LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Sept. 23, 2011) - Sophomore Crystal McNamara's goal in the 57th minute helped the FIU women's soccer team to a 2-1 road victory over UALR on Friday night. The Panthers improve to 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play and 4-5-0 overall while the Trojans drop to 0-1 in the SBC and 4-6-0 overall.
The win marks the second-straight season in which the Panthers opened conference play with a victory, having also defeated UALR last season in Miami.
"We came out and did well in the first half but didn't convert chances early that could have put the game away," Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "UALR continued to fight and played well. It was the opening game of the conference so everyone's battling. We're happy with the win."
For the second-straight game, freshman Ashleigh Shim tallied a goal as she opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Sophomore Nicole DiPerna fed Shim who blasted it in the upper-right corner to put FIU ahead.
The Trojans responded in the 18th minute when Adrianna Queen evened the match with an unassisted goal.
FIU nabbed the game-winner in the 57th minute when McNamara took control of a loose ball in the box and drove it home. It was her first goal of the season and the second of her career.
"It felt good to score in a winning cause and it feels good to start 1-0 [in the conference]," McNamara said. "We're all striving to win our games but it's a long road."
Between the pipes for the Panthers, redshirt sophomore Kaitlyn Savage saved seven shots to help UALR to just one score. The Trojans did hold the advantage in shots, 15-9, but the FIU keeper came through in several key moments.
The Panthers will wrap up the weekend against Arkansas State on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. Live stats will be provided through www.FIUSports.com and fans can also follow along on Twitter (@FIUWomensSoccer).
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.
