MIAMI ? The FIU women's soccer team opened its 2006 season with a 3-1 loss to Samford in non-conference action Friday evening at University Park. Heather Birdsell paced the Bulldogs (1-0) with a pair of goals just eight minutes apart on each side of halftime.
The Golden Panthers (0-1) will return to action Sunday when they host UCF at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs jumped out on top in the eighth minute after Lauren Faubion connected on a header from a Cassie Applegate cross out on the left flank.
FIU fired right back courtesy of a Francesca Chong (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) free kick just four minutes later to level the match at 1-1. The goal, Chong's first of her career, found the upper-right corner of the net from just outside the right corner of the penalty area.
The teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the first half, but Samford struck just on the brink of halftime thanks to another free kick just outside the area. From the left corner of the 18-yard box, Birdsell's shot eluded everyone and found the lower far corner to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 halftime advantage.
Birdsell added to the Samford lead in the 53rd minute after receiving a through ball in the middle of the defense from Kim Matthews. Birdsell beat the on-rushing Madeline Gannon (Ft. Myers, Fla.) from 20 yards out to the keeper's right.
The Golden Panthers appeared to have pulled one goal back in the 60th minute. Lonne Godskesen (Odense, Denmark) sent fellow Danish teammate Nanna Rasmussen (Odense, Denmark) through on goal after lobbing the ball over the top of the defense, but Rasmussen strayed just a fraction offside prior to chipping the ball past Samford goalkeeper Cayley Winters.
Winters made three saves in the win for Samford while Gannon had one for the Golden Panthers. FIU held a slight 9-8 edge in shots on goal and a 6-4 edge on corners.
