MIAMI (August 20, 2016) -- Following Friday night's season-opening draw at Stetson, the FIU women's soccer program returns to action Sunday in Tampa, with a 3 p.m. contest at USF. The Bulls, one of 18 teams receiving votes in the NCSSA preseason poll, defeated Louisiana-Monroe on the road Friday night, 2-0.
 
FIU played to a one-all tie after two overtime periods Friday night in Deland. Freshman Michaela Rouse (Allen, Texas) scored her first career goal in the 41^st minutes off a header from a free kick launch by sophomore Jacky Monteas (Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock, Germany), who garnered her first-career point on the assist.
 
The sheet was nearly clean for senior goalkeeper Sophia Trujillo (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep), aside for one miscue when she was knocked to the ground, which allowed a Stetson goal in the 59^th minute. She set a career high with 10 saves in the contest.
 
The two programs have met eight previous times, each side winning three times and finishing with a pair of draws. The Panthers are 1-2-2 in five trips to Tampa in the all-time series. The two teams played to a scoreless tie in their previous meeting, September 4, 2009 in Tampa. USF has not scored against FIU in the last two meetings.
 
The FIU home opener will be next Thursday, August 25, when the Panthers host Wake Forest to the FIU Soccer Complex. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
 
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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/.