MIAMI (Oct. 1, 2021) – The No. 21 ranked FIU men's soccer team will play its Conference USA home opener this Saturday, Oct. 2, when the Panthers welcome rival Charlotte to FIU Soccer Stadium.
Kickoff against the 49ers is set for 7 p.m. ET.
The match will be streamed live via CUSA-TV. Live stats can be found here.
MATCH PREVIEW
FIU owns a 6-1-1 record on the season and an undefeated 3-0 record at home. The Panthers are fresh off a C-USA opening win against UAB (2-1) on the road this past Sunday. FIU outscored it's opponents 8-2 last week, after the Panthers blanked Jacksonville by a score of 6-0 (Sept. 21) for FIU's highest scoring output since Sept. 14, 2019 (6-1, FAU).
Charlotte touts a 6-2 record this year and enters the contest riding a four-game winning streak. The 49ers have posted clean sheets in their last two contests, after defeating Wofford (2-0) this past Tuesday, Sept. 28, and opening the C-USA slate with a shutout over South Carolina (3-0) last Saturday, Sept. 25. Charlotte owns a 1-1 record on the road this fall.
SCOUTING THE 49ers
Charlotte is led offensively by Joe Brito and Kameron Lacy, who have recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively. Lacey leads the 49ers in shot attempts (20) and shots-on-goal, while Brito leads Charlotte with five assists. Defender Delasi Batse has started all eight games on the 49ers' backline and has not subbed out of any contest this season, leading Charlotte with 720 minutes-played. Between the pipes, senior Daniel Kuzemka has started every game for UAB and posted 30 saves on 94 shots faced while allowing eight goals.
ALL-TIME SERIES
FIU has posted a 5-9-2 all-time record against Charlotte but has not secured a victory over the 49ers since joining C-USA. The Panthers last contest against Charlotte in Miami resulted in a scoreless draw between the two clubs.
FIU BY THE NUMBERS
The No. 21 ranked Panthers are the highest-ranked program in the state of Florida, and one of three teams from Conference USA to be ranked in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top-25 poll. FIU has now been ranked in four straight USC polls out of the five total this year.
Nine different Panthers have scored this season in what has been a truly balanced attack, with Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro (4), Stephen Afrifa (3), David Garcia (3), Kareem Riley (2), and Talla Faye (2) leading the way. Afrifa and Faye each recorded a combined total of five points in FIU's two contests last week. Team captain Julian Hodek also logged five points, with three assists and a goal against JU.
FIU has seen a Panther defender score in six of its eight games this season, with Garcia, Riley, and Philip Hildebrandt (1) all contributing goals. Garcia has recorded a total of seven points from the center back position.
The Panther center back duo of Garcia and Riley have anchored FIU's defense and lead the squad with 715 and 700 minutes-played, respectively.
Goalkeeper Grant Makela has started seven contests for FIU and posted three clean sheets while nabbing 17 saves on 68 shots faced. FIU's lengthy netminder owns a 0.82 goals-against-average and a 0.739 save percentage on the year. Tyler Hogan started his first career game as a Panther in FIU's contest against JU and logged two saves with a clean sheet.
UP NEXT
FIU is set for another huge contest against a C-USA foe next week, when the 21st-ranked Panthers travel to face No. 10 Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 10. First kick against the Wildcats is slated for 6 p.m. ET at Bell Soccer Complex.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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