MIAMI – The FIU men's soccer team begins play in the 2018 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Men's Soccer Championships on Nov. 7, when it takes on Marshall in the quarterfinals. First touch is slated for 7 p.m., and all games will be streamed on ESPN+. FIU comes into the tournament as the No. 4 seed while the Thundering Herd is seeded fifth. The Panthers look to snap their two-match losing streak, their longest since dropping three-straight to open the season. FIU and Marshall met earlier this season – in the C-USA opener for both teams – with the Panthers coming out on top, 2-1, in overtime.
 
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FIU PANTHERS
7-9
Last Game: Nov. 3 vs. South Carolina, L, 3-2
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Kentucky, 4:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Head Coach: Kevin Nylen
Career Record: 19-11-4 (Second season)
at FIU: Same
 
MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD
7-8-3
Last Game: Nov. 3 vs. Florida Atlantic, W, 5-1
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Kentucky, 4:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Head Coach: Chris Grassie
Career Record: 14-38-12 (Seventh season)
at Marshall: 15-8-4 (Second season)
 
QUICK HITS
- FIU comes into the Conference USA Tournament with a 7-5 record in the event, and a 9-5 record all-time in Division I conference postseason tournaments ... The Panthers were also 2-0 in the Trans America Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
- FIU comes into its match with Marshall leading in the all-time series, 10-9, dating back to the 1999 season ... The Panthers have won seven-straight matches against the Thundering Herd ... FIU is 2-1 all-time against Marshall in the Conference USA Tournament.
 
- FIU had its 17-match Conference USA regular season unbeaten streak snapped with its 3-0 loss at Charlotte on Oct. 14 ... Prior to their setback, the Panthers' last loss was a 4-1 decision at New Mexico on Sept. 30, 2016 ... Through its match on Nov. 2 against South Carolina, FIU has won 18 of its last 21 regular season C-USA tilts, and 19 of its last 23 since the beginning of 2016.
 
- FIU's 3-2 win over No. 4 Kentucky was the Panthers' first over a team ranked in the top five since a 3-1 victory over No. 4 SMU in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals on Nov. 14.
 
- Santiago Patino finished the regular season second in goals scored (12) and is second in goals-per-game (0.80) ... He is also third in Conference USA in points with 26 (12g, 2a), and points-per-game (1.73) ... Joris Ahlinvi is tied for fifth in goals (7), tied for sixth in points (17), is sixth in points-per-game (1.06), and tied for fifth in goals-per-game (0.44).
 
- Patino has tallied all 26 of his points (12g, 2a) in eight of his last 13 matches ... He recorded his fourth multi-goal match of 2018 - third in his last six matches - and the 11th of his career, with two scores against FAU Oct. 29.
 
MARSHALL PREVIEW
Marshall closed out the regular season with a 6-8-3 record and a 2-3-2 mark in Conference USA ... The Thundering Herd is 2-2-1 in their final five regular season matches ... Gianni Bouzoukis and Jonas Westmeyer each share the team lead in points with 10 ... Bouzoukis is tops in goals with five, while Westmeyer has three goals and four assists ... Paulo Pita has been a regular in goal, posting a 5-6-3 record with 58 saves and a 1.28 goals-against-average.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
FIU comes into its match with Marshall leading in the all-time series, 10-9, dating back to the 1999 season ... The Panthers have won seven-straight matches against the Thundering Herd ... FIU is 2-1 all-time against Marshall in the Conference USA Tournament ... The two met in 2005 (Marshall 2, FIU 0), 2007 (FIU 3, Marshall 2), 2015 (FIU 1, Marshall 0).
 
LAST TIME OUT
FIU dropped its second-straight match on Nov. 3, with a 3-2 loss to South Carolina in the regular season finale ... The Panthers were down 3-0 before scoring two goals in the final 20 minutes of play ... Inigo Sagarduy ('70) and Adam Hassan (86') each netted their first goals of the season ... The Gamecocks held an 18-14 shots advantage and a 9-3 edge in shots on goal ... Hugo Fauroux and Daniel Gagliardi split time in net for the Panthers, with Fauroux accounting for four of the teams six saves.
 
PATINO & AHLINVI EARN PRESEASON MAC HERMANN TROPHY AND C-USA HONORS
FIU standouts Santiago Patino and Joris Ahlinvi were named to the Preseason MAC Herman Trophy Watch List along with being named Preseason All-Conference USA ... Patino and Ahlinvi are two of just 32 players nation-wide to be named to the watch list, while FIU is one of just two schools to have multiple players listed (Portland) ... Patino, the reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Year from 2017, was tabbed as the 2018 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ... Ahlinvi was named to the Preseason All-C-USA team ... He was also tabbed a First Team All-C-USA selection in 2017.
 
A LOOK AHEAD
The winner of the FIU-Marshall quarterfinal match will face No. 3 ranked, and the one seed, Kentucky in the tournament semifinals on Nov. 9, at 4:30 p.m.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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.
 
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