MIAMI (November 9, 2016) – One day after being named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team, FIU men's soccer standout Joris Ahlinvi showed just why the league's coaches thought so highly of the first-year midfielder from France. Ahlinvi scored both of the Panthers' goals, including the game-winner in the 89^th minute, to lead No. 3-seed FIU to a thrilling 2-1 win Wednesday over No. 6-seed UAB in the first round of the Conference USA Men's Soccer Championship at Marshall University's Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex in Huntington, West Virginia.

The Panthers advance to the semifinals on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. where they will face the No. 7-seed Old Dominion, who upset the No. 2-seed South Carolina, 2-0, to play for a spot in the tournament final.    

FIU, which improves to 9-6-2 on the season, extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches, equaling the longest such stretch since winning seven-consecutive last year. UAB ends its season with a 6-9-3 record.

Ahlinvi got the Panthers on the board first in the 30^th minute when Luis Betancur controlled the ball on the top left side of the 18 and chipped the offering into Ahlinvi who put it past UAB goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky.

Neither team had many scoring opportunities in the first 45, however, the Panthers did have the upper hand offensively out shooting the Blazers handily, 6-1.

FIU came out in the second half firing and looking to put the match out of reach quickly. After recording six shots in the first half, the Panthers posted five shots in the first five minutes of the final stanza, including three on goal.

Despite not getting many shots off in the first 75 minutes of the contest, the Blazers beat FIU keeper Arthur Clapot when Henrique Sposito took a pass from Deandre Robinson, from near midfield and placed nicely into the box, where Sposito kneed the ball into the back of the net from five yards out.

Sposito's goal came on just UAB's third shot of the match.

Just 13 minutes later the Panthers were awarded a corner kick that would be sent into the box and on the foot of Luca Giovine, who took two shots that would be blocked by the UAB defense. Ahlinvi took possession of the second rebound, controlled the ball and fired a top-shelf laser for the game-winner.

On the night, FIU kept the Blazers defense back on their heels all night, holding a commanding 20-6 shots advantage, including out shooting UAB 11-2 in shots on goal. FIU also posted 14 shots in the second half of play.

Arthur Clapot got the win in goal for the Panthers while recording three saves. The senior net minder raises his record to 6-6-2 on the year.

FIU will now face Old Dominion who defeated South Carolina in the second quarterfinal match of the day. The Panthers handed the Monarchs a 4-1 loss on Oct. 29 in Norfolk, Virginia.

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/.