By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

"You don't write this script." – Donald Tomlinson, FIU senior midfielder.

 
Nine days ago the FIU men's soccer team trailed by two goals for the first time this season. The Panthers, unbeaten after nine games at that point, were down 2-0 at Florida Gulf Coast.

FIU was struggling against an FGCU team that one year earlier scored four goals in a span of 16 minutes to defeat the Panthers 4-1 in Miami. Seeing that their teammates needed a boost, FIU captains Paul Marie and Donald Tomlinson gathered the squad on the sideline.

"Donald and I started to speak and I told the team, 'Believe it boys! It's going to happen. We are going to win this game no matter what it takes'," said Marie, the reigning Conference USA Player of the Week. "I scored and things started to turn our way. We got down 3-1 on a little mistake but things were going well for us at that point in the game and we turned it around and got the result we wanted in overtime."

After Marie's goal and another Eagles goal, FIU rallied to close it to 3-2 before the Panthers incurred a red card and had to play the final 25 minutes a man down.

It didn't matter because, well, "Believe it boys! It's going to happen."

With 25 seconds left in regulation, FIU senior defender Marvin Hezel tied the score on a header. With eight seconds left in double overtime, sophomore midfielder Alessandro Campoy scored the game-winner to give FIU a 4-3 victory.

"You don't write this script," said Tomlinson about the 2017 season thus far. "This is unbelievable. I'm glad. I have been here for five years and I have seen this program at one of its lowest points and I can say that we are at a high point right now. We are sailing with the ship and we are enjoying it."

The FIU soccer ship is certainly sailing in the right direction. Currently, the Panthers are No. 11 in the nation and are one of two unbeaten teams left in Division I soccer -- only No. 1 Indiana (12-0-2) has not lost a game this season.

The No. 11 ranking for FIU (9-0-3) is its highest since the 1996 FIU team finished No. 2 in the nation after losing the national championship match to St. John's.

The Panthers' success has been two-fold. Since training camp FIU has adopted a team-first mentality highlighted by its quality depth. Twelve Panthers have scored at least one goal this season led by Santiago Patino, the NCAA's top goal scorer. Twelve Panthers have recorded at least one point this season. FIU is first in the nation in scoring.

"We have a lot of depth where when we bring those players in they are able to add something to the game and change the game," Hezel said. "When things may not be going well in a game we are able to make three subs and the game changes. We have an incredible team mentality. There are no "I's" in this team."

The other area that has helped the Panthers has been the discipline and structure brought by first-year coach Kevin Nylen. The methods have been embraced by the Panthers, even more so when they see the results such as the thrilling win at FGCU.

"Kevin is very passionate about the game and he knows how to carry this on to the team," Hezel said. "He knows how to live soccer and live FIU. He wants us to be proud to wear the shirt and the Panther on the chest. When you have a coach that lives that you automatically as a team feel the same thing. Added to that he knows a lot about the game."

Besides discipline, Nylen, a former collegiate and professional soccer player, has also been able to relate to his players.

"I believe you have to have structure," Nylen said. "Structure gives you an identity, a way in how things are going to be done. I know from being a former player that you have to be able relate to the guys and manage them. We are all human beings and we all need to know life is ok. We all can use an arm around the shoulder at times but sometimes you need to give a little poke."

This season it's been FIU that has been giving a little poke to opponents. The Panthers sensed they might have been in for a special season back when training camp started last summer.

But if someone had said that FIU was going to be one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the nation in late October and have its highest ranking since 1996, the Panthers might have been a little surprised.

"You are a magician if you had predicted that in the summer," said Marie. "But I would have told you that we could be where we are now because this team is rich in talent but you have to have team chemistry and that comes from everyone putting in the effort to have that team chemistry. The FGCU game is where we showed our heart and character. That was a result of all the work we have put in since July."

And the script continues to be written. . .