MIAMI – FIU men's soccer team returns home for the first of two-straight matches, beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. against UCF. The Panthers will close out the stretch on Friday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. against UAB in their C-USA home-opener, before heading out for three-straight on the road. FIU looks for its second-consecutive win, and its fourth-straight victory over the Knights.
 
FIU PANTHERS
1-3 (1-0 C-USA)
Last Game: Sept. 7 at Marshall, W, 2-1 (OT)
Next Game: Sept. 14 vs. UAB, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Kevin Nylen
Career Record: 13-5-4 (Second season)
at FIU: Same
 
UCF KNIGHTS
3-1-1 (0-0 American Athletic Conference)
Last Game: Sept. 7 vs. West Virginia, W, 1-0
Next Game: Sept. 15 at Stetson, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Scott Calabrese
Career Record: 93-73-22 (11th season)
at UCF: 11-7-3 (Second season)
 
Click here to catch all the action live on CUSA TV.
 
QUICK HITS
- Tuesday's contest against UCF is the second of just three matches - out of nine- that the Panthers will play at home through September ... The final match during that stretch is on Sept. 14, against UAB (7 p.m.).
 
- The Panthers come into their game with the Knights looking for their fourth-straight win in the series ... FIU has dominated the series, holding a 29-12-4 advantage dating back to the 1973 season.
- FIU will see a familiar face on the UCF sideline ... Knights' Head Coach Scott Calabrese was the Panthers head coach for three seasons (2014-16) and posted a 28-23-4 record while guiding FIU to a Conference USA Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
 
- Santiago Patino is currently third in Conference USA in points with seven (3g, 1a), while also being tied for third in goals scored (3) ... Patino also leads C-USA in shots-per-game (4.25).
 
- Patino recorded seven points last week against Stetson (3 pts., 1g, 1a) on Aug. 31, and at Marshall (4 pts., 2g) on Sept. 7 ... His two-goal match against the Thundering Herd was the eighth multi-goal match of his career ... He has also posted 19 career multi-point matches while with FIU.
 
- Joris Ahlinvi is second on the team in points scored with three (1g, 1a).
 
UCF PREVIEW
UCF comes into its game with FIU boasting a 3-1-1 record on the year ... The Knights are unbeaten in their last three matches against Liberty (W, 4-1), No. 17 Virginia Tech (T, 2-2), and West Virginia (W, 1-0) … Cal Jennings leads the Knights in scoring with nine points on the year (4g, 1a), while Louis Perez is second with four points (1g, 2a) and Gorka Aperribay is third with three (1g, 1a) points … Yannik Oettl is 3-1-1 in net for UCF with 11 saves ... He has a .688 save percentage and .95 goals against average.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Tuesday's match will mark the 46^th meeting between FIU and UCF dating back to the 1973 season ... The Panthers hold a commanding 29-12-4 lead in the series, having won the last three matches in the series ... FIU is 16-3-3 all-time against the Knights at home ... The two state foes were scheduled to meet last season, however that contest was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.
 
LAST TIME OUT
FIU notched its first win of 2018 on Sept. 7, with a thrilling 2-1 come-from-behind overtime win at Marshall ... The win extended FIU's Conference USA unbeaten streak to 14 matches ... Santiago Patino put FIU on his back netting both goals on the night for the Panthers, including the game-winner in the 92' minute ... Patino also led all players with eight shots, including four on goal ... The win was the seventh-straight victory for the Panthers over Marshall ... FIU keeper Hugo Fauroux recorded one save on the night in 92:23, for his first win of the season.
 
FIRST TIME PANTHERS
Eight players for FIU saw their first action in a Panthers' uniform on Friday, with three earning their first career start in the blue and gold ... Nick O'Callaghan, Caleb Franke, and Jakob Rylander, all earned the starting nod, while Talla Faye, Jacques Bouvery, Kimani Simons, Errol Spence, and Jules, Desportes, all came in off the bench.
 
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.
 
PANTHERS TABBED TO WIN C-USA IN PRESEASON POLL
FIU was voted by the league's head coaches to finish first in this year's preseason coaches' poll ... FIU received four first place votes ... Last season the Panthers were 6-0-2 in Conference USA play and won their first C-USA regular season title.
 
A LOOK AHEAD
The Panthers will stay on their home turf as they return to the FIU Soccer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 14, to face UAB at 7 p.m. to close out the two-match homestand ... Following Friday, the Panthers will head out for three-straight on the road, at Virginia (Sept. 18, 7 p.m.), at North Florida (Sept. 23, 7 p.m.) and at New Mexico (Sept. 28, 4 p.m. ET).

SOCIAL MEDIA
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