MIAMI (Sept. 21, 2014) – The FIU women's soccer team (5-4-0) dropped a hard-fought battle with No. 23 Long Beach State, 3-1, Sunday afternoon. After a slow start, the Panthers' offense was tough to tame for the 49ers, as the Panthers ended up with a 15-11 edge in shots, nine of which were on target.
Freshman Nevena Stojakovic was dominant in the goal for the Panthers, being tested often in the first 10 minutes. Less than one minute into the game, the Serbia native came off her line to block a would-be goal in a 49er breakaway. She finished the match with four saves.
The Panthers' defense was able to tame the LSBU press well during the first 45 minutes, credited to the strong play of redshirt juniors Nikki Rios and Sara Stewart and seniors Caroline Hernandez and Marie Egan. Stewart had several key blocks in the box during the match, highlighted by a goal-saving block where the Ontario native was able to get her body in front of the shot in the 38th minute.
The 49ers got on the board in the 12th minute. On a loose ball in the Panthers' defensive third, LSBU's Vania Robles just got a foot in front of the defender for the score. However, redshirt junior Scarlet Montoya immediately responded with an equalizer for FIU in the 15th minute. An initial shot by Rios went unclaimed before Montoya sank her first goal of the season off a header.
From there, FIU was able to overtake all momentum and generate several quality opportunities.
Midway through the half, both teams traded hard looks, first with Stojakovic making another good save on a hard hit shot. Senior Johanna Volz countered, giving FIU a good chance in the 28th minute, but the ball sailed wide. Senior Ashleigh Shim then almost netted her third goal on a breakaway. Through great transition play, the Panthers were able to manufacture two additional one-on-one chances in the half.
Sophomore Alyssa Robinson provided speed off the bench late in the first half. She and redshirt senior Chelsea Leiva almost connected in the 42nd minute. Robinson took the ball up the right flank, crossed it to Leiva, who kicked it off the back of her heel towards the net. Her shot hit off the far post before the 49ers keeper was able to protect the ball.
The 49ers went ahead in the 63rd minute following consecutive corners. Stojakovic was able to get a hand on the first shot, which resulted in LSBU's second opportunity. From there, Mimi Rangel connected with Marie MacKenzie with traffic inside the box.
Shim nearly tied the contest again on loose ball in the 80th minute when she and the goalie were both approaching a loose ball at the top of the box. The 49ers' Ashton McKeown was able to get her body in front of the shot.
LBSU tacked on one final goal late in the second half, ending in a 3-1 result. Leiva finished the match with a team-high six shots, four on goal.
FIU begins conference play next weekend, which will also serve as Alumnae Weekend for the Panthers. Action begins Friday at 7 p.m. versus Old Dominion from the FIU Soccer Stadium.
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/.
