MIAMI (Nov. 9, 2022) – No. 1 seed Men's Soccer is set to host No. 5 seed Memphis, Thursday night, after earning the top spot in the tournament and hosting rights as American Athletic Conference regular season champions.
 
Kickoff at FIU Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match can be watched live on ESPN+
 
The Panthers closed out the regular season with a 11-4-1 record, 6-2-1 conference record and 6-2 record at home.
 
The Tigers posted a 9-4-4 regular season record, a 5-3-1 record in the AAC and a 2-3-1 road record.
 
FIU hosted Memphis earlier in the season, taking down the then No. 22 Tigers, 3-2, on an 88th-minute winner by Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro.
 
HOT HAND
With four wins and a draw in the final five matches, FIU has had three three-match unbeaten streaks and are on a season-best five-match unbeaten streak heading into the conference tournament.
 
The Panthers have outscored opponents 12-7 during this streak and beat cross-town rivals FAU, 1-0, to capture the AAC regular season championship.
 
RESILIENCE
The Panthers have been hard to beat all season.
 
FIU has not lost two matches in a row this season and followed up a loss with a win three times.
 
They hold a perfect 8-0 record in one-score matches, including winning the last four matches by one goal.
 
The Panthers have scored 12 goals in the 70th minute or later with seven coming in the 80th minute or later.
 
FOR THREE
The Panthers' blazing offense has scored multiple goals in 11 of 16 matches in 2022.
 
The win against then No. 14 Charlotte last month marked the eighth time that FIU has scored at least three goals in a match. The Panthers are 5-2-1 in those matches, outscoring opponents 25-21.
 
Four players have scored at least three goals total this season. Stephen Afrifa leads the team with nine, which ranks third in the conference, Bernardo has tallied five, Fumiya Shiraishi moved his total to four for the season and Yushi Nagao has scored three times.
 
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Tigers' offense scored 29 goals in the regular season. Freshman Alberto Curz leads the team in goals with eight, while sophomore Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos has scored six goals of his own, assisting on four others.
 
Sophomore Colin Welsh has been the man in goal for the Tigers all season starting 17 matches. Welsh has made 66 saves and posted six shutouts.
 
UP NEXT
The American Athletic Conference Championship will be played, Sunday, November 13 at 1 p.m. at FIU Soccer Stadium.
 
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.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.