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| [ 10-30-2004 ] FIU men’s soccer to join Conference USA MIAMI, FL - The Florida International University men’s soccer team will join Conference USA as an affiliate member beginning with the 2005 season announced Athletic Director Rick Mello today. The conference’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to invite FIU, Kentucky and South Carolina to join current members East Carolina, Memphis and UAB, as well as programs from incoming members Marshall, SMU, Tulsa and UCF. The teams will play a nine-match round-robin schedule. “We’re very excited and pleased to be joining Conference USA in men’s soccer,” said Mello. “Conference USA is one of the most competitive men’s soccer conferences in the country, and provides competition that is regional in nature with other public research universities.” “We’re thrilled that Conference USA would deem us worthy to be invited in, “ said 25th-year head men’s soccer coach Karl Kremser. “If you look at the programs in that conference and those that are being invited in, it’s a great honor and we’re looking forward to it.” Conference USA will be the third league affiliation for FIU (6-5-0) since it began fielding a men’s soccer program in 1972. The Golden Panthers played in the Trans America Athletic Conference (now Atlantic Sun) from 1991-97 and have been a member of the Atlantic Soccer Conference since its inception in 2000, posting a 22-3-2 record in the league for an .852 winning percentage. Over that span, FIU has won the conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times, including last season when the Golden Panthers reached the “Sweet Sixteen.” FIU currently leads the conference with a 3-0-0 mark. “I would really like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the Atlantic Soccer Conference,” said Mello. “They extended us a home when we did not have one, and we were always treated with class and respect.” Under Kremser, who is ranked 10th in victories among active NCAA Division I men's soccer coaches, FIU has competed in 12 NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the title game five times and won the national championship twice. Since FIU began competition in Division I in 1987, the Golden Panthers have participated in the NCAA Tournament seven times, including the last three consecutive seasons, and advanced to the NCAA championship match in 1996. Conference USA looks to remain among the strongest soccer leagues in the nation, with two current members (Memphis and UAB) nationally ranked by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Incoming member SMU is currently third, while FIU, South Carolina and Tulsa have each been nationally ranked in 2004. “The intensity and caliber of our schedule is going to be greatly improved. It should be the top one or two conferences in the country. We are going to have to increase our intensity and our recruiting efforts,” said Kremser. Kentucky (10-4-3) has been an associate member of the Mid-American Conference since 1995, while South Carolina (9-4-1) will be making its first conference affiliation in a decade after spending two years in the Metro Conference (1993-94). |
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