The FIU men’s soccer team is on a roll entering Conference USA championships
FIU’s football team is struggling.
FIU’s futbol team isn’t.
While FIU’s football team has lost 15 consecutive games against FBS schools and is a staple of ESPN’s “Bottom 10” rankings, the Panthers’ men’s soccer squad is writing an entirely different story.
FIU’s soccer/futbol team, led by second-year coach Kyle Russell, is 12-2-2 and ranked 14th in the nation.
The Panthers, 7-0 at home this season, have posted several big results this year, including a 4-0 rout over 13th-ranked UCF, a 1-0 victory over 12th-ranked Virginia Commonwealth; a 0-0 draw with eighth-ranked Kentucky; and a 4-1 triumph over No. 1 Marshall last Friday.
Next up is the Conference USA championships, which begin Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. FIU has a first-round bye and will play in the semifinals Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Coastal Carolina — where Russell served as an assistant coach from 2010 to 2019 — or Kentucky.
Russell, who helped Coastal make the NCAA tournament nine times in 10 years, led FIU to a 2-1 win over his former program earlier this season.
“Playing against them was surreal,” Russell said. “A lot of their players, I recruited and helped to develop. Maybe I had an advantage [because I] know how they prepare, but Coastal is built for the playoffs.”
Russell, named Conference USA Coach of the Year on Tuesday, is hoping the same is true for FIU. The Panthers are already a lock for the 48-team NCAA tournament that starts Nov. 18. But with wins on Friday and in Sunday’s C-USA title game, the Panthers would get a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament. FIU would also get a second-round home game, and a win there would put the Panthers in the Sweet 16.
But no matter how this year ends, this is a young FIU team. Among FIU’s 11 starters, only two of them will exhaust their eligibility this season: center back Kareem Riley and winger Mauro Bravo.
In fact, exactly half of FIU’s players — 15 of 30 — are new this season, and here’s why: After last year’s abbreviated 4-4-1 COVID-disrupted season, Russell and his staff saw what types of players they needed to add, and they then made the necessary adjustments in recruiting.
That includes signing Bernardo Dos Santos, a true freshman from Portugal who is second on the team in goals with seven. On Tuesday, he was named Conference USA’s Freshman of the Year.
“He came in off the bench against UCF and scored, and he’s been a starter since,” Russell said. “How in the world is he doing what he does as a true freshman?”
FIU’s top forward is Canadian junior Stephen Afrifa, who leads the team in goals (eight), points (19) and game-winning tallies (four).
“When we got here as a staff, we had questions about Stephen and his defense,” Russell said. “But he has developed. Every team in the country has struggled to defend him. I think we will see him play professionally.”
Riley takes FIU’s penalty kicks and has made 4 of 5 this season.
“I trust Kareem because he’s calm and poised,” Russell said. “He’s never rattled.”
FIU’s starting goalie is Tyler Hogan, who has allowed nine goals in nine games. Backup Grant Makela is also stellar, allowing six goals in seven games.
“We try to recruit two ‘starters’ at every position,” Russell said. “Tyler is an incredible story. He was out of soccer while in college for 20 months. He had a non-cancerous tumor on his shin that required surgery.”
Russell said FIU’s style is clear.
“We treat every game like a championship match,” Russell said. “We play fast and intense, and we make opponents uncomfortable.”
CONFERENCE TALK
Conference USA announced it will add Sam Houston State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Jacksonville State by July 2023.
Nine teams have bolted C-USA in the past couple of weeks, and Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee appear headed to the Mid-American Conference leaving only FIU, Louisiana Tech and UTEP as holdovers in C-USA.
According to ESPN, Connecticut and Massachusetts are under consideration for further C-USA expansion.
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU’s football team (1-8, 0-5 Conference USA) will visit Middle Tennessee (4-5, 2-5) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee quarterback Nick Vattiato threw five interceptions in last week’s 48-21 loss at Western Kentucky.
▪ Vattiato is a true freshman from Plantation who played for Davie University School. He is the fourth starting quarterback Middle Tennessee has used this season.
▪ FIU football coach Butch Davis said injuries have “devastated” his defensive line, listing Hal Vinson, Tevin Jones and Rashad Colson among those who are out.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 1:55 PM.