MIAMI (October 30, 2017) – After a pair of outstanding performances last week, FIU men's soccer standout Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla. / Freedom) put up six points for the Panthers and was tabbed the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for the fifth time this season.
 
"Santi finished off the regular season with goals in multiple conference games," said FIU men's soccer Head Coach Kevin Nylen. "I'm glad for him as he continues to score. Happy for him as center forwards need to score goals."
 
Ending a four-match scoring drought, Patino came out hot on Wednesday, Oct. 25 when he scored a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner, during the 3-1 win over Old Dominion. This was Patino's fourth multi-goal match of the year. He scored his third goal of the week during the 2-2 draw at Kentucky on Saturday. Patino put the Panthers on the board first when he scored in the 34^th minute from 15 yards out.
 
Patino leads C-USA in multiple offensive categories, including goals (15), goals-per-game (1.00), points (34) and points-per-game (2.27). He is also tied for first in game-winning goals with three. Arguably one of the most efficient players in college soccer, he leads the nation in goals-per-game and points-per-game, while tying for second and third in total goals and points, respectively. He is putting up these offensive numbers while averaging just 3.36 shots-per-match, which is 28^th in the nation.
 
As a team, the Panthers boast an impressive 11-0-4 record on the season and a 6-0-2 record in Conference USA play. The 15-match unbeaten streak is the longest since 1991 when the Panthers went 18-straight without a loss.
 
The only undefeated team in the league, FIU is also one of just two teams in the country without a loss. The Panthers lead the nation in scoring offence with 3.07 goals-per-game, and are currently third in win-loss-tie percentage (.893).
 
The Panthers are ranked No. 8 and No. 11 by College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com, respectively. FIU also received a No. 8 ranking by United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 13 ranking by Soccer America poll last week; those rankings will be updated Tuesday, Oct. 31.
 
The road-match at Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 29, concluded the regular season portion of the schedule. The Panthers have won the Conference USA regular season title and have clinched the No. 1-seed for the C-USA Tournament, however, the official tournament seeds will be released on Nov. 4.
 
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/.