BOCA RATON, Fla. (Sept. 21, 2015) – The FIU men's soccer team (5-2, 1-0 C-USA) dominated Florida Atlantic (0-5-1, 0-1 C-USA), 7-2, on Monday evening.
 
Junior Luis Betancur stole the show as the Parkland, Fla., native notched FIU's first hat-trick since the 2005 season. Betancur scored three times on his only three shots of the game. Senior Daniel Gonzalez registered two goals in the game to increase his team lead in points to nine (4g, 1a).
 
FIU used three goals in the first 45 minutes to take a commanding 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
 
Sophomore Paul Marie scored the game's first goal in the eighth minute. Marie slotted a shot to the lower left side of the net. The goal, the second of the season for Marie, was assisted by Brad Fountain – his third helper on the year.
 
A PK in the 20th minute extended the Panther's lead to 2-0 as Gonzalez scored his team-leading third goal of the season on the conversion.
 
Betancur netted his second goal of the season with a 35th-minute strike to give FIU a three-goal advantage through the first 45. Betancur added his second of the match in the 58th minute to give FIU a 4-0 lead. Freshman Steffen Bohm recorded his first collegiate point on the play as the defender was credited with an assist on the score.
 
FAU got on the board in the 74th minute and cut FIU's lead to 4-2 three minutes later with a second-straight goal in the 77^th minute.   
 
FIU answered with two quick goals a minute apart from each other. Betancur registered the hat trick with his third goal of the night in the 78th minute and Gonzalez netted his second score of the night in the 79th minute.
 
Junior Marvin Hezel made the score 7-2 with header, scoring his first goal of the season in the 82^nd minute. Junior Patrick Lopez was credited with the assist on the Hezel goal.
 
The seven goals were the most scored by an FIU team versus the Owls during the 38-game series (Panthers lead, 31-5-2) and the most by the Panthers since netting eight versus Alabama A&M on Nov. 2, 1997 (8-0).
 
FIU out-shot Florida Atlantic 18-9 and held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.
 
Senior Robin Spiegel (3-1-0, 1.25 GAA) picked up the victory, making three saves on the night.  
 
The Panthers will host the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, Sept. 26. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start.
 
 
 
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/.