MIAMI (Nov. 4, 2021) – The No. 19 ranked FIU men's soccer team will play for the Conference USA regular-season title against the defending NCAA champions this Friday, Nov. 5, when the Panthers welcome No. 1 ranked Marshall to FIU Soccer Stadium.
 
First kick against the Thundering Herd is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, with doors opening to the public at 6 p.m.

The match will be streamed live on CUSA-TV. Live stats can be found here.

A win or a draw by FIU will secure the regular-season C-USA crown for the Panthers, who are currently two points ahead of Marshall for first-place in the league standings.

MATCH PREVIEW
FIU boasts an 11-2-2 record on the season, including an undefeated 6-0-1 mark in C-USA play, and a perfect 6-0 record at home. The Blue & Gold sit atop the league standings with 19 points heading into the final contest of the regular season. FIU secured its seventh clean sheet of the year last Saturday against rival FAU, marking the Blue & Gold's most shutouts since the 2003 campaign. The Panthers blanked the Owls by a score of 4-0 on the road, giving FIU its third win by at least four goals this season, and the sixth by at least two goals.

Marshall has posted an 11-1-3 record this year, including a 5-0-2 mark in C-USA, and currently sits in second place in the league with 17 points. The Thundering Herd have yet to lose on the road this season, touting a 6-0-0 record in enemy territory. Marshall is coming off a 4-0 victory last Saturday over South Carolina, who the Panthers also defeated by the same margin earlier this year.

FIU and Marshall last met during the 2021 spring season on Mar. 13, when the Panthers were barely edged in overtime by a score of 1-0 on the road. The Panthers last hosted the Thundering Herd in Miami back on Nov. 8, 2019, when the two programs also played for the C-USA Regular Season Championship and FIU fell in a heartbreaker (2-1). Marshall holds a slim advantage in the all-time series against FIU, with the Panthers owning a 10-12 record against the Thundering Herd.

SCOUTING THE HERD
Marshall is led offensively by fifth-year senior midfielder Pedro Dolabella, who paces C-USA in points (26), goals (10), and game-winning goals (5), to go along with six assists. Senior midfielder Vinicius Fernandes leads the Thundering Herd with eight helpers on the year and ranks second on the squad in points (18). Vitor Dias and Milo Yosef rank third and fourth with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Marshall has 10 players on its roster that have logged over 1,000 minutes on the season, with the Thundering Herd opting for the ironman approach of using fewer substitutions on match days. Senior center back Nathan Dossantos has played the most minutes for Marshall this season, logging a full 90 minutes-or-more in 13 games.

Between the pipes, Oliver Semmle has started 14 games for the Thundering herd and recorded 43 saves on 117 shots faced, while allowing 11 goals and securing eight shutouts. Semmle boasts a .74 goals-allowed-average to go along with a .796 save percentage.

As a team, the Thundering Herd have recorded nine clean sheets on the year.

FIU BY THE NUMBERS
The Panthers are currently ranked No. 19 in the nation according to polls by the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer.com. FIU has now been nationally ranked in the Top-25 for nine straight weeks.

The Blue & Gold stands as the highest-ranked program in the state of Florida, and one of four teams from the formidable Conference USA to be either ranked or receiving votes in national polls.

FIU stands top in the nation in several statistical categories, including No. 1 in the nation in shots-per-game (17.20) and No. 2 in shots-on-goal per game (7.87).

Additionally, the Panthers rank No. 12 in scoring offense (2.40 goals-per-game) and points-per-game (7.07), while standing at No. 13 in win percentage (.800) and No. 15 in goal differential (22). FIU also ranks No. 19 in assists-per-game, No. 23 in corner kicks per game, No. 26 in shutout percentage (.467), and No. 36 in goals-against-average (.903)

After earning a Top-30 recruiting class from TopDrawerSoccer.com (TDS) before the season started, FIU has seen three of its freshmen grace the TDS Men's Freshmen Top-100. Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro (No. 23), Julian Hodek (No. 69), and Edgar Aguilar (No. 76) all appeared in the recent release. Additionally, standout center back David Garcia was ranked No. 32 in the TDS Men's Soccer Top-100 players list.

12 different Panthers have scored this season in what has been a truly balanced attack, with Dos Santos Monteiro (7), Stephen Afrifa (7), Kareem Riley (5), Garcia (3), and Talla Faye (3) leading the way. FIU has seen a defender score in 10 of its 15 contests this season, with Garcia, Riley, Carlos Scheckermann (2), and Philip Hildebrandt (2) all contributing goals.

Center back Riley has anchored FIU's defense and leads the squad with 1,343 minutes played while starting all 15 games.

UP NEXT
After conclusion of the regular season, the Panthers will hit the road next week for the Conference USA Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. The opening round is set to take place on Wednesday, Nov. 10, with the championship contest slated for Sunday, Nov. 14.

TICKETS
For more information on tickets, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit here.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUMSoccer), Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news. Follow all of FIU's athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).