Blue Devils Welcome Panthers For NCAA Tournament Third Round Matchup

DURHAM – The seventh-seeded Duke men’s soccer team, coming off a 3-1 victory over Denver last Sunday, takes on 10th-seeded FIU on Sunday afternoon in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils (12-1-4) and Panthers (14-4-1) meet for the third time in the postseason and the fourth time overall. First touch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium, with streaming available on ESPN+.

THE SCOUTING REPORT

• 10th-seeded FIU outlasted New Hampshire in its second-round NCAA match last Sunday night.
• The Panthers advanced on PK’s, 10-9, after the two teams played to a 2-2 draw through 110 minutes of action.
• Rasmus Tobinski put FIU ahead in the 14th minute against New Hampshire, and the Panthers went up 2-1 on an own goal in the 95th minute.
• FIU’s offense is ranked 22nd in the country for goals per game (2.11)
• FIU’s defense is 142nd in the country for goals allowed per game (1.55)

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday’s match is the fourth overall meeting between Duke and FIU, with Duke currently holding a 3-0 advantage in the series.
• The Blue Devils and Panthers have met twice in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2017 – a 2-1 victory for Duke
• Duke and FIU played their lone regular season match in 2018, with the Blue Devils prevailing, 3-1, at Koskinen Stadium.

LAST TIME OUT

• Duke picked up a win in its first match of the 2022 NCAA Tournament against Denver last Sunday, 3-1.
• Peter Stroud opened the scoring quickly for Duke, converting from the penalty spot. Shakur Mohammed sent in his 10th goal of the season 10 minutes later, and Kamran Acito added an insurance goal in the second half.

BY THE NUMBERS

Entering the NCAA Tournament, Eliot Hamill ranks second in the country for both save percentage (.875) and goals against average (.438). 

1999 – The last time Duke went undefeated in the regular season. The Blue Devils lost just one game that season, a NCAA Tournament match against Santa Clara.

21 – Current goal differential for Duke. Having allowed just eight opponent goals so far in 2022, best in the country, the Blue Devils have a current goals against per game of .471.

4 – Consecutive NCAA selections for Duke that included a first-round bye with a top-16 seed. 

3 – The Blue Devils have advanced to the third round in each of its last three NCAA Tournament…