MIAMI (November 8, 2016) – The No. 3-seeded FIU men's soccer team will begin defense of its 2015 Conference USA Tournament title on Wednesday, Nov. 9 when it meets No. 6 seed UAB in this year's first round. First touch at Marshall University's Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex is slated for 7 p.m. The Panthers finished the regular season with an 8-6-2 record and a 5-2-1 slate in league play. The Blazers finished with a 6-8-3 ledger and a 2-5-1 mark in C-USA action.
2016 C-USA Men's Soccer Championship Bracket
C-USA Men's Soccer Championship Central
FIU comes into the tournament with a six-match unbeaten streak, its longest since winning seven-straight during the 2015 campaign. During its current stretch, the Panthers have outscored its opponents 11-3 and hold an 8-2 goals advantage in their last three matches of the regular season.
These two sides are very familiar with each other, having just played in the regular season finale on Nov. 5 at the FIU Soccer Complex, with the Panthers coming out on top, 2-1.
Luis Betancur and
Santiago Patino each scored against the Blazers with Patino's goal in the 64
th minute proving to be the game winner.
On the year,
Santiago Patino leads the team in points scored with 16 (8g) and has recorded three multi-goal matches and four multi-point contests. Eight other Panthers have also netted goals this season – Betancur (4), Ahlinvi (3), Campion-Hinds (2),
Luca Giovine (2), Benedetty (1),
Paul Marie (1),
Brad Fountain (1) and
Alvaro Alvarez (1).
Daniel Gagliardi, who has been in net for the last three and a half matches in place of senior keeper
Arthur Clapot, who has been sidelined with an injury, has 20 saves and has only allowed two goals in 360 minutes played to go along with two clean sheets. Gagliardi has a 0.50 goals against average and a .909 save percentage this season.
Clapot, however, made his return to the pitch starting the second half of Saturday's match against UAB, holding the Blazers scoreless. In 1,141 minutes this season, the senior net minder has recorded 35 saves and has three of the Panthers' five shutouts to his credit.
Opposite of FIU's six-match unbeaten streak, UAB comes into the C-USA Tournament in the midst of a five-match losing skid.
Massimo Ferrin (3g, 1a) and Henrique Sposito (3g, 1a) lead the Blazers with seven points apiece. While Tarnue Tyler (2g), Philip Makinde (1g, 2a), James Ngoe (2g) and Rami Dajani (2g) and all have recorded four points on the year.
The winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal match between FIU and UAB will play the winner of the No. 2 seed South Carolina and No. 7 seed Old Dominion on Nov. 11 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/.
