MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Oct. 9, 2011) - The FIU women's soccer team saw its six-match unbeaten streak come to an end on Sunday afternoon, dropping a 2-0 decision to Middle Tennessee at Blue Raider Soccer Field. The Panthers fall to 7-6-1 on the season and 4-1-1 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Blue Raiders improve to 7-7-0 and 4-2-0 in the SBC.

"At the end of the day, we didn't execute," Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "We played well for stretches in the match; it's unfortunate."
 
The match was scoreless through the first half of play as neither side could convert on opportunities. Then, the Blue Raiders broke through in the 57th minute on a ball that deflected off an FIU player after a nice save by goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage and into the back of the net. The goal ended a run of 386 scoreless minutes by the FIU defense, a streak that started back on Sept.  25.

FIU had several chances to net the equalizer, failing to convert on two 1-on-1 situations and a pair of corner kicks late in the match.

The Blue Raiders effectively put the match away in the 76th minute with the final goal of the contest as Regina Thomas blasted an unassisted goal in the lower-left corner.

"We've got to get some things worked out before next week's games," Chestnutt added. "We have to take care of some things in crucial moments of the game. I know these girls will come back though and be ready for the next match."

Middle Tennessee narrowly held the advantage in shots, 15-14, and shots on goal at 7-5.

The Panthers will return to Miami for a pair of games next weekend, hosting SBC foes North Texas and Denver in a big showdown with top two sides in the conference. FIU will face North Texas on Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. and Denver on Sunday, Oct. 16, at noon. Both games will be held 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. Its colleges 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, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.