MIAMI (Sept. 2, 2019) – FIU Athletics officially kicked off the new year this past week, with a few big performances across multiple sports. The week was highlighted by the men's soccer team, who dispatched a pair of tough opponents at home by the combined score of 8-2, while the women's soccer team picked up its first victory of the young season and the women's cross country squad had two Panthers finish in the Top 5 in Boca Raton. 

Below is a brief recap of how each FIU team performed this past week. 

Football
The FIU football team was topped on the road by Tulane last Thursday, as the Panthers dropped a tough game to the Green Wave to open the season in New Orleans. The Blue & Gold opens the home slate this weekend however, with the Panthers hosting WKU on Saturday, Sept .7 at 7:00 p.m. FIU downed WKU 38-17 on the road last season, as the Panthers won their second-straight game in the series.

Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team picked up its first win since 2016, as the Panthers shutout visiting Jacksonville 3-0 last Friday. Rayquel Berry scored two of FIU's goals to lead the Panthers off the bench. The Panthers will host two more matches this weekend, as FIU takes on North Florida on Friday at 7:00 p.m., before closing the weekend on Sunday against Dartmouth at 1:00 p.m. 

Volleyball
FIU volleyball opened the season on the road at the Indiana Invitational, with the Panthers dropping three tough matches in Bloomington. FIU returns home this week to host Panther Fest on Sept. 5-6. The squad takes on Stetson on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. to kick off the tournament. 

Cross Country
At the FAU Collegiate XC Invitational, the Panthers had a handful of impressive showings to kick off the 2019 season. Sherilene Gelderblom placed second and Rahel Gerbretsadik finished fifth to lead the FIU women to a fourth-place finish. Gelderblom, coming off All-CUSA honors outdoor season, ran 18:33, while Gebretsadik followed behind in 19:10. The cross country squad will be off until Saturday, Sept. 14 as the Panthers head to Gainesville for the Mountain Dew XC Invitational hosted by Florida. 

Men's Soccer
The FIU men's soccer team began the 2019 season with a bang, as the Panthers took down St. Bonaventure and No. 17 James Madison to open the new year. FIU had an offensive explosion on Friday night against St. Bonaventure as the Panthers picked up a 5-1 victory, before taking down No. 17 James Madison, 3-1. The most impressive performance came from Andrew Booth, who scored two goals and added an assist on the weekend. The Panthers split home and away this weekend, with FIU traveling to Jacksonville on Friday, before returning home against Seton Hall on Sunday at 7:00 p.m.  

TICKETS
For tickets to all FIU home events, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit our ticket home page at FIUSports.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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