MIAMI (October 20, 2016) – The FIU men's soccer team returns home for the first of two-straight matches, and looking for its second consecutive win, when it plays host to rival Florida Atlantic in a key Conference USA match on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
The Panthers are coming off a thrilling 2-1 double overtime win against Marshall in Huntington, West Virginia on Oct. 15, a victory that snapped a five match winless streak. Senior forward,
Luis Betancur ended the game in dramatic fashion with the winning goal coming with 14 seconds left on the clock. The goal was Betancur's second of the season with the assist coming from
Ismael Longo, his second of the year. In addition to Betancur's goal,
Luca Giovine scored his first goal of the season with the first score of the match from
Juan Benedetty for his third helper of the season.
On the year,
Santiago Patino leads the team in points scored with 14 (7g) and has recorded three multi-goal matches and four multi-point contests. Only six other Panthers have netted goals this season – Betancur (2),
Brad Fountain (1),
Jamar Campion-Hinds (1), Giovine (1),
Paul Marie (1) and
Joris Ahlinvi (1).
Tonight will be the 39th meeting all-time between FIU and FAU with the Panthers leading the series 31-5-2. The Panthers hold a two-match winning streak over the Owls; and currently hold a 19-2-1 record on their home turf.
FAU comes into its match with the Panthers with a 4-6-1 record and a 2-2 slate in Conference USA. The Owls have won three of their last four matches, including coming off a thrilling 2-1 double overtime win over New Mexico on Oct. 15 in Boca Raton. FAU also defeated Stetson (3-1) on Sept. 27 and UAB (1-0) on Oct. 1 during that stretch.
Jason Fitzgerald leads the Owls in points (2g, 1a) on the season, while Elijah McDonald (2g), Dylan Huber (1g, 2a) and Alvaro Campuzaro (1g, 2a) all have four points apiece.
The Panthers will close out this short two-match homestand, and the non-conference portion of the schedule, on Oct. 25, when they welcome UCF to the FIU Soccer Stadium. First touch is 7 p.m. The Panthers will then head on the road for their final regular-season road match of the year at Old Dominion on Oct. 29 (7 p.m.) before closing out the regular season at home on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
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/.
