Thursday, September 5, 2002

Men's Soccer set to take on St. John's, William and Mary

he Florida International men's soccer squad (0-2-0) continues its challenging preseason schedule this weekend as the Golden Panthers travel to Jamaica, N.Y., for the 2002 St. John's Tournament. On Friday, FIU will take on the 15th-ranked Red Storm at 8:00 p.m., before facing the Tribe of William and Mary on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The round-robin event also features No. 4 Indiana.

FIU is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing showing at the CSU Fullerton Invitational last weekend. In Fullerton, the Golden Panthers allowed late goals that led to their demise in losses to the host Titans and 13th-ranked UCLA. Head coach Karl Kremser is hoping his team learned from last week and will build on the experience.

"This weekend is very important to us," said Kremser. "It's critical. We played well in both games [last weekend] and had our chances to win. We were a much-improved team from Friday of last week to Sunday. We created scoring chances and now we need to finish. We're looking for continued improvement."

The Red Storm (0-1-0) is a familiar foe for FIU as the two programs have squared off five times, with FIU owning a 3-2 edge in the series. The most notable match in the duo's history came in 1996 when St. John's dashed the Golden Panthers hopes of winning the NCAA Championship in the title game by a 4-1 count. SJU - ranked as high as third in some preseason polls - dropped its first contest to Boston College, 2-1.

William and Mary (0-1-0) will also be in search of its first victory of 2002 this weekend. The Tribe dropped its lone match of the season with a 2-1 loss to Appalachian State last Saturday.

2002 St. John's Tournament Schedule

Friday, September 6
William and Mary vs. No. 4 Indiana 6:00 p.m.
No. 15 St. John's vs. Florida International 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 7
Florida International vs. William and Mary 6:00 p.m.
No. 15 St. John's vs. No. 4 Indiana 8:00 p.m.