By Nicholas Poblete/Staff Writer
Preseason for FIU men’s soccer ended with two home victories in exhibition matches as the team prepares for the fall season.
On August 15,the Panthers faced Keiser University and came away with a comfortable 6-1 victory. On Saturday, August 19, FIU played against Palm Beach Atlantic in a much more contested match. The Panthers narrowly came away with a 1-0 win, but not before the game was interrupted by a thunderstorm in the area in the 75th minute.
Coach Kevin Nylen said the preseason is less about the opposition and more about how his team performs. The Panthers spent their preseason with team meetings, two-a-days and friendlies. The workload has been heavy, but Nylen has been wary of exerting his players during preseason.
“Number one is we have to keep the guys healthy because we have to play games the entire year,” said Nylen.
This summer, the Panthers incorporated nine new faces to its roster. Preseason has allowed these new players to become acquainted with their teammates, allowed them to grasp the coach’s tactic and the conduct Nylen expects from his players.
“We have a lot of new faces, and this is our first time together. We had to start where we are going to do things from a collective perspective,” Nylen said. “We planned that out and we’ve implemented, and those are things that are going to be the basis of us playing this season, so you need to introduce it early on.”
Junior forward Santiago Patiño was named the C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the year. Patiño, alongside Senior Paul Marie and Sophomore Joris Ahlinvi, were included in the All-Conference USA Preseason Team.
Coach Nylen said that he believes his team is ready for every game they play this year, but also said that he prefers to keep his goals short-term. The Panthers main goal– winning their first game.
Season opener is on Friday, August 25 in Columbus, Ohio, versus James Madison at 4 p.m. Two days later, August 27, the Panthers will face Ohio State in Columbus.
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