The loss drops the Golden Panthers to a 3-6-4 mark and 1-3-1 in Sun Belt Conference play; meanwhile, the Blue Raiders raise their record to 7-4-2 overall and 1-1-2 in conference play.

In the opening half, the Blue Raiders held a brief 5-3 advantage in shots before recording a commanding 7-1 advantage in the second half. The Blue Raiders also held an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal in the win.

Middle Tennessee broke open a scoreless tie in the 48th minute on an Ingrid Christensen header from five yards out. The Blue Raiders weren't finished; however, as they quickly struck again in the 56th minute when Ward scored her first goal of the season. Nenita Burgess sent a pass through two Florida International defenders and Claire Ward shot it past goalkeeper Madeline Gannon to give Middle Tennessee a 2-0 lead. The final margin was provided in the 71st minute when Katy Rayburn delivered on a free kick, dropping it over a collection of Golden Panther defenders, and then Kala Morgan headed it into the goal for her sixth score of the season.

FIU seniors Janet Liguori and Chanelle Crosby paced a FIU attack with two shots apiece. Gannon made three saves - all in the first half - in 71:22 of action. Junior Laura Snell came off the bench to play final 18:38 and made two saves. Middle Tennessee's Holly Grogan had a match-high three shots and goalkeeper Danielle Perreault made a save in 90 minutes of work for her fourth shutout of the season.

Next for the Golden Panthers is a match-up against Western Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers come into the match with a 4-6-3 record and 2-1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.