BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Junior captain April Perry wasn't supposed to take the shot.
When Troy midfielder April Madden committed a foul on FIU senior captain Kassandra Sorzano just outside the top of the box with less than nine minutes remaining, FIU drew up a play for its free kick. Senior captain Mayara da Fonseca Bordin took one look at Perry and knew the play had to change.
"April looked at me and I was like, 'Just shoot it,'" Bordin said. "I trust her shots so much that I was like, 'Just shoot it.' She shook her head. When I saw the goal go in, she came to me and we hugged each other. It was amazing, like it was meant to be."
The goal lifted No. 4 seed FIU (11-8-1) to its first post-season victory since 2004 on Tuesday afternoon with a 2-1 win over No. 5 seed Troy. The Panthers persevered through steady rain that soaked their uniforms and 48-degree weather for the win.
The Trojans got on the scoreboard first when Ruth Sutcliffe took a deep shot and connected with the upper left corner of the net at 14:55.
FIU responded a little more than two minutes later when SBC Co-Freshman of the Year Chelsea Leiva crossed a ball from the right corner to freshman forward Kim Lopez, who took two quick touches before her shot was deflected, and freshman midfielder Nicole DiPerna rebounded to tie the game.
The two squads battled through the second half, and the Trojans thought they had gained back momentum at the 70-minute mark when they scored off a free kick after an FIU handball penalty. However, Troy was cited for offsides and the score remained stagnant at 1-1.
Then, FIU broke through at 81:11 when Perry drilled her second goal of the season -- also her second game-winner -- off the free kick. The Panthers nearly added an insurance goal with 20 seconds remaining, but Leiva's attempt was thwarted by Troy's keeper, who came up with a diving save.
FIU will meet No. 1 seed Denver at 5 p.m. ET in the second round on Thursday. Fans can follow all the action via the Sun Belt Conference's tournament central page.
"It obviously feels really good to advance, and the girls deserve it 100 percent," Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "Our perseverance and belief in ourselves came through in the end. We are playing very good soccer right now so we're very excited to be playing Denver again. They have a very good team so it's going to be a good match to watch."
