Liam Rooney | Sports Director
In the world of film, creating a successful sequel to a historic movie is one of the most challenging tasks a studio can face.
The FIU men’s soccer team now faces the challenge of creating a sequel to their stellar 2021 campaign, in which the Panthers claimed the C-USA regular season title and posted a 12-4-2 overall record.
Tasked with following up on one of the program’s best seasons in recent years, the schedule for the 2022 season may be a blockbuster.
FIU’s road to an NCAA and AAC title will push the team to the limit, facing eight teams that were ranked in the top 25 in 2021 and entering the American Athletic Conference (AAC) for the first time.
Entering the season ranked #18 in the United Soccer Coaches pre-season poll, the Panthers kick-off at home against the Akron Zips on Aug 25 at 7 p.m., only the second meeting between the two teams.
Following the opener, the Panthers hit the road for two matches against powerhouses St. John’s University on Aug 29 and the #24 University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Sep 3. Both games are first-time matchups for FIU.
The first of five games against another Florida university, FIU hosts the University of North Florida on Sep 6 before arguably their biggest game of the season in Durham, New Hampshire, against the #9 University of New Hampshire Wildcats. UNH enters 2022 on the back of a sweet sixteen appearance in the NCAA tournament with a season record of 17-2-2.
Conference play begins on Sep 16, as FIU hosts #11 University of Tulsa for the Panthers’ first-ever AAC game. The Blue and Gold travel to Dallas, Texas, to take on the Sothern Methodist University Mustangs on Sep 23 and then to Richmond, Virgina, four days later to play Virgina Commonwealth University on Sep 27.
The Panthers kick-off five straight AAC matches with a match against the Memphis Tigers on Sep 30 in Miami. Following the Memphis game, FIU travels to Temple on Oct 5 before returning to the Sunshine State to host the University of Central Florida on Oct 9.
A quick trip to Tampa on Oct 16 to face the University of South Florida, and then back to Miami for a home match against the University of Albama Birmingham on Oct 22.
A final non-conference game against Florida Gulf Coast on Oct 25 at home sets up the Panthers for a double dose of rivalry week against two fellow AAC newcomers to finish the season. The Charlotte 49ers host FIU on Oct 28 before the Blue and Gold travel home to face the Florida Atlantic Owls in the final regular season game.
For this young FIU squad with second-year head coach Kyle Russell, who recently signed a five-year contract extension, this stacked 2022 schedule is the chance that Russell has been looking for to prove the Panthers are ready to be an elite program and challenge for the NCAA and Conference titles.
For more coverage on FIU sports be sure to follow @liamrooney574 on Twitter!
Disclaimer: All rankings used in this article are based on the 2022 United Soccer Coaches pre-season poll.
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