Matchup: #15 FGCU (7-2-1) @ FIU (3-5-1)
When: Tuesday, Oct. 4 | 7 PM | Miami, Fla.
Links: Video | Live Stats | Twitter
Coaches: Bob Butehorn (10th Season @ FGCU, 88-60-22; 14th Overall, 122-92-26) | Scott Calabrese (3rd Season @ FIU, 15-21-3; 9th Overall, 72-65-19)

MIAMI – Riding the nation’s longest winning streak and possessing the country’s most prolific offense, the #15 FGCU men’s soccer team plays its second-to-last non-conference match of the season Tuesday against FIU at 7 p.m.

OPENING KICK
FGCU has won seven games in the row, tied with Pacific for the longest active streak in the nation. The Eagles also boast the top-ranked offense as they lead the country in goals per game (3.10), points per game (8.80), total goals (31) and total points (88). FGCU is currently ranked #15 in the nation, but could climb higher prior to the match when the new weekly polls are unveiled Tuesday afternoon.

FIU is just 3-5-1 on the year, but it has statistically played the 17th-hardest schedule in the nation to this point. FGCU will represent the fifth-consecutive nationally-ranked team the Panthers have played.

STREAKING
After starting the year 0-2-1, FGCU has rattled off the aforementioned seven-straight wins. The program record is eight-straight victories, set in 2010 and again in 2012. Additionally, FGCU has won six games in a row over non-conference opponents – the longest in program history.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Coming off his second hat trick in four games last Tuesday against Rutgers, Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/ CE L’Hospitalet/UE Cornella) was named ASUN Player of the Week on Monday. It’s the third-straight week FGCU has won the ASUN Player of the Week outright, setting a program record. Ruiz was named ASUN Player of the Week on Sept. 19 following a program-record seven points and hat trick against nationally-ranked UNCW, and Arion Sobers-Assue (Miami, Fla./DeMatha Catholic HS) garnered the award last Monday following a hat trick of his own versus FAU.

OFFENSIVE STALWART
Ruiz is tied for the most goals in the nation this year with 11, and his 1.22 goals-per-game average is the best in the country. He also leads the nation in points per game at 2.78 and ranks 2nd in the country in total points with 25. Both the goal and point totals are already single-season program records as the previous highs were 17 and seven, respectively. Additionally, Ruiz is now tied for the FGCU career record for points (43, Cristian Raudales) and goals (19, Raudales).

With the exception of Sobers-Assue’s eight goals, Ruiz has six more goals than anyone else in the ASUN this year. Additionally, his 25 points are 13 more than any other player in the league, again with the exception being Sobers-Assue’s 18.

HAT TRICK PARTY
Ruiz is the first player in program history with two hat tricks, and it took just 10 days between them. The first men’s soccer season at FGCU was 2007, and it took until Oct. 31, 2010, for a Green and Blue member to record a hat trick when Scott Harrison finally did it versus North Florida. Nearly six years went by before another occurred, and that happened with Ruiz against UNCW on Sept. 17. It then took just three more days for the third hat trick in program history to occur as Sobers-Assue netted three opposite FAU on Sept. 20.

FIU SERIES
Tuesday’s match will mark the second-straight year FGCU will be playing FIU while nationally ranked. The Eagles were ranked #22 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll last year at the time of their meeting with the Panthers, who claimed a 2-1 overtime win on a controversial goal in which the head referee did not stop play despite the linesman ruling FIU offside.

FGCU and FIU have played every year since the Eagles’ program began in 2007 with the exception of the 2012 campaign. FIU holds a 6-2 edge in the all-time series and has won the last four meetings.

SCOUTING FIU
FIU started the year 2-1-1 but has lost four of its last five games against the aforementioned strong schedule. That stretch started with a 4-3 loss at ASUN member North Florida, but the Panthers bounced back with a 2-1 win over #21 Kentucky. They have since dropped decisions at #12 Wake Forest (2-0), at #5 Charlotte (2-1, OT) and at #21 New Mexico (4-1) (national ranking at the time of the game).

Santiago Patino is responsible for seven of FIU’s 11 goals this year as he ranks tied for 15th in the nation in total goals. Arthur Clapot has played every minute in net for the Panthers and has a 1.63 goals-against average with a pair of shutouts.

RECORD NIGHT
Last Tuesday against Rutgers, Ruiz scored all three of his goals by the 9:02 mark, and is believed to have recorded the fastest hat trick – in terms of time from the start of the game – in NCAA Division-I history. The junior scored at the 5:42, 8:24 and 9:02 marks. The previous record is believed to have been held by Indiana’s Steve Burks, who tallied three goals 11:41 into a contest with Indiana State on Oct. 6, 1973.

With 3:20 between the first and third goals, Ruiz is the 3rd-fastest player to score three-straight goals at any point of a game in D-I history. He is bettered only by Illinois-Chicago’s John Stone, who did it in 2:15 (28:58-31:13) in 1985, and Saint Joseph’s Kyle Patterson in 2:31 (28:02-30:33) in 2007.

ANIMO, THOMAS
FGCU lost freshman central defender Thomas Delplace (Toulouse, France/Scientific Bac) for the year with a broken leg suffered just more than three minutes into the Eagles’ match at UCF on Sept. 14. Delplace cut across the box and legally challenged what would have been a quality Knights’ scoring chance, but his shin collided with the attacking UCF player’s leg.

In honor of their teammate, FGCU players have started to wear T-shirts in pre-game warmups with text that reads “Animo Thomas” – which translates to “Cheer Up, Thomas” in Spanish.

ASUN DOMINANCE
While the Eagles will be stepping out of league play against FIU, FGCU owns a dominant 37-4-4 record in all ASUN regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All four of those losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 135 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 115 of them (85.2 percent) en route to an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season titles.

DID YOU KNOW?
FGCU owns the longest home conference regular-season unbeaten streak in the nation at 28 straight (25-0-3). The Eagles have not lost a home ASUN regular-season game in nearly eight years, dating back to a 2-0 defeat against Jacksonville in October of 2008 – the program’s second season.

FGCU SUCCESS
In addition to the men’s soccer team’s seven-game winning streak, the FGCU volleyball team has won 15 matches in a row – the best in the nation – and the FGCU women’s soccer team has won five-straight games – tied for the 12th-longest in the country. The three programs have combined to win an incredible 27-straight games.

NEXT UP
FGCU will look for its second ASUN win of the year when it travels to face Jacksonville on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. The Dolphins are 4-6-0 on the year and have a 1-2-0 mark in league games. The Eagles and JU have both played UCF and NJIT this year, with FGCU defeating both clubs, 3-1 and 4-1, respectively, while the Dolphins lost to both, 4-1 and 1-0, respectively.

FGCU Career Records

FGCU Single-Season Records

TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are available for all remaining home games. More information, including special discounts and group rates, can be accessed by visiting FGCUTickets.com. To purchase tickets, or for additional inquiries, call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or log on to FGCUTickets.com.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men’s soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

COACH BUTEHORN
FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached six professional players and 54 ASUN All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just five years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three ASUN Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets. Now in his 14th season as a head coach, Butehorn has a 122-92-26 (.563) overall record, 88-60-22 (.582) mark in his 10th season at FGCU and 49-17-6 (.722) record in ASUN contests.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics’ charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Women's NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Recap

Men's NCAA Tournament Second Round Recap

Recruiting Roundup: November 25-December 1