MIAMI (Sept. 16, 2021) – The No. 13 ranked FIU men's soccer team is set to face a tough road challenge on Friday, Sept. 17, when the Panthers take on a Bowling Green State squad that is receiving votes in national polls.

Kickoff against the Falcons is set for 7 p.m. ET from Cochrane Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
The match will be broadcasted live on Youtube. Live stats can be found here.

MATCH PREVIEW
The Panthers sport a 4-0-1 record heading into the match against the Falcons, with a 2-0-1 road record. FIU is coming off a decisive 4-2 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley on Sept. 12. Freshman attacking midfielder Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro recorded a brace in the match for FIU to help lift the Panthers at home.

BGSU owns a 4-1-1 record on the season and a 1-1-1 record at home. The Falcons are coming off a 3-0 victory over Wright State this past Tuesday (Sept. 14). Prior to that, BGSU lost narrowly by a score of 1-0 to No. 5 ranked Marshall (Sept. 11). The Falcons held the defending champions scoreless all the way until the final minutes, before conceding a goal in the 89th minute.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
BGSU has allowed only two goals this season. Between the posts, Logan Kowalczyk has logged every minute of the season and posted four clean sheets. The Falcons' keeper has nine shutouts throughout his 18 career starts.

The Falcons are led offensively by Sergi Martinez and Kyle Cusimano, who have recorded six points apiece. Martinez recorded a goal in the Falcons' recent contest against Wright State, while Cusimano logged two assists. As a team, the Falcons have recorded at least three goals in three different contests this year, while scoring a total of 11 on the season.

FIU BY THE NUMBERS
The Blue & Gold is the highest-ranked program in the state of Florida, and one of five teams from Conference USA to be either ranked or receiving votes in national polls.

FIU has seen a Panther defender score in every game this season. Backliners David Garcia (3), Philip Hildebrandt (1), and Enzo Riley (1) have all logged goals. Garcia leads the Panthers with seven points from the center back position.

Six different Panthers have scored this season in what has been a truly balanced attack, with Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro (3), Stephen Afrifa (2), and Rasmus Tobinski (1) also finding the back of the net.

The Panther center back duo of Garcia and Riley have anchored FIU's defense and lead the squad with 475 minutes-played, along with goalkeeper Grant Makela. Makela has posted three clean sheets this season while nabbing 12 saves on 40 shots faced. FIU's lengthy netminder owns a 0.57 goals-against-average and a 0.800 save percentage on the year.

UP NEXT
FIU is back home to face Jacksonville on Tuesday, Sept. 21, before opening up conference play the following Saturday against UAB. Kickoff against the Dolphins is set for 5 p.m. ET in Miami.

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. Follow all of FIU's athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook