MIAMI (December 25, 2017) – FIU men's soccer standout
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Florida/Freedom) has added another honor to his already distinguished 2017 resume. The junior forward has been named a Second-Team All-America selection by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Click here for complete TopDrawerSoccer.com postseason award release
Patino, who was recently named a First-Team All-America by the United Soccer Coaches, and was a semifinalist for the prestigious Hermann Trophy – given to the top Division I male and female soccer players in the country, was one of the most prolific offensive players in America during the 2017 season. Patino ended the regular season leading Conference USA in almost all offensive categories, including goals, points, goals-per-game, points-per-game, and game-winners. He was tabbed C-USA Offensive Player of the Week five times on the year, and was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, Player of the Year, the Golden Boot Award recipient, and was named First-Team All-C-USA.
On the year, he tallied a total of 35 points and 15 goals, the most the program has seen by an individual player since 1996. He led the nation in goals-per-game and points-per-game for several weeks throughout the season, including top-five rankings in total points and goals. He finished the season third in the nation in goals-per-game and fourth in points-per-outing. His success on the pitch assisted the Panthers in leading the nation in scoring offense (2.78).
Patino tallied 10 multi-point matches this season, and four multi-goal affairs, including a three-goal outing against Marshall in a 4-0 win on Oct. 7.
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.
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