MIAMI (October 9, 2017) – The No. 17 FIU men's soccer team looks to extend its unbeaten streak to 10 on Tuesday when the Panthers take to the road to face FGCU. First touch is slated for 7 p.m.
The Panthers come into the meeting against the Eagles as the only unbeaten team in Conference USA with a 6-0-3 record and a 3-0-1 record in the league. FIU is coming off a 4-0 shutout of Marshall (10/7) at home.
The Panthers, one of just three Division I men's soccer programs in the country without a loss, come into this week ranked in all of collegiate soccer major polls, including a No. 22 ranking by TopDrawerSoccer.com and a No. ranking 23 by College Soccer News poll. The Panthers were also ranked No. 17 by United Soccer Coaches and No. 24 by Soccer America in last week's poll. Those rankings will be released on Tuesday.
The Panthers are currently seventh in the nation in win-loss-tie percentage (.833), and joins Indiana (10-0-2) and Maryland (9-0-3) as the only teams without a blemish in the loss column. In addition, the Panthers lead the nation in scoring offense, averaging 2.89 goals-per-game.
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla. / Freedom H.S) pulled in multiple weekly honors for the second consecutive week on Monday. For the fourth time this season, Patino was tabbed the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. In addition, the junior forward was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. Arguably one of the most efficient players in college soccer, Patino leads the nation in points-per-game averaging 2.89 per contest and in goals-per-game, averaging 1.33 per outing. He is also tied for first in the nation in total goals and points with 12 and 26, respectively.
Alessandro Campoy (Port au Prince, Haiti / Immaculate-LaSalle H.S.) (3g, 4a) and
Joris Ahlinvi (Gujan-Mestras, France) (2g, 4a) trail with 10 and eight points scored, respectively. In eight matches played, goalkeeper
Hugo Fauroux (cannes, France) boasts a 5-0-3 record, tallying 24 saves. On the year, he has allowed only seven goals, totaled 3.5 shutouts, and boasts a 0.731 save percentage.
FGCU comes into Tuesday's match with a 6-3-1 overall record and a 3-0 record in the ASUN. The Eagles collected two wins at home last week, including a 3-2 win over No. 24 Omaha on Tuesday (10/3) and a 2-0 shutout of Lipscomb on Saturday (10/7).
Following Tuesday's match, the Panthers will head to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks on Saturday, Oct. 14 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/.
