MIAMI (March 11, 2017) – FIU men's soccer Head Coach Kevin Nylen has announced the hiring of Ben Mallue as assistant coach.
 
"I am very happy and excited for Ben to join our staff," said Nylen. "I have known Ben for years and found myself in recruiting battles with him often. He is one of the hardest workers, a top recruiter in our sport, a great coach and more importantly an even better person. We are thrilled to have Ben join our family at FIU."
 
"I'm excited for this new opportunity to work with Coach Nylen and for the support from the rest of the department, including Senior Associate Athletics Director Julie Berg," said Mallue. "Kevin has big plans for the program and I'm looking forward to getting started with him, the rest of the staff and our players on achieving those goals. I'm also very grateful to Coach (Dr. Dave) Masur at St. John's for giving me a start in this profession and for his continued support of my career."
 
Mallue joins the Panthers' coaching staff after spending the past eight seasons at St. John's University, a member of the BIG EAST Conference.
 
During his time with the Red Storm, Mallue helped lead St. John's to four NCAA Tournament appearances as well as two BIG EAST Tournament crowns.
 
Mallue was instrumental in the program's recruiting efforts, both domestically and internationally, and has established a reputation for extensive player development of the student-athletes that he recruited for the Red Storm. He coached or recruited 13 players that have gone on to professional careers, including the No. 13 overall pick in the 2015 MLS Super Draft, two players with U.S. National Team Camps and two players as part of the El Salvador National Team. In addition, 14 of Mallue's recruits went on to earn BIG EAST individual honors and, as a team, St. John's earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award each season that Mallue was on staff.
 
During his time in Queens, Mallue also oversaw the training of the St. John's goalkeepers. He coached four-year starter Rafael Diaz, the program's all-time career-leader with 32 shutouts, who was signed out of college to a professional contract by USL PRO squad Orlando City SC, and two-year starter Jordan Stagmiller who signed with USL PRO squad Arizona United SC.
 
Prior to his hiring as an assistant coach, Mallue served the program as a graduate assistant for the 2009 season. As a senior, Mallue was a member of a Red Storm squad that went 19-3-3 and advanced to the 2008 NCAA College Cup.
 
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 seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU 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/.