Box Score MIAMI, Fla. (Sept. 9, 2012) – Led by junior Chelsea Leiva's first-career hat-trick, the FIU women's soccer team (3-2-1) posted six goals as the Panthers handed the Idaho Vandals (2-6-0) a 6-0 loss on Sunday evening at the FU Soccer Stadium.

"Tonight was great," Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "To get six goals, that does not come around that often. The fact that we had three (goals) in the first half and three in the second half was even better. It showed the mentality of our team; the mental focus of ours that we continue to talk about was there. They weren't sloppy goals or mistakes by the other team. They were goals that we produced from start to finish. It is good to see that some of the things that we are working on in training come out on the pitch. I am happy for the team. They fully deserve it. Hopefully, that sparks us going forward. We will enjoy the win tonight and tomorrow we will get back at it, preparing for two quality programs (Arizona and Arizona State)."

The FIU offense produced a total of 22 shots (10 on goal) as four different Panthers found the back of the net. Leiva collected a total of seven points, scoring three goals and notching one assist. The native of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., notched 10 shots, including six on frame. Also scoring in the contest were sophomores Scarlett Montoya, Nikki Rios and Johanna Volz.

"It was refreshing to have a hat-trick tonight," Leiva said. "It feels really good. I've had a lot of opportunities, lately and they haven't been going into the back of the net. I'm thankful that tonight it happened. The midfield did a great job picking up their heads and finding us forwards. In practice we have been working a lot with the connection between the midfield and the forwards and forward's runs. It is really great to see that work come through and the pieces of the puzzle coming together."

Freshman Madlen Weinhardt had a hat-trick of her own, recording three assists on the night. The freshman midfielder notched all three helpers in the first half, increasing her season total to four.

"Tonight was one of the better games that I have played," Weinhardt said. "However, this was more about the team's improvement. It is the play of the rest of my team that provides the chance for me to create scoring opportunities for my teammates. I enjoy getting assists and tonight was a really good game not only by me, but the rest of the team. We came out ready to play and I think that the result showed that."

Leiva was the recipient on the first of Weinhardt's three assists in the 37th minute. The Deckenpfronn, Germany, native found Leiva at the top of the area, who turned and struck a shot on net, sending the ball past Idaho keeper Liz Boyden for her second goal of the season.

FIU added its second goal of the game in the 41st minute. From the left side of the field, Weinhardt sent a beautiful cross to the right side of the area, finding Montoya, who registered her third goal of the season.

The Panthers closed out the first half with a goal in the 45th minute. In the final 10 seconds of the half, Weinhart sent a corner kick into the six-yard box. Rios flicked a header from two yards out past Boyden for her first goal of the season.

The Panthers entered halftime with a 3-0 lead, out-shooting the Vandals, 12-5.

The offensive output continued in the second stanza. FIU made the score 4-0 in the 68th minute as Leiva streaked down the middle of the field, beating the Idaho defense and striking a shot past the diving goalkeeper. The goal was assisted by junior Kim Lopez who connected with Leiva at the edge of the Vandals third of the field. It marked the first
assists of the season for the junior from Ft. Pierce, Fla.

A little over 10 minutes later, Volz gave the Panthers a 5-0 advantage. On a quick counter, Leiva curled a long through ball to a streaking Volz down the right side of the field. Volz entered the area and beat Boyden to the far upper-right 90 in the 79th minute. The goal was the second of the season for midfielder.

Leiva closed out the scoring with her third goal of the match in the 84th minute striking a low-driving shot past back-up goalkeeper Caroline Towles. Freshman Alexa Arraste was credited with her first-career assist on the score.

Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage picked up her third win of the season and her third clean sheet of the 2012 campaign. The native of Fox Island, Wash., registered six saves, including four in the second half. It marked her second-straight shutout, lowering her goals-against average to 0.80.

FIU's defense held the Vandals to 10 total shots. Idaho was led by Chelsea Small, who had four shots (two on goal). In net, Boyden was saddled with the loss, allowing five goals in 80 minutes of action.

The win improves FIU to 3-0-0 at home this season.

FIU will travel to Tucson, Ariz., for the Cats Classic, Sept. 14-16. The Panthers will square off against Arizona on Friday, Sept. 14 (10:30 p.m. ET) and wrap up the weekend tournament on Sunday, Sept. 16 versus Arizona State (3:00 p.m. ET).
 
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. 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 bachelors, masters 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 nearly 48,000 students in two campuses 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. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.