MIAMI (Sept. 30, 2019) - Mark down another Conference USA weekly accolade for the FIU men's soccer program, as on Monday the league office announced Daniel Gagliardi as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week after the conclusion of the 2019 season's fifth week.  

Daniel Gagliardi helped the Panthers earn shutout victories over Stetson (2-0) and UAB (2-0) over the past week, as FIU improved to 7-0-2 on the season and notched their third consecutive clean sheet in as many games. Against Stetson and UAB, Gagliardi recorded a total of three saves while facing 12 shots in the box and allowing zero goals. The keeper has not exited a match at any point this season and is up to 805 minutes logged in 2019. Gagliardi has been a big part of the Panthers undefeated start this year, as the goalkeeper leads C-USA in save percentage (0.784) and shutouts (3), while also ranking second in the conference this season in goals-allowed-average (0.85) and saves (29). 

The FIU men's soccer program has now earned a C-USA individual award in four of the first five weeks of the 2019 campaign. It marks the second defensive weekly award for the program this season, as Nick O'Callaghan is the reigning honoree for the week ending in Sept. 22. FIU has also seen Andrew Booth (9/2), Alessandro Campoy (9/16), and Caleb Franke (9/23) dubbed C-USA Offensive Player of the Week this month.

Gagliardi has earned the C-USA defensive honor twice in his career, as the graduate student received the recognition last year on Oct. 8, 2018 — following a six save effort in a 3-2 defeat over No. 4 ranked Kentucky. Throughout the course of his FIU tenure, Gagliardi has posted an impressive 17-2-1 record in 25 games played. During the 2017 season he helped the Panthers to a shutout victory over Omaha (2-0) in the first round of the NCAA Division I Championships — posting seven saves in the match. Gagliardi has assumed the role of full-time goalkeeper for the Panthers in his final year of eligibility. 

Born in Plantation, Florida and the son of Brazilian parents, Gagliardi came to FIU in 2015 by way of St. Thomas Aquinas High School — where he was a four year letterwinner and a 2014 Honorable Mention All-Broward County selection. The fifth-year Panther earned his Bachelor's Degree from FIU in May of 2019, and is currently pursuing a Master's in Kinesiology. 

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