MIAMI (Sep. 7, 2023) – The No. 7 ranked (College Soccer News) FIU men's soccer team (2-0-2) is back in action at home and ready to take on No. 24 (College Soccer News) New Hampshire on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET streaming live on ESPN+. The Panthers open the following week on the road with a match against No. 5 Akron on Monday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
 
FAMILIAR FOES
The Panthers and the Wildcats are facing off for the first time since they beat New Hampshire in an epic penalty shootout with a goal in the 12th round that lifted FIU to a thrilling NCAA Tournament second round victory.     
 
The Panthers captured the shootout, which featured a stretch where each team recorded a goal for eight consecutive rounds, by a 10-9 margin. 
 
The 19 total shootout goals were the most in a NCAA Men's Soccer Championship match since Michigan and Notre Dame combined for 21 in 2018.
 
ROAD TESTED
The Panthers were strong on the road in 2022, finishing with a 5-3-1 record away from FIU Soccer Stadium. They also defeated three ranked teams on the road last season in No. 25 St. John's, No. 13 UNC and No. 14 Charlotte.
 
FIU opened the season on the road with a 2-1 victory over then (RV) Oregon State. This past week against No. 6 UCF, FIU earned a hard fought, 2-2, draw. The Panthers found their equalizer in the 84th minute thanks Francesco Renzi pouncing on a loose ball after Fumiya Shiraishi's shot was blocked. Defender Kasper Skraep scored his second goal of the season to get FIU on the board against the Knights.
 
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.
 
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats 2-1-1 (0-0-0 America East) are coming off a 1-0 loss against Cornell after winning back to back matches Boston University and William & Mary.
 
UNH went 15-4-1 (.775) overall in the 2022 season and was ranked No. 21 in the final United Soccer Coaches National Poll. UNH won the America East Tournament championship versus UAlbany to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive year and seventh time overall as UNH defeated Seton Hall, 2-1, in the first round at Wildcat Stadium.
 
UNH is 1-0-1 all-time versus the Panthers with both meetings taking place last season.
Players to look out for on New Hampshire are Inaki Rodriguez and Bilal Kamal. Rodriguez leads UNH with two goals and four points while Kamal has posted one goal and one assist for three points for the Wildcats.   
 
SCOUTING No. 9 AKRON
 The Zips 3-0-1 (0-0-0 Big East) will take on Long Island on Friday, Sept. 8 before they take on FIU and are coming off a 1-0 win over Southern Indiana on Monday, Sept. 4.
 
The last time these two programs squared off was last season on August 25 and Akron pulled out a road win at FIU in a high scoring affair 5-3.
 
The Zips are rated first in the NCAA in penalty kicks (1.000), third in shutout percentage (.750) and teams goals against average (0.25), fifth in goal differential (8), eighth in shots per game (17.50), ninth in winning percentage (.875), 10th in save percentage (.889), 19th in total goals (9) and in total points (27), 20th in total assists (9), 23rd in points per tilt (6.75), 25th in assists per game (2.25), 26th in scoring offense (2.25) and 33rd in shots on goal per contest (6.50).

Players on Akron to be on the lookout for are Senior Josef Paulus who leads the Zips in goals (2), assists (1), points (5), shots on goal (4) and game-winners (1). Junior Gyuwon Chong leads the team with 13 shots. Redshirt freshman GK Seth Wilson has collected eight saves with two shutouts this season.
 
Series Record vs Akron: 0-1-1

UP NEXT
The Panthers begin conference play the following match when they take on Temple at home on Saturday, Sept. 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
 
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.