MIAMI (September 1, 2016) – The FIU men's soccer team gets back to work on Friday night as it takes on Wisconsin in its home opener at FIU Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m. The match marks the first of two-straight that the Panthers will play over the weekend. They will close out the Labor Day weekend against Niagara on Sunday at 2 p.m.
FIU (1-1) is coming off a dominating 3-1 win over the College of Charleston in the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic on Aug. 28 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Santiago Patino led the way for the Panthers with two goals and
Jamar Campion-Hinds scored once in the victory.
Juan Benedetty had two assists in the triumph.
The Badgers (1-0) have taken the pitch just once this season, with that match coming on Aug. 26 against Santa Clara in Madison, where Wisconsin pulled out a tight 1-0 win. The Badgers, like Niagara, will play two matches while in the Sunshine State, with both outings coming at Florida Atlantic.
Friday is the fifth meeting all-time between FIU and Wisconsin with the Panthers holding a 3-1 series lead dating back to the inaugural meeting on Oct. 27, 1989. The Blue and Gold are 2-1 at home, with the initial meeting marking FIU's lone loss in the series (1-0). Since then the Panthers have won three straight: 2-1 (Aug. 31, 1997), 2-1 2ot (Sept.10, 2010) and 3-1 (Sept. 7, 2012).
The Panthers' match on Sunday will be the second game of a women's-men's doubleheader at FIU Soccer Stadium beginning with the FIU women's team taking on Miami (Ohio) at noon, before the men take the pitch against the Purple Eagles at 2 p.m.
Following this weekend, the Panthers will play four of their next five matches on the road beginning at North Florida in Jacksonville on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. The lone home match for FIU during that stretch will be its Conference USA opener against Kentucky on Sept. 17 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/.
