MIAMI (October 28, 2017) – The No. 8 FIU men's soccer team takes the road and looks to extend its unbeaten streak to 15 matches as it faces Kentucky to close out the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 29. First touch is slated for 7 p.m.
Holding a six-match win streak on the road, the Panthers come into the meeting against the Wildcats with a 11-0-3 overall record and a 6-0-1 record in Conference USA. After an important 3-1 win over Old Dominion on Wednesday night, FIU stands as the only undefeated team in conference play.
The Panthers, one of just two unbeaten teams in Division I men's soccer, come into this week ranked in all four collegiate soccer polls for the fourth consecutive week, including a No. 8 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll. FIU is also ranked No. 11 by College Soccer News and No. 13 by Soccer America and TopDrawerSoccer.com.
FIU is currently third in the nation in win-loss-tie percentage (.893) and joins No. 2 Indiana (13-0-3) as the only two teams without a blemish in the loss column. The Panthers currently hold an eight-game win streak. The last time FIU saw a win streak this long, or a 14-match unbeaten streak, was 1991 and 1983, respectively. In addition, the Panthers are first in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.14 goals-per-game.
On the year,
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla. / Freedom) leads the team in points scored with 32 (14g, 4a) and goals with 14. Patino is currently tied as the nation's leader in goals-per-game. He also ranks in the top-five in a number of other offensive categories, including points-per-game (second), total goals (third), and total points (fourth).
Redshirt-freshman
Alessandro Campoy (Port au Prince, Haiti / Immaculata-LaSalle) trails with 21 points (7g, 7a) and is ranked in the top-25 in the nation in points-per-game. Senior
Paul Marie (Saint-Aubin-des-Bois, France) totals 16 points (6g, 4a) on the year. Marie was tabbed Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after putting up three points for the Panthers during the win 4-0 shutout of No. 24 New Mexico.
In 13 matches, goalkeeper
Hugo Fauroux (Cannes, France) boasts a 10-0-3 record, tallying 46 saves. On the year, he has allowed only 14 goals, totaled 3.5 shutouts, and boasts a .767 save percentage.
Kentucky comes into Sunday's match with an 8-5-2 overall record and a 4-2 record in the league. The Wildcats shutout Ohio State, 1-0, on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Following Sunday's match, FIU will head into the Conference USA Tournament hosted by Old Dominion. Be sure to check FIUSports.com for C-USA Tournament seeding, opponent, date and time updates as they become available.
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/.
