Norfolk, Va. (November 13, 2017) – The top-seeded FIU men's soccer team took the pitch in the semifinals of the 2017 Conference USA Tournament and dropped a tough 3-1 decision to the No. 4-seed Charlotte on Friday afternoon at the ODU Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va.
Despite the setback, the Panthers placed two players on the 2017 Conference USA All-Tournament Team.
Paul Marie (Saint-Aubin-des-Bois, France) and
Marvin Hezel (Waldshut, Germany) were honored for their play in the event.
Marie scored the lone goal for the Panthers in the 12th minute against Charlotte on Nov. 10, when he took a soft touch from junior
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla./Freedom), and beat Charlotte goalkeeper Elliot Panicco to make the score 1-0. It was Marie's seventh goal on the year.
On the defensive end, Hezel assisted the Panthers in keeping the match tied at one apiece throughout the first half. The 49ers took the lead in the second half when they scored in the 77th minute to make the game 2-1. The insurance goal for Charlotte came with only 21 seconds left in regulation, which finalized the score at 3-1.
2017 Conference USA Championship All-Tournament Team:
Sebastien Hauret, Old Dominion
Fox Slotemaker, Old Dominion
Marco Sunol-Rojas, Charlotte
Tommy Madden, Charlotte
Teddy Chaouche, Charlotte
Paul Marie,
FIU
Marvin Hezel,
FIU
Nate Himes, Marshall
Dion Stergiotis, Marshall
Offensive MVP: Niko Kolsterhalfen – Old Dominion
Defensive MVP: Mertcan Akar – Old Dominion
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/.
