MIAMI (September 29, 2016) – The FIU men's soccer team will close out its most difficult stretch of the 2016 season on Sept. 30 when the Panthers travel to the Southwest to face New Mexico at the UNM Soccer Stadium in Albuquerque. First touch is slated for 9 p.m. (ET).
Click here to watch the match live on the Mountain West Network. The match, the third-straight on the road for the Panthers, will end a daunting four-match stretch against teams that are or were ranked, or receiving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll at the time of the meeting. The Lobos received 20 votes in this week's NSCAA poll.
Friday is the seventh meeting all-time between FIU and New Mexico with the Lobos holding a 2-3-1 lead in the series history. The Panthers have not recorded a win in this series since 1995 when FIU shutout the Lobos, 3-0. The two teams last played on October 31, 2015 in Miami, Florida, where the match concluded in a 0-0 draw.
FIU (3-4-1, 0-1 Conference USA) looks to end a two-match losing streak when it meets the Lobos. The Panthers are coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss at No. 5 Charlotte on Sept. 24. It looked like Charlotte would escape with a victory until
Luis Betancur tied the match up for the Panthers with a diving header in the 89
th minute – with actually two seconds remaining in regulation – off a pass from
Jamar Campion-Hinds. FIU's excitement would be short-lived when the 49ers scored in the 91
st minute to secure the win.
On the year,
Santiago Patino leads the team in points scored with 14 (7g) and has recorded three multi-goal matches and four multi-point contests this season.
New Mexico enters the contest with the Panthers on the heels of a tough 1-0 loss at Kentucky on Sept. 25. FIU defeated the Wildcats, who were ranked No. 21 in the nation at the time, 2-1 on Sept. 17. That loss for the Lobos ended a five-match winning streak. During that five-match stretch New Mexico gave up just one goal, one of only four surrendered on the year. The Lobos began the season with back-to-back 1-0 losses to No. 15 Indiana on Aug. 26 and No. 9 Notre Dame on Aug. 28.
Niko Hansen leads New Mexico on the year with 13 points (6g, 1a) including four game-winners, a category he leads the nation in. Chris Wehan has three points (1g, 1a), and Arron Herrera and Devin Boyce with two points respectively, with one goal apiece.
The Panthers will return home on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. to face cross-state rival Florida Gulf Coast University at the FIU Soccer Stadium. The contest will be the first of a two-match homestand for FIU, concluding on Oct 8 when the Panthers return to Conference USA action to battle South Carolina. Match time is at 7 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/.
