MIAMI – The #22 FIU Men's Soccer team prepares for their final regular season match of the season, taking on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane with an opportunity to become 2023 AAC Regular Season Champions after Wednesday night.
Wednesday, Nov. 1 vs. Tulsa (4-8-2, 2-5 AAC)
The Panthers head into this contest with a 9-3-3 overall record and a 5-1-1 record in AAC play, sitting second the standings, totaling for 16 points, three points behind first place SMU. A FIU win and a SMU loss on Wednesday clinches the Panthers of a American title, holding the point differential over the Mustangs. FIU has clinched their spot in the tournament, as a win will also guarantee a first-round bye.
FIU comes off a 2-0 clean sheet victory at home this past Friday, Oct. 27 against the Charlotte 49ers.
Eduardo Mustre shined offensively, securing a brace and scored the only two goals of the night. In addition, in net
Tyler Hogan tallied a save, receving his third AAC goalkeeper of the week honor with the shutout.
FIU's AAC leading scoring offense by Mustre, who leads the team in goals (11) and points (24) in his first season donning the Blue & Gold. The Córdoba, Mexico native is second in the AAC in goals and second in shots (41). In addition, his 24 points are the most recorded by a first-year Panther in program history. For his play against Charlotte, Mustre was named an AAC honor roll selection for the fourth time this season.
The forward duo of
Fumiya Shiraishi and
Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro has combined for a total of 51 shots, part of a FIU program that is second in the American with shots (184) .
The Panther offense is top in all of the American, leading the AAC in goals (30) and points (88). Dos Santos Monteiro stands second on the team with five goals including 12 points total.
On the backline,
Owen Travis has been a impactful player, leading FIU in minutes with 1,318 in addition with a defense allowing just 15 goals through 14 games, which stands as the least amount of goals given in a full season since 1980. His performance on Friday night awarded him AAC honor roll for the third time this season.
In net, Hogan has started in 12 games with a 0.89 goals against average and totaled for 28 saves. In addition, his save percentage of .718 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 11 times, dating back to the 2011 season.
Last year, the Panthers tallied a 3-0 shutout win over Tulsa on Sep.16.
Stephen Afrifa scored a pair of goals while
Julien Gastaldy netted a goal in the victory.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Tulsa enters the season finale with a 4-8-2 (2-5 AAC) record, having lost their last five consecutive matches, dating back to Oct. 5, while recording conference victories against UAB and FAU.
The Golden Hurricane sit with just six points in the American, placing them eight in the AAC standings, eliminated from AAC tournament play.
Offensively, Tulsa is led by Sergio Baena, who leads Tulsa in goals with five and points (13). Senior Malik-Henry Scott has notched four goals this season, while Yuki Sekiguchi is the team leader in assists with four.
In net, Leonard Stritter has started in 13 matches for Charlotte, notching 33 saves while only allowing 22 goals with a 1.64 GAA.
UP NEXT
FIU will look ahead to the AAC Tournament, that begins on Nov. 5 for first round action and ends on Nov. 12.
Sites, times and opponents are yet to be determined. Information will be released later this week.
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.
