NORFOLK, Va. – ODU men’s soccer returns home to the ODU Soccer Complex for a two-game stint, starting with FIU on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Conference USA TV and fans can also follow the Live Stats HERE.
OLD DOMINION
The Monarchs are going into Saturday’s match after picking up a 1-0 conference win, in overtime, over the Thundering Herd of Marshall in Huntington, W.Va. Wednesday night. ODU is 4-6-2 overall, 1-3-1 in conference play, and fighting for a spot in the 2016 C-USA men’s tournament. The Monarchs currently sit in eighth in the C-USA standings and only the top seven teams make the tournament. Click the following link for the full Conference USA standings.
Jesse Miralrio scored the game-winning golden goal in the 98th minute of play to giving ODU its first conference win of the season and breaking a six-game winless stretch. Miralrio leads the ODU attack with 44 shots, 17 coming on goal. He is tied with Niko Klosterhalfen for the lead in goals with three.
Klosterhalfen is also tied for the team lead in points with Sebastien Hauret. Each athlete has collected seven points apiece on the season. Hauret leads the Monarchs in assists with five on the season while Jimmy Filerman and Cole Stringer both claim second with three assists each.
Defensively, the Monarchs have posted three shutouts and blocked 33 opponent shots on the season. Alex Tiesenhausen solidifies the back line with 55 saves through 1,082:11 minutes in net for ODU. He holds a 1.58 goals against average and a .743 save percentage through 12 matches.
FIU
The Panthers enter the match after picking up a 2-0 win over UCF on Tuesday night in Miami, Fla. FIU is 6-6-2 on the season, 3-2-1 in conference action and are on a four-game unbeaten streak.
Santiago Patino leads the Panthers with seven goals for 14 point through 12-of-14 matches. He has taken 29 shots, 18 on goal for a .620 SOG%. Three FIU athletes have recorded two goals each including Luca Giovine, Joris Ahlinvi and Luis Bentancur.
On the defensive end, FIU has posted five shutouts by two goalies. Arthur Clapot has three to his credit while Dani Gagliardi holds two. Between the two, FIU has 43 saves and allowed 20 goals by opponents on 132 shots. The Panther defense has held their competition to just 9.4 shots and 1.43 goals per game through 14 matches.
SERIES HISTORY
The two teams have met just four times with two of those matches in the 2015 season. ODU fell both times with the most recent result a 4-2 loss in the quarterfinals of the 2015 C-USA conference tournament. The series stands tied at two wins for each squad.
LOOKING FORWARD
The Monarchs host FAU on Tuesday, Nov. 1, for a match that was rescheduled due to inclement weather on Oct. 7. Game time is 7 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Complex and is the last home match of the season for ODU Soccer.