MIAMI (Aug. 30, 2019) - The FIU women's soccer team began its home slate on a high note Friday morning, as the Panthers earned their first win of the season by a score of 3-0 over Jacksonville University at FIU Soccer Stadium.
The Panthers took the pitch early at 11 a.m. after inclement weather forced the game time to be moved up a few hours, and the match was able to stay clear of any rain until the final whistle.
FIU led in the shot margin 9-5 over Jacksonville in the first half as the Panthers consistently took chances at the Dolphins' net. The first period remained scoreless until the 41st minute when freshman Ellen Halseth put the Panthers on the board with a beautiful scoring strike set up by junior transfer Yolanda Albalat Collado. Collado earned her first-ever assist as a Panther while Halseth logged her first score, and FIU took a 1-0 advantage over Jacksonville heading into the break.
Things began to ramp up immediately for the Panthers after the intermission, as less than seven minutes into the half Albalat Collado threaded another clever pass to sophomore Rayquel Berry, who buried a strike into the back of the net and extended FIU's lead to 2-0. The play marked the second assist for Albalat Collado on the day and the first goal for Berry in the 2019 season.
The next 17 minutes of play was dominated by the Panthers as they controlled possession and repeatedly took chances at the Dolphins' goal-line, racking up five shots within that span. Then in the 69th minute, Halseth placed a perfect ball to Berry who shook the Dolphin defender and fired on target again to put the Panthers up 3-0. For Halseth it marked her first assist donning the Blue & Gold, while Berry collected her second score of the day.
The three goals by FIU marked its highest scoring output since Oct. 2, 2016 when the Panthers defeated Middle Tennessee 3-2 in double OT. Additionally, the win was the Panthers' first victory since they defeated Jacksonville 1-0 back on Sep. 3, 2017, and FIU's first home win since a 2-0 defeat over Louisiana Tech on Oct. 11, 2015.
Berry finished with a game-high four points off the bench, while Halseth garnered three points of her own, and Albalat Collado led with two assists. For Berry, her six shots proved to be a career-high, while her two goals tied a previous career-high set in a 2-2 draw against Louisiana Tech during the 2018 season.
Between the posts, Christina Velazquez led the Panthers with two saves as the Panthers' defense did well to keep the opposition out of the box.
Newcomers Anyeli Solarte and Sydney Amparo both earned their first starts as members of FIU, while Kristin Telford, Alex King, and Angel Breedlove saw their very first action of the 2019 season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers retake the pitch next week when they host North Florida on Friday, Sep. 6 at FIU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU_WSoccer Instagram and @FIUWSoccer on Facebook and Twitter. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
