MIAMI (Oct. 19, 2014) – A North Texas penalty kick in the 88
th minute proved to be the difference maker, as the Mean Green defeated the FIU women's soccer team (7-7-1, 2-3-1), 2-1, on Sunday afternoon from the FIU Soccer Stadium.
Redshirt junior
Scarlet Montoya equalized the match in the 83
rd minute off an unassisted goal for her second score of the season.
North Texas' Rachel Holden put the Mean Green up in the 10
th minute. On a ball served towards the top left side of the box by Karla Pineda, Holden served it to the far right post for the score. The Panthers' defense did a great job limiting the damage two minutes later when the Mean Green attempted back-to-back set pieces. Freshman goalkeeper
Nevena Stojakovic got air and poked the ball out on the first attempted, while a sliding kick from redshirt junior
Sara Stewart cleared the second corner.
The Panthers got their first chance on a ball served into the Mean Green box by senior
Johanna Volz, which found senior
Ashleigh Shim's head, but North Texas' Jackie Kerestine came up with the save. Volz was involved in the action again in the 23
rd minute when she forced Kerestine to make a diving save to her left. FIU's best chance came in the 28
th minute when her shot grazed the crossbar.
FIU's defense secured its line for the remainder of the half, as key pass breakups by redshirt junior
Nikki Rios and Stewart broke up Mean Green opportunities before they could happen.
Despite trailing, 1-0, at halftime, the Panthers took control of the game's tempo towards the second portion of the first half. Outshooting North Texas, 5-3, through the first 45 minutes, four of those looks tested Kerestine.
The second half saw minimal chances for both teams in the first 20 minutes out of the break. Despite only manufacturing two shots each, the Panthers held possession in North Texas' defensive third for much of the time. Senior
Ashleigh Shim created two good opportunities for her team at the 70
th minute. A blocked shot that resulted in a Panthers' corner granted the Jacksonville, Fla., native to get another look off in the 71
st minute, which was blocked by the Mean Green defender.
Montoya buried the equalizer in the 83
rd minute off a free kick from just beyond the 18. A foul from right outside the box set up Montoya for the clear path goal, which went in untouched for her second goal of the season.
On a tough call five minutes later, North Texas was gifted a penalty kick on a foul just inside the Panthers' box. Karla Pineda converted for the game-winner despite the Panthers' best effort in the final 60 seconds. Shim and redshirt senior
Chelsea Leiva moved the ball up field, but a takedown of Shim in front of Kerestine ended the potential threat.
The Panthers ended the game doubling the Mean Green's shots total, 12-6 and created seven on-goal chances for the day.
FIU makes its Texas swing next weekend, beginning with an 8:00 p.m. ET match on Friday, Oct. 24 at UTSA.
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/.
