MIAMI (October 3, 2017) – The FIU men's soccer team, one of just four Division I men's soccer programs in the country without a loss, comes into this week ranked in all three of the collegiate soccer world's three major polls, including a No. 17 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll. In addition, the Panthers are ranked No. 21 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and No. 30 in the nation in the College Soccer News poll.
Click here for the complete United Soccer Coaches poll
Click here for the complete TopDrawerSoccer.com poll,
Click here for the complete College Soccer News poll.
"We are pleased for the guys," said FIU Head Coach
Kevin Nylen. "It is recognition that the team has done well and now we need to continue to build on it. Our focus is Marshall and having a great week of preparation going into Saturday."
FIU boasts an impressive 5-0-3 record on the season and a 2-0-1 record in Conference USA play heading into this Saturday's match with Marshall at home (7 p.m.). FIU is currently 10
th in the nation in win-loss-tie percentage (.813), and joins Indiana (8-0-2), Maryland (8-0-3), and Columbia (5-0-2) as the only teams without a blemish in the loss column.
In addition, the Panthers are second in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 2.75 goals-per-game, and tied for ninth in the nation in total goals with 22.
Junior forward
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla./Freedom) has been one of the most dominating offensive players in the country this season, with a C-USA-leading 20 points on nine goals and two assists. Patino had scored a goal in seven of FIU's eight games this season, and has logged two multiple-goal games, against the College of Charleston (2) on Sept. 3 and most recently at Florida Atlantic (2) on Sept. 30. Patino has also scored a goal in five-consecutive games.
Last week, Patino scored three goals on his three shots on goal in FIU's two wins, totaling six points for the week. He recorded the second goal of the game to help seal FIU's 5-0 win over North Florida on Sept. 26. Patino also scored the first and third goal in FIU's 4-1 win over C-USA rival FAU on Sept. 30 in Boca Raton.
Alessandro Campoy (Miami, Fla./Immaculata-LaSalle) is second on the team in scoring, with nine points on three goals and three assists.
Hugo Fauroux (Cannes, France/Lycee Bristol) has been impressive in net for the Panthers this season, recording a 4-0-3 record on the year.
The Panthers will get back on the pitch on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., when Marshall visits the FIU Soccer Stadium. The match against the Thundering Herd will begin an extremely challenging stretch for FIU, as the Panthers will play just two matches at home in their final six outings.
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 eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Riccardo Silva 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/.
