MIAMI (September 23, 2016) – The FIU men's soccer team looks to get itself back into the win column when it faces No. 5 Charlotte on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. at Transamerica Field. The match is the second of a two-match road trip for the Panthers, and the third of four-straight against teams currently ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 poll. Following Saturday's match, FIU will return to Miami before heading to the Southwest to face No. 21 New Mexico on Friday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. (ET) to close out the stretch.
FIU (3-3-1, 1-0 Conference USA) is coming off a tough 2-0 loss to No. 14 Wake Forest on Sept. 20 in Winston-Salem. Despite outshooting the Demon Deacons 12-8, and holding a slight 5-3 advantage in shots on goal during the night, the Panthers gave up two goals in the first half, including one with 10 seconds left in the first stanza.
In its Conference USA debut, FIU handed then-No. 21 Kentucky a 2-1 loss at the FIU Soccer Stadium on Sept. 17.
Santiago Patino led the Panthers to victory with two goals in the first 12 minutes of the match.
On the year, Patino leads the team in points scored with 14 (7g) and has recorded three multi-goal matches and four multi-point contests.
The 49ers enter their meeting with FIU with a 4-1 record and a 1-0 mark in C-USA. Charlotte is coming off a 2-0 loss at UNC Wilmington on Sept. 20, in what has been the only outing this season where they have given up a goal. The 49ers have outscored their opposition 14-2 and are averaging 2.8 goals-per-contest.
Charlotte defeated Old Dominion 2-0 in their Conference USA lid-lifter on Sept. 17 in Norfolk.
Marco Sunol-Rojas leads the 49ers in scoring with nine points (3g, 3a) while Harrison Steadman and Callum Montgomery each have six points on three goals apiece.
FIU will not return home until Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. when it faces cross-state rival Florida Gulf Coast University at the FIU Soccer Stadium.
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/.
