MIAMI (October 9, 2017) – FIU men's soccer standout
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla./Freedom) pulled in multiple weekly honors for the second consecutive week on Monday after an impressive week on the pitch. For the fourth time this season, Patino was tabbed the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. In addition, the junior forward was named to the College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.
"Before the season started, I made a list of goals for myself and the team," said Patino. "Some have been achieved thus far, but we have a lot of work ahead of us. I am happy that I have been able to score goals to help my team, that's a job of mine as a center forward. We have a big game tomorrow night at FGCU and that is our teams focus. I hope to continue with my form starting tomorrow night."
Last Saturday, Patino produced his first career hat trick on his three shots on goal in the FIU 4-0 shutout of Marshall. He also extended his goal streak to six matches. His first goal came in the third minute of the game. It was Patino's fourth time this season scoring in the first 10 minutes of a match. He scored again in the 25th minute and he completed the hat trick early in the second half.
Arguably one of the most efficient players in college soccer, Patino leads the nation in points-per-game, averaging 2.89 per contest and in goals-per-game, averaging 1.33 per outing. He is also tied for first in the nation in total goals and points with 12 and 26, respectively. He is putting up these offensive numbers while averaging just 3.67 shots-per-match, which is tied for 17th in the nation.
As a team, the Panthers boast an impressive 6-0-3 record on the season and a 3-0-1 record in Conference USA play. FIU is one of just three teams in the country without a loss on the year. The Panthers lead the nation in scoring offence with 2.89 goals-per-game, and is currently tied for seventh in the nation in win-loss-tie percentage (.833).
The Panthers return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., when they take the road to face FGCU.
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/.
