Sept. 11, 2007

BOCA RATON, FL - Building on last week's first win of the season over Stetson, the Florida Atlantic University men's soccer team welcomes three schools for the FAU Classic this weekend at FAU Field.

The first match features the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles against the Panthers of Georgia State University, starting at 5 p.m. on Friday.

FGCU (2-1-0) is led by freshman Chris DiNapoli (1G, 1A - 3 Pts), whose seven shots include the game-winning goal over UNLV in the team's season-opener. In their inaugural season, the Eagles feature 18 freshmen on their roster. Midfielders Bryan Spiewak (Sr.) and Corey Sheriff (So.) lend experience to the squad.

Senior Floreal Pedrazo paces Georgia State (1-1-1) in both scoring (2G, 1A - 5 Pts) and shots (10, 5 SOG), as the Panthers look to sustain momentum from their first victory in 2007 - a 4-3 decision at Lipscomb last week.

In the nightcap, the Owls take on the Gaels of Iona College at 7:30 p.m. FAU (1-3-0) continues to improve and diversify their offensive attack, led by junior standouts Dag Bjorgum (1G, 3 SOG), Liam Ogle (1G, 1A - 3 Pts) and Shire Standnes (1G, 5 SOG).

"Liam's play gives you an indication that he should be playing in more of an attacking role," said Head Coach Kos Donev, "versus more of a defensive midfielder role."

Iona (1-3-0) showcases senior Paul Racines (1G, 1A - 3 Pts; 11 shots) on offense. The Gaels claimed their first win last week over New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2-1.

Sunday's games feature Florida Gulf Coast and Iona in the opener at 11 a.m., followed by Florida Atlantic against Georgia State at 1 p.m.

Tickets for all games are $4 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under, and $1 for children wearing youth league jerseys. Tickets may be purchased by calling the FAU ticket office at 1-866-FAU-OWLS. Real-time updates are available online by logging onto GameTracker at fausports.com.