MIAMI (Sept. 30, 2011) - The FIU women's soccer team (6-5-0, 3-0-0 SBC) made quick work of the Troy Trojans (7-4-1, 2-1-0), winning 3-0 on Friday night at FIU Soccer Stadium. The Panthers have now won four-straight matches and own a winning record for the first time this season while staying unbeaten in the Sun Belt Conference.
"We came out focused and it showed in getting the first opportunities and scoring quickly," Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "We also limited Troy's opportunities and we're happy with the result."
The Panthers wasted little time once the game opened, scoring in the sixth minute when sophomore Chelsea Leiva (2) dribbled around a defender and shot the ball off the left post and into the back of the net. Fellow classmate Nicole DiPerna fed Leiva from outside the box for her third assist of the year.
Then with 10 minutes remaining in the half, senior Deana Rossi (1) entered the game and quickly made an impact by notching the second goal of the match for FIU.
"I was in there for what felt like 20 seconds," Rossi said. "I wanted to go in and create an opportunity and that's what you want to do as sub; be an impact player."
In the second half, the Panthers continued to control the midfield and limited the Trojan offense from getting any close shots. FIU found the back of the net once more in the 87th minute as senior April Perry (2) was able to shake a defender near the end line and fired a shot into the upper-right corner to round out the scoring. It was the second-straight match that Perry has registered a goal, having tallied the game-winner last Sunday against Arkansas State.
The Panthers were able to take 14 shots on the night and held Troy to just six. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage stopped four balls en route to posting her third shutout of the season.
FIU will turn its focus now to South Alabama on Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. match at FIU Soccer Stadium.
For ticket information, call the FIU Ticket Office at (305) FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com. Live stats will be provided at www.FIUSports.com and be sure to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWomensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUWSoccer).
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 17 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Itscolleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls 46,000 students in two campus and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida.FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in17 sports. In 2010 the Panthers won their first bowl game. For more information about FIU, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/.
