University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, September 25
Miami, Fla.
6 p.m.
University of Memphis
at
FIU
Memphis Travels for Road Conference Contest at FIU Friday
Sep 24, 2026 | Men's Soccer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men's soccer team is set for its first road matchup of American Conference play, taking on the FIU Panthers on Friday, Sept. 25 in Miami, Florida.
The match, originally scheduled for Saturday, will kick off at 6 p.m. CT on Friday on ESPN+.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Memphis (4-1-2, 0-0-1 American) sits in the top 25 in RPI going into the matchup but has taken a pair of rough draws in its last two matches, conceding the tying goal in the final minutes against both Furman and Florida Atlantic.
After scoring Memphis' opening goal against Florida Atlantic, sophomore forward Carson Banham has jumped into the team lead with four goals on the year, trailed closely by fellow sophomore Miller Lashlee and junior transfer Renan Syrio, who each have three. The Tiger attack has seen a major uptick this season with 17 goals through seven matches, just two shy of tying its total from the 2025 campaign. A key factor to that total has been Memphis' passing, as three players (Lashlee, Thomas Mancuso, Dino Stavros) are on at least three assists this year, with Stavros' four leading the way.
Memphis' defense has been a mark of consistency on the year with Marko Stajnko, Ethan Cook and Junior Saint Juste all above 550 minutes, along with Henrique Cruz at 573. They have held opponents to just 1.43 goals per game, holding at a better pace than last season.
Junior goalkeeper Mathias Christensen made his second straight start and sits at 0-0-2. The Dane has 12 saves in his two appearances, facing a total of 35 shots and carrying a .750 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
FIU (3-3-1, 0-1-0 American) enters after a nonconference matchup against Drake where the Panthers won 1-0. The lone score of that match came on a 73rd minute penalty by Santi Possu.
Possu has been the highest-producing outfield player for the Panthers this season, sitting at four goals. No other player has more than one, and Possu has half of FIU's eight goals this year. There are also no Panthers with multiple assists, but seven different players have logged one this season.
FIU has deployed a wide variety of players, with 20 different players registering a start this season compared to Memphis' 13, but the two consistent pieces to start all seven matches have been defender Michele Ballanti and goalkeeper Nigel Van Haveren.
In net, Nigel Van Haveren is no stranger to facing Memphis, currently 2-0-0 with three saves in his two games against the Tigers. To note, Van Haveren was unavailable in Memphis' American Conference Championship clinching match in 2024. On the season, the senior from the Netherlands is 3-3-1 with 16 saves and holds a .615 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST FIU
Matches between these two programs have always been high in energy, but Memphis trails 5-8-3 in the series, including being winless in its last six games against the Panthers.
That streak includes a 2-2 regular season draw that gave Memphis a 2024 American Conference Regular Season Championship, immediately followed by a 3-1 loss in Memphis that ended the Tigers' season in the conference tournament semifinal.
Head coach Richard Mulrooney is also searching for his first win against the Panthers, currently sitting at 0-5-1 against them as Memphis' head coach.
Last season, the Tigers fell 1-0 at home to FIU, with a 20th-minute goal by David Bocuzzo being the difference. That match also had a total of nine yellow cards issued.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Men's Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The match, originally scheduled for Saturday, will kick off at 6 p.m. CT on Friday on ESPN+.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Memphis (4-1-2, 0-0-1 American) sits in the top 25 in RPI going into the matchup but has taken a pair of rough draws in its last two matches, conceding the tying goal in the final minutes against both Furman and Florida Atlantic.
After scoring Memphis' opening goal against Florida Atlantic, sophomore forward Carson Banham has jumped into the team lead with four goals on the year, trailed closely by fellow sophomore Miller Lashlee and junior transfer Renan Syrio, who each have three. The Tiger attack has seen a major uptick this season with 17 goals through seven matches, just two shy of tying its total from the 2025 campaign. A key factor to that total has been Memphis' passing, as three players (Lashlee, Thomas Mancuso, Dino Stavros) are on at least three assists this year, with Stavros' four leading the way.
Memphis' defense has been a mark of consistency on the year with Marko Stajnko, Ethan Cook and Junior Saint Juste all above 550 minutes, along with Henrique Cruz at 573. They have held opponents to just 1.43 goals per game, holding at a better pace than last season.
Junior goalkeeper Mathias Christensen made his second straight start and sits at 0-0-2. The Dane has 12 saves in his two appearances, facing a total of 35 shots and carrying a .750 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
FIU (3-3-1, 0-1-0 American) enters after a nonconference matchup against Drake where the Panthers won 1-0. The lone score of that match came on a 73rd minute penalty by Santi Possu.
Possu has been the highest-producing outfield player for the Panthers this season, sitting at four goals. No other player has more than one, and Possu has half of FIU's eight goals this year. There are also no Panthers with multiple assists, but seven different players have logged one this season.
FIU has deployed a wide variety of players, with 20 different players registering a start this season compared to Memphis' 13, but the two consistent pieces to start all seven matches have been defender Michele Ballanti and goalkeeper Nigel Van Haveren.
In net, Nigel Van Haveren is no stranger to facing Memphis, currently 2-0-0 with three saves in his two games against the Tigers. To note, Van Haveren was unavailable in Memphis' American Conference Championship clinching match in 2024. On the season, the senior from the Netherlands is 3-3-1 with 16 saves and holds a .615 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST FIU
Matches between these two programs have always been high in energy, but Memphis trails 5-8-3 in the series, including being winless in its last six games against the Panthers.
That streak includes a 2-2 regular season draw that gave Memphis a 2024 American Conference Regular Season Championship, immediately followed by a 3-1 loss in Memphis that ended the Tigers' season in the conference tournament semifinal.
Head coach Richard Mulrooney is also searching for his first win against the Panthers, currently sitting at 0-5-1 against them as Memphis' head coach.
Last season, the Tigers fell 1-0 at home to FIU, with a 20th-minute goal by David Bocuzzo being the difference. That match also had a total of nine yellow cards issued.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Men's Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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