MIAMI (Oct. 16, 2014)— With the second half of the Conference USA slate set to begin, the FIU women's soccer team (6-6-1, 1-2-1) hosts two of the league's top three teams this weekend. Ranked No. 5 and No. 10 in the NSCAA Central Region, respectively, Friday's game versus Rice starts at 7 p.m., while North Texas will close out FIU's final full weekend at home on Sunday at 1 p.m.
CoverageFriday vs. Rice – 7 p.m. ET
Venue: FIU Soccer Stadium, Miami, Fla.
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HERESunday vs. North Texas – 1 p.m. Venue: FIU Soccer Stadium, Miami, Fla.
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HERE Scouting the Owls – Series HistoryBoasting three players who have won C-USA Player of the Week accolades this season (Nia Stallings, Holly Hargreaves, Amy Czyz), Rice comes to Miami riding a 3-1-1 conference record, most recently taking North Texas to double overtime before a 1-1 result. The Owls have only allowed two goals during their five league games, while Hargreaves' six goals and 12 points in conference games are good for first place. With six goals in the past four games, Hargreaves put up a school-record four scores versus Louisiana Tech to become her school's all-time leading goal scorer. Czyz owns the second-lowest goals-against average through five conference games at 0.42 and had a streak of three-straight shutouts against C-USA schools, upping her season total to five.
With just one game played between these two squads in series history, FIU put up a season-high five goals against the Owls in 2013, highlighted by senior
Ashleigh Shim's two-goal performance. Sohpomore
Talia McMurtrie also scored in the match.
Scouting the Mean Green – Series HistoryCurrently the league's top points earner, North Texas is yet to lose in C-USA games, due in large part to goalkeeper Jackie Kerestine's league-leading nine shutouts. Rice was the first C-USA school to sneak the ball past Kerestine this season, as her .903 save percentage is fourth in the nation entering this weekend. Out of forward Karla Pineda's six goals, five have come off set pieces, while her team-leading 17 points make her the clear frontrunner of the Mean Green offense.
A deep history between these two schools, FIU trails the all-time series, 3-12-2. A first round matchup versus North Texas in the 2013 Conference USA Tournament resulted in the Mean Green eliminating the Panthers by a score of 4-1. Senior
Johanna Volz scored FIU's lone goal of the match.
WINNING WAYSFIU's current senior corps has amassed 39 wins so far in its four-year tenure at FIU. The class of 2014 is currently tied for fifth all-time for wins by a class. Below is the top five winningest classes in program history:
1. 2012....................................... 48
2. 2001 ...................................... 44
2013 ...................................... 44
4. 1993....................................... 40
5. 2011 .......................................39
2014 .......................................39
JOINING THE GREATSRedshirt senior
Chelsea Leiva has 32 career goals. Below are the top five goal scorers in Panther soccer history:
1. Michele O'Brien (1998-2001) 58
2. Catherine Liller (1990-93) 50
3. Cindy Greenman (1992-96) 44
4. Sasja Odenyo (2000-01) 37
5. Chelsea Leiva (2010-Pres) 32 WHERE THAT RANKSLeiva's 78 career points and 30 career goals ranks as the highest among current Conference USA member's school's players.
CLOSING INJunior
Madlen Weinhardt's 14 career assists moves the Germany native two shy of climbing into the program's top 5 all-time for assists in a career. Below is a list of the assists leaders:
1. Catherine Liller (1990-93) 24
2. Michele O'Brien (1998-2001) 18
3. Chelsea Leiva (2010-pres.) 17 4. Cindy Greenman (1992-96) 16
Lisa Bliskis (1992-93, 96) 16
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIROf its 22 student-athletes, the FIU women's soccer team boasts players from five different countries (
Nevena Stojakovic, Serbia;
Cyan Jean-Baptiste and
Sara Stewart; Canada;
Madlen Weinhardt, Germany;
Ashleigh Shim, Jamaica;
Pat Tomanon, Philippines;
Paula Quintero, Colombia)
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWomensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWSoccer) for all the latest FIU women's soccer news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of Conference USA. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and the FIU Football Stadium. About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers 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 contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
