MIAMI – With just three games left, the #14 ranked FIU Men's Soccer team gets set for the final stretch of the American Athletic conference schedule, as they take on the Florida Atlantic Owls this Friday from Boca Raton.
Friday, Oct. 20 vs. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-6-3 2-4 CUSA)
The Panthers head into this contest with a 8-2-3 overall record and a 4-0-1 record in AAC play, tied for second in the standings with #4 SMU, totaling for 13 points.
FIU has shined in AAC play, winners of four of their last five matches, and have yet to lose a match in the American. Dating back to the 2022 season, FIU has won a total of nine matches out of ten in conference play.
FIU comes off a clean-sheet victory this past Tuesday, Oct. 17 on the road against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
Simon Afrifa was the hero scoring the lone goal in the first half for the Panthers and has scored goals in back-to-back games to lead FIU to its fourth clean-sheet of the season.
Goalkeeper
Tyler Hogan notched four saves, playing in all 90 minutes to tally his third clean-sheet in net.
FIU's AAC leading scoring offense (2.17 goals per game) and points leader (72) is led by junior
Eduardo Mustre, who leads the team in goals (8) and points (18) in his first season donning the Blue & Gold. The Córdoba, Mexico native is third in the AAC in goals and second in shots. In addition, his 18 points are the most recorded by a first-year Panther in program history.
Junior
Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro has shined in the past seven games with four goals scored. The junior has logged three goals in AAC play and has totaled for 11 points in his junior campaign. For his efforts this week, Dos Santos Monteiro was named to the weekly American honor roll.
Junior
Diego Castillo has found a groove adding in with four points, four shots, two assists, and a goal in his past three matches.
The forward duo of
Fumiya Shiraishi and Dos Santos Monteiro has combined for a total of 47 shots, part of a FIU program that is second inthe American with shots (166) .
On the backline,
Owen Travis has been a impactful player, leading FIU in minutes with 1138 in addition with a defense allowing just 13 goals through 14 games, which stands as the least amount of goals given in a full season since 2012.
In net, Hogan has started in ten games with a 0.87 goals against average and totaled for 25 saves. In addition, his save percentage of .735 is third in the conference.
INTERNATIONAL
FIU embraces its name with a truly international roster. This season's Panthers have players from 15 different countries.
The USA leads the way with four players. Denmark, Mexico and France each have three representatives. Portugal, Japan and Germany have two representatives each.
LAST TIME OUT
Both schools have met for a total of 17 times, with FIU winning 14 of the matches dating back to the 2006 season.
Currently, the Panthers are on a nine-game winning against the Owls with their victory coming last season on Nov. 2, 2022 in a 1-0 win at home which saw FIU earn their first ever AAC regular season championship.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Florida Atlantic enters the conference matchup with a 3-6-3 (2-4 CUSA) record, coming off a 3-0 loss last Saturday, Oct. 14 against #4 SMU on the road in Dallas.
The Owls has secured conference wins this season against Memphis on Sept. 29 and against UAB on Oct. 8. FAU currently sits in sixth place the American, with a total of six point through six matches.
Offensively, Florida Atlantic is led by graduate student Victor Claudel who leads FAU in points with (12). Junior Noah Kvifte has set the team lead in goals scored with five goals and tied for second in points (11) alongside Tom Abrahamsson.
In net, Rotem Fadida has started in all 12 matches for Florida Atlantic with a GAA of 2.00, while netting 45 saves and having allowed 24 goals this season.
UP NEXT
FIU heads back for their final home match of the regular season as they honor the seniors in a pivotal matchup against the Charlotte 49ers on Friday, Oct. 27.
First kick from FIU Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
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.
