ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Aug. 29, 2014) – Head Coach Scott Calabrese picked up the first victory his Panthers' coaching career, as the FIU men's soccer team (1-0) downed No. 19 Michigan, 1-0, on Friday evening. The win over the Wolverines gives FIU its first win over a ranked opponent since Oct. 2, 2011 vs. No. 21 Kentucky, 1-0.

The deciding goal came in the 67^th minute, as redshirt freshman Donald Tomlinson netted his first career goal in his first career game and start. Sophomores Juan Benedetty and Ismael Longo each were credited with assists on the play. Benedetty found Tomlinson on a cross, where Tomlinson found the lower right corner of the goal. The assist for the Benedetty was the first of his career, while Longo’s helper was his second.

“I am extremely proud of the effort and attitude of the team,” said Calabrese. “The result was the product of the team’s attitude, it's a very united group who want to work for each other. It's a good start to our season and something we will look to build on.”

Junior Robin Spiegel earned his second career shutout, his first since 2012 after missing the majority of last season. The keeper made one save in the victory, as the FIU defense was strong for the game’s entirety. The Panthers outshot the Wolverines, 9-8 and led in the corner kicks department as well, 5-3. FIU had four shots on goal, while allowing just the one for Michigan.

Junior Quentin Albrecht was a disturbance in Michigan’s defensive third of the field for the majority of the match. He logged five shots on the evening, two going on goal and another two striking the post. Tomlinson and senior Sean McFarlane also put shots on goal for the Panthers. McFarlane and Tomlinson were two of eight FIU players that saw 90 minutes of action in the victory.

Albrecht got his first shot in the fourth minute, as he struck it wide. His first shot on goal came in the 22^nd minute and then McFarlane followed with one on net in the 27^th minute. Those were the only three shots FIU would get in the half, as the Wolverines out-shot the Panthers 5-3 in the first stanza.

FIU came out strong in the second half, with Albrecht applying more pressure. Over two minutes in, the Germany native had his shot bounce off the post. He followed that up with a header two minutes later that found the crossbar. After junior Daniel Gonzalez knocked a shot wide left, Albrecht followed with another shot on goal in the 57^th minute that was saved. FIU’s next shot would be the goal by Tomlinson.

The Panthers close out their road trip in Michigan on Sunday at noon, as the Panthers will look for another victory over a ranked opponent. The Michigan State Spartans are ranked 10^th in the NSCAA Preseason Poll.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.

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