MIAMI – The FIU men's soccer program kicks off its 2025 campaign on Thursday night, hosting the Omaha Mavericks at Leyva Family Field at FIU Soccer Stadium.
Thursday, Aug. 21 vs Omaha
- Time / Site: 7 p.m. ET at Leyva Family Field at FIU Soccer Stadium
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- Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
The Panthers enter their fourth season in the American Conference following a competitive 2024 slate that featured a postseason surge, advancing to the American Conference Championship match for the second time in three years before falling to eventual champion Charlotte in overtime.
The 2025 schedule opens with back-to-back home matches, beginning with Omaha and continuing Sunday, Aug. 24, against Creighton. FIU then heads on the road for a Labor Day weekend test at No. 14 NC State, followed by a clash at South Carolina.
Head Coach
Kyle Russell, entering his sixth season at the helm, returns a strong veteran core of 10 players led by Preseason All-Conference selections João Domingues, along with team captains
Eduardo Mustre and
Owen Travis. Mustre has been FIU's primary scoring threat over the past two seasons, recording five goals in 2024—including four over the final four matches—and looks poised for a breakout year. Travis, who anchored the backline in 2023 with a team-high 1,698 minutes before missing last season due to injury, makes his long-awaited return.
In goal, junior
Nigel Van Haveren provides consistency after leading the American with 63 saves last season, the most by a Panther since 2019. He posted a .778 save percentage across 16 starts, while sophomore
Beltran Fernandez adds depth after logging two starts and a shutout in 2024.
The midfield is bolstered by the veteran presence of graduate student
Mathys Lefebvre and senior
David Boccuzzo, while junior
Nicolas Villalobos returns as an attacking option after tallying three goals in 14 matches.
FIU also welcomes 17 newcomers from 11 different countries, reinforcing its global identity. Key additions include sixth-year transfer
Scott Neil (Barry University), Italian striker
Pasquale Capriati, and French winger
Johan Helan—who together bring more than 50 combined goals from their academy careers. On the defensive side, graduate transfer
Tibo Gobet (Florida Memorial) has already developed strong chemistry with the backline.
Additional depth comes from Belgian defender
Emmanuel Gore Bi and German senior
Jesse Addae Osei, along with midfielder
Damian McGregor-Wickham, a three-year starter at Presbyterian. Swiss freshman
Emilio Maldonado Frei, with over 2,000 academy minutes, adds youthful energy to the midfield. The roster is further strengthened by defenders
Dohyun Koh (Pima CC),
Alfonso Gilleard Soriano (Harford CC), sophomore
Leonardo Consoloni (American International), and freshman
Lukas Pareja, who brings speed and creativity. Junior goalkeeper
Florian Grollmann (Academy of Arts) rounds out the unit.
HISTORY WITH OMAHA
Thursday's contest marks just the second all-time meeting between FIU and Omaha. The Panthers previously defeated the Mavericks, 2-0, in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament in Miami.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Omaha enters 2025 coming off a seven-win campaign and is projected to finish fifth in the Summit League.
The Mavericks are led by returning top scorer Theo Klein, who posted five goals, three assists, and 13 points in 2024 to earn Second Team All-Summit League honors. Forward Italo Jenkins also returns after netting four goals last season, landing on both the All-Newcomer and Second Teams.
On the defensive side, Sahai Williams brings experience after starting 14 matches and logging the second-most minutes on the squad (1,399). In the midfield, Stefan Bilinac provides depth after making nine starts in 2024.
UP NEXT
FIU wraps up the season-opening homestand taking on the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. from Leyva Family Field at FIU Soccer Stadium. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.
BAPTIST HEALTH
Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
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