MIAMI (Aug. 21, 2014) – The FIU women's soccer team kicks off the program's 30^th season Friday, hosting the PAC 12's Arizona Wildcats before embarking on a three-game, two-coast road trip, which begins with a 1:00 p.m. match against North Florida on Sunday.
 
Coverage and Promotions
Fans who cannot be at the FIU Soccer Stadium for the Panthers' 7:00 p.m. match tomorrow can watch via webcast, courtesy of FIU Athletics. Simply click 'live events' under the multimedia tab on FIUSports.com or click here. Sunday's game at North Florida will be available via livestats.
 
All FIU women's soccer alumnae will receive a FREE FIU soccer scarf for attending Friday night's game. Scarves will also be available for all fans to purchase at men's and women's soccer games, while supplies last.
 
Chestnutt's Reign
Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt enters his eighth season at the helm of the Panthers, boasting six-straight playoff campaigns. A three-time Sun Belt Conference champion, Chestnutt and his squad captured the Sun Belt Conference title in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Four times his team has amassed 11-or-more victories (2009-12), including two-straight 13-win seasons (2011-12).
 
For 2014, Chestnutt, along with assistant coaches Kyle Schroeder and Lauren Singer, bring back 15 players, while welcome eight first-time Panthers.
 
Attack Heavy
FIU will boast two former Sun Belt Freshman of the Year recipients (Chelsea Leiva and Ashleigh Shim) on its front line in 2014. The tandem already occupy spots on the program's all-time scoring chart. Either Leiva or Shim have led or tied for the team lead in goals each of their seasons with the Panthers. (2010; Leiva (10), 2011; Leiva (5), 2012; Leiva (11), 2013; Shim (8))
 
Leiva embarks on her final season donning the blue and gold. She's currently sixth all-time in program history in scoring, accumulating 68 points from 26 goals and 16 assists. A two-time All-South selection, as well as the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, the Royal Palm Beach, Fla., native was named one of Conference USA's 16 "Players to Watch" in 2013 before being shut down for the season. Leiva is two goals shy from reaching the top five all-time.
                                                                                         
Selected to the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, Shim's team-leading eight-goal season in 2013 moved her into 11th place all-time on the FIU scoring chart. The 2011 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year is two goals shy from climbing into the top 10.
 
Also returning to the Panthers this year is redshirt junior Scarlet Montoya. Before missing the 2013 campaign, Montoya had a breakout season in 2012. The Miami native finished second on the team in goals (9) and points (24). She and Leiva accounted for 50 percent of the Panthers' goals scored that year.
 
Scouting Arizona
Losing their leading goal scorer from 2013 (10 – Jazmin Ponce), the Wildcats return Alexandra Doller, who finished her junior season second on the team in points (17) and goals (7). Also returning between the pipes for the Wildcats is senior Gabby Kaufman, who stopped 105 shots in 2013, boasting five shutouts and a 1.17 goals-against average. Then-first-year Head Coach Tony Amato guided Arizona to its first winning season since the 2005 campaign, posting a 9-7-4 mark. His squad was picked to finish 10^th of 12 teams in the Pac-12 preseason poll. FIU and Arizona last played each other to open last year's season, as the Wildcats topped the Panthers, 4-2.
 
Scouting North Florida
Tabbed to finish sixth in the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason poll, North Florida carries a revamped roster into the 2014 campaign. With first-year Head Coach Robin Coffner at the helm, the Ospreys look to fill voids lost by eight, including three of their top four goal scorers from 2013. Along with 10 newcomers, North Florida returns its second-leading goal scorer from 2013, Alexis Bredeau, along with goalkeeper Megan Dorsey. In a four-game series history, the Ospreys and Panthers are knotted at 1-1-2, with FIU most recently capturing a 2-1 victory in 2009.
 
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. 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 nearly 54,000 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. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.