Weekend Replay: Men’s soccer defeats No. 21 Kentucky


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Santiago Patino leads the Panthers with seven goals in six games so far in 2016.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

In a rematch of last year’s Conference USA Tournament semifinals, the FIU men’s soccer team (3-2-1, 1-0 C-USA) defeated the No. 21-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in a 2-1 thriller at FIU Soccer Stadium Sept. 17.

Sophomore forward Santiago Patino was the hero for the Panthers, scoring both FIU goals in the win.

Patino scored off a corner kick by junior midfielder Donald Tomlinson in the fifth minute to give the Panthers the early lead.

Seven minutes later, Patino struck again with a header off a free kick by junior midfielder Brad Fountain that found its way past Kentucky goalkeeper Stuart Ford to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the 12th minute.

Patino now leads the Panthers in scoring with seven goals through six games this season.

Kentucky cut the lead in half in the early minutes of the second half, but FIU senior goalkeeper Arthur Clapot made a diving save on the penalty kick in 79th minute to preserve the Panthers’ lead and the victory.

After a midweek match at Wake Forest Sept. 20, the Panthers will return to conference play with a road match against Charlotte Sept. 24.

For more information on FIU men’s soccer, go to FIUSports.com.

VOLLEYBALL  

The FIU volleyball team (6-7) split their four matches on the road this weekend at the Maroon Classic in Starkville, Mississippi.

On Sept. 16, the Panthers opened up the tournament with a 3-2 loss to host Mississippi State but rebounded that evening with a 3-0 sweep – their first sweep of the season – against Eastern Illinois.

Senior outside hitter Katie Hogan tallied a double-double in both matches, with 25 kills and 21 digs combined on Friday.

On Sept. 17, the Panthers again started the day with a loss – this time a 3-0 sweep to Portland – before bouncing back with a sweep of their own against Troy to close out the tournament.

Junior middle blocker Jennifer Ene shined in both matches, combining for seven total block assists to move to ninth all-time in school history for block assists.

The Panthers will travel to Fort Myers to take on Florida Gulf Coast for a midweek match Sept. 20 before opening Conference USA competition with a road match against North Texas Sept. 25.

For more information on FIU women’s volleyball, go to FIUSports.com.

FOOTBALL

In their first road game of the season, the FIU football team (0-3) fell short in a 21-13 loss against the UMass Minutemen Sept. 17.

Despite taking the early lead with a 47-yard field goal by Autsin Taylor in the first quarter, the Minutemen scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to take the lead at halftime.

Trailing by eight points with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Panthers had one last chance to put together a drive to try to tie the game and force overtime. FIU got as far as the UMass 47-yard line before the Minutemen forced a fumble and recovered it with just under a minute to play to seal the victory.

FIU junior running back Alex Gardner was a bright spot for the Panthers, rushing for 130 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the losing effort.

The Panthers return to FIU Stadium to take on in-state rival UCF Sept. 24. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

For more information on FIU Football, go to FIUSports.com.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

After a two-and-a-half hour weather delay, the FIU women’s soccer team finally opened up conference play Sept. 18 against rival Florida Atlantic.

But the Panthers could not find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to the Owls to drop their overall record to 1-6-1 this season.

The Panthers will be back at FIU Soccer Stadium this weekend to take on Charlotte Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.

For more information on FIU women’s soccer, go to FIUSports.com.