SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (October 23, 2016) -- Senior Alyssa Robinson (Pembroke Pines, Florida / American Heritage HS) scored both dramatic goals in a 2-1 overtime road win at UTSA Sunday as the Panthers concluded their road portion of the regular season.
 
FIU is now 3-9-3 on the season, 2-4-2 in C-USA action. UTSA drops to 7-11 overall, 3-6 in conference play. The game was the second two-goal game for Robinson this season. She leads the team with six goals. All three wins have come on the road for FIU this season.
 
"The girls have battled through adversity all season long," said Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt after the game. "Where a lot of teams would have packed it in, this team has kept their spirit and belief in their abilities. This game was won because of that. They played with perseverance and passion today, which is one of our team values - grit! I'm proud of this group of young women for who they are and continue to show on the field."
 
Robinson tied the game with a goal in the 85^th minute, launching a shot from 22 yards out, taking a touch off a pass from sophomore Lyrik Fryer (Issaquah, Washington). That score equalized a first-half UTSA goal from Alexis Alaniz in the 39^th minute.
 
"I had a couple of similar looks right before the goal, so I knew that set piece was a good chance to turn and shoot," said Robinson. With about 10 minutes left in the game, I started thinking about senior night and how it would mean nothing if I didn't give my all in this game. So I changed my mentality and decided to stop feeling sorry for what's happened this season and contribute to a hard fought team win."
 
Robinson then put up the game winner, a header from 11 yards in front that sailed over the keeper, as she was falling away from net because of contact, receiving a 40-yard launch pass by sophomore Lauren Whitaker (Greensboro, North Carolina) at the beginning of the 94^th minute.
 
"I saw Alyssa between their right back and right center back and knew that the center had no idea where Alyssa was," said Whitaker of the game's finish. "Right when it came off my foot I knew it was going past their back line. I felt prepared to play a full 90 minutes - I've been racking up some minutes in the latter half of the season and playing 10-20 minutes more is just a mental game, and I was ready for that."
 
"Lauren's pass was perfect," said Robinson. "I was so happy to finish a ball for her and get her an assist because she's been MVP lately, working so hard. I was just hoping to get any part on it, honestly. I didn't even see it go in because I fell back so hard. I'm just proud of the team. It's cool that I was able to put the balls away but there's no way I can take credit for it all. Everyone fought so hard and never stopped believing."
 
FIU will host two games this week to close out the regular season. Thursday, the team will hold Senior Night, when North Texas visits the FIU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. contest. Sunday, the makeup game from Hurricane Matthew will be versus Old Dominion, starting at 1 p.m.
 
Continue following @FIUWSoccer on twitter and FIUSports.com for updates.

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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/.