DELAND, Fla. – The FIU men's soccer program begins a three-game road trip Monday night with a matchup against the Stetson Hatters at 6 p.m. from the Athletic Training Center.
 
Monday, Aug. 26 at Stetson (0-1-0)

• Time / Site: 6 p.m. ET at Athletic Training Center
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• Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics 

 FIU (0-1-0) opened the 2024 campaign this past Thursday, Aug. 22 losing 1-0 to Seton Hall in the season opener at home. The Panthers and Pirates battled after a scoreless first half, including outshooting Seton Hall, 6-4. Yet, in the 59^th minute, the Pirates secured the eventual game-winning goal to earn the win.
 
Forwards Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro and Eduardo Mustre each had two shots on goal throughout Thursday night.
 
In net for the Panthers, goalie Nigel Van Haveren made his FIU debut, logging seven saves. The Nijmegen, Netherlands native posted the most saves in a FIU uniform since March 13, 2021 when Johan Peñaranda made 14 saves in a victory vs Marshall.
 
Beginning Monday night, FIU will depart away from Miami with three consecutive games on the road. Following Stetson, the Panthers will travel to a pair of top 25 opponents including #6 North Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 29 and head to Washington D.C. for a Labor Day match at #16 Georgetown on Monday, Sep. 2.
 
In the 49-year history against the Hatters, FIU holds the advantage with a 23-4-1 record versus Stetson. The last matchup held in regular season action was a 2-0 shutout win in favor of FIU on Sept. 29, 2019 from Miami. This will be the first time since Sep. 6 of 2015 that FIU will travel to DeLand for a match with the Panthers winning the eventual contest 3-0.
 
WE'RE INTERNATIONAL, SO INTERNATIONAL!
FIU embraces its name with a truly international roster. This season's Panthers have players from 11 different countries.

The USA leads the way with seven players. Mexico each has six representatives, while France has four. Israel and Portugal, have two representatives each.
 
NEWCOMERS GALORE
FIU will have a lot of new faces on the roster in 2024 with a total of 13 newcomers.
 
That is led by sophomore goalie Nigel Van Haveren that is expected to be a pivotal piece to the Panthers in the net. Pittsburgh transfer Mathys Lefebvre brings his high level experience in the midfield. Israeli David Houja will be a key addition on the backline while on the attacking line NJIT transfer Enrique Mutsoli has shown promise through preseason.
 
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson heads into their home opener Monday night coming off a 3-1 road loss to UNC Ashville this past Friday, Aug. 23.  Defender Charlie Rutt scored the lone goal for the Hatters on the night.
 
The Hatters were picked to finish third in the ASUN Preseason Poll after finishing the 2023 season with a 7-7-1 record including an appearance in the ASUN Semifinals before falling to Bellarmine in double overtime.
 
Four players placed their name on the Preseason All-ASUN team, the most of any team in the conference. The Hatters are led by junior Andres Mata, who is the leading returning goal scorer for Stetson (8) and forward Xavi Csato, posting a team-lead of six assists in 2023.
 
In net, Stetson returns goalkeeper Nicolo Radaelli, making 17 starts last season. This past Friday in the loss to UNC Ashville, Radaelli made five saves, while allowing three goals in net.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue their road trip, heading to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a matchup at #6 North Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m..It will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
 
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.