MIAMI (September 19, 2016) – The FIU men's soccer team gets back to work on Tuesday night in what is a big non-conference match, when it travels to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to face No. 12 Wake Forest. First touch at Spry Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. The match can against the Demon Deacons will be streamed live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
Click here the link to watch the match against Wake Forest.
The Panthers (3-2-1, 1-0 Conference USA) come into their match with the Demon Deacons on the heels of a thrilling 2-1 win over No. 21 Kentucky in both schools' league opener on Sept. 17 at the FIU Soccer Stadium.
Santiago Patino took care of business early for the Panthers netting two goals in the first 12 minutes of the match, his sixth and seventh of the year, respectively. Kentucky had allowed just two goals on the season coming into Saturday's match. For his efforts, Patino was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.
On the season, Patino has recorded all seven of his goals in the last five matches, and has scored four times in his last two outings. He also has three multi-goal matches, including his last two-starts, and four multi-point matches this season.
One of the hottest players in collegiate soccer, Patino is currently tied for third in goals-per-game (1.17), tied for fifth in total goals (7) and tied for seventh in points-per-game (2.33).
Wake Forest comes into the match with the Panthers with a 5-1-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Demon Deacons, who are 4-1-1 at home, are unbeaten in their last six matches after dropping the season-opener to Saint Louis, 1-0, on Aug. 26 in Winston-Salem.
The Demon Deacons are coming off a 2-0 win at Duke on Sept. 16.
Wake Forest has eight players on its roster that have tallied two-or-more points on the year, led by Ema Twumasi who has six points (2g, 2a). Tane Gent is second with four points (2g), while Jacon Hayes, Steven Echevarria and Jon Bakero all have three points with one goal and one assist each.
Tuesday night's contest is the first of four, which began on Saturday versus Kentucky, that the Panthers will play against teams that are ranked or getting votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll. Following Wake Forest match, FIU travels to Charlotte to face the No. 9-ranked 49ers on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. before closing out the three-match road trip at New Mexico on Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. ET against the Lobos, who are also receiving votes in this week's NSCAA poll.
FIU will not return home until Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. when it faces cross-state rival Florida Gulf Coast University at the FIU Soccer Stadium.
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/.
