MIAMI (Sept. 7, 2021) - David Garcia of the FIU men's soccer team has been named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

The award marks the first-ever for junior center back Garcia, who scored the game-winning goal in FIU's home opener against No. 12 VCU. The junior also played a full 90-minutes against the Rams and helped the Panthers post a clean sheet while allowing only one shot-on-goal.

Garcia found the back on the net after an FIU corner kick in the 73rd minute. The Panther continues to display masterful execution on set pieces, as he positioned himself well in the box to receive a deflected pass from Matthias Lavenant, then finished the play with a strike past the Rams' keeper for the go-ahead score.

Garcia's stout play in the backline was a huge part of the reason FIU allowed only seven total shots in the contest against the No. 12 Rams. VCU was unable to score on FIU, despite scoring against then-ranked No. 7 Wake Forest and No. 4 North Carolina the week prior. Garcia notched his second goal of the year in the contest and now leads FIU in points (5) and goals. 

UP NEXT
The Panthers are set to play the North Florida Ospreys in Jacksonville tonight. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET from Hodges Stadium.

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