MIAMI (December 16, 2017) – The FIU men's soccer team, coming off one of the most successful seasons in the programs storied history, finished the 2017 campaign ranked No. 20 in the nation in the final United Soccer Coaches (USC) Association Top 25 poll, released this week. It's the highest ranking of any team in Conference USA (C-USA).
Click here for complete United Soccer Coaches Top 25 final rankings.
Led by the 2017 USC Southeast Region Staff of the Year, and C-USA Coach of the Year,
Kevin Nylen, the Panthers garnered two All-Americans –
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Florida/Freedom) a first-team selection, and
Paul Marie (Saint-Aubin-des-Bois, France) a third-team selection – along with four All-Region picks and seven players earning All-C-USA honors. Patino was also named a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy given to the top Division I player in the country. In addition,
Luca Giovine (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) was named to the C-USA InTouch Credit Union All-Academic Team and to the 2017 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® Men's Soccer First Team.
This season the Panthers posted a 12-2-4 record and a 6-0-2 mark in Conference USA, earning their first-ever C-USA regular season title. The Blue and Gold finished the regular season with an 11-0-4 record, the first time in school history that the Panthers recorded an undefeated regular season. FIU was also one of only two teams in Division I men's soccer to accomplish the feat, joining Indiana.
The Panthers advanced to their 19
th NCAA Championship, and their 11
th at Division I, winning their first-round game against Omaha, before ending the season with a loss at Duke in the NCAA second round.
FIU was ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation, with that coming on the Oct. 29 poll. The Panthers highest final ranking came at the conclusion of the 1996 season after losing in the National Championship game to St. John's.
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).
