MIAMI (Sept. 22, 2022) – No. 21 FIU men's soccer continues American Athletic Conference play Friday night, when the Panthers take on No. 25 SMU.
 
Kickoff from Dallas, Texas is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST and fans can watch the match live on ESPN+.
 
The Panthers are 4-2 this season, 2-1 away from Miami and opened conference play last week with a victory.
 
SMU comes into the match with a 4-2-1 record. The Mustangs are coming off a 1-0 loss to Memphis in their American Athletic Conference opener over the reigning conference champions, then, No. 10 Tulsa.
 
TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
The Panthers early season schedule has featured a strong slate of opponents. Through six matches, five have come against ranked or receiving votes teams with SMU becoming the sixth.
 
Three of those ranked matchups have come on the road with FIU holding a 2-1 record and will look to add another tally in that win column.
 
MAN ON FIRE
Senior Stephen Afrifa continues to be a spark for the Panthers. Afrifa has scored five goals in the first six matches, most recently bagging a brace in FIU's, 3-0, upset of then No. 10 Tulsa, his second brace of the season.

His efforts last week earned him American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week and a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week, both for the second time in the 2022 campaign.
 
SCOUTING SMU
The Mustangs own a strong offense that has scored 17 goals through seven matches. Midfielder Knut Ahlander leads SMU and the American in goals with seven, with forward Jose Ortiz not far behind with six goals of his own.
 
Junior Cole Johnson is the man in goal for SMU. Johnson has made 19 saves on the season and sports a .80 goals allowed average over seven matches.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers have a quick turnaround with a trip to Richmond, Virginia for a match against VCU, Tuesday, September 27. Kickoff is set for 7 P.M.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUMSoccer), Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Women's Soccer news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.