MIAMI (August 24, 2017) – The FIU men's soccer team kicks off the 2017 season, and the
Kevin Nylen era, on Friday, Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. against James Madison at the 12th-Annual Bert & Iris Wolstein Classic, hosted by Ohio State University. Nylen, in his first year as head coach, and the Panthers will close out the event on Sunday at 7 p.m. when they take the pitch against the host Buckeyes. This weekend marks the beginning of the regular season.
FIU comes into its match on Friday holding a 4-0 record all-time against JMU, dating back to the 1990 season. The two teams last met in 2003 with the Panthers handing the Dukes a 4-1 loss.
The all-time series with Ohio State is tied at 1-1, with the Buckeyes and FIU facing off last in 2011. In that contest, Ohio State dealt the Panthers a 3-1 setback in Columbus.
Following this weekend, FIU, who was selected to finish third in the preseason C-USA Coaches Poll, will have the luxury of a very convenient schedule on its side. The Panthers return home to play five of their next seven games at the friendly confines of the FIU Soccer Stadium, beginning with their home opening weekend on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. against New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. against the College of Charleston.
In addition to being chosen third in the coaches poll, FIU placed three on the preseason All-C-USA team. Headlining the trio is junior forward
Santiago Patino (Orlando, Fla./Freedom) who was tabbed the C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Patino on the preseason team is senior defender
Paul Marie (Saint Aubindes Bois, France/5th Ursule/Newberry College) and sophomore midfielder
Joris Ahlinvi (Gujan-Mestras, France/Esarc Evolution).
The Panthers finished 2016 with a 10-7-2 record and advanced to their second-straight C-USA Tournament championship game.
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/.
