MIAMI (October 20, 2017) – The No. 11 FIU men's soccer team looks to extend its unbeaten streak to 13 matches on Saturday when the Panthers return to FIU Soccer Stadium for a short two-game home stretch, beginning with No. 24 New Mexico. First touch is slated for 7 p.m.
The Panthers come into the meeting against the Lobos with a 9-0-3 record a 4-0-1 record in Conference USA. FIU pulled out a hard-fought 2-1 win at USF last Tuesday, Oct. 17.
The Panthers, one of just two unbeaten teams in Division I men's soccer, come into this week ranked in all four of the collegiate soccer major polls, including a No. 11 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
FIU is currently third in the nation in win-loss-tie percentage (.875), and joins No. 1 Indiana (12-0-2) as the only teams without a blemish in the loss column. The last time the Panthers saw an unbeaten streak this long was 2002 when they went 13-straight matches without a loss. In addition, the Panthers are first in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.08 goals-per-game.
On the year,
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla. / Freedom) leads the team in points scored with 28 (12g, 4a) and goals with 12. Patino leads the nation in points-per-game (2.55) and is first in goals-per-game (1.09). He is also third and fourth in the nation in total goals and total points, respectively.
Alessandro Campoy (Miami, Fla. / Immaculata-LaSalle) trails with 15 points scored (5g, 5a); while
Paul Marie (Saint Aubindes Bois, France) totals 12 (5g, 2a). Marie put up seven points for the Panthers this week (3g, 1a), more than doubling his points scored on the year and earning himself C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.
In 11 matches played, goalkeeper
Hugo Fauroux (Cannes, France) boasts an 8-0-3 record, tallying 36 saves. On the year, he has allowed only 13 goals, totaled 2.5 shutouts, and boasts a 0.735 save percentage.
New Mexico comes into Saturday's match with an 8-3-2 overall record and a 3-1-1 record in the league. The Lobos played to a 1-1 draw against UCLA on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Prior to the match the Panthers will honor seven seniors during their annual Senior Night ceremony.
Following Saturday's match, the Panthers will close out the home portion of their schedule when they face Old Dominion on Wednesday, Oct. 25 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 eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Riccardo Silva 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/.
