to finish sixth followed by UAB in seventh and Marshall and Florida Atlantic, eighth and ninth, respectively.

"Conference USA is an extremely competitive conference. Last season there were five teams ranked in the top-25," said Coach Calabrese. "I believe that the conference will be even stronger this season.  Our team's main goals will again revolve around our achievements in C-USA.  We are looking forward to the challenge."

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, and 11th in program history. 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.

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/.