MIAMI, Fla. -  The FIU women's soccer team gears up for a crucial Senior Night matchup this Thursday evening at FIU Soccer Stadium, as the Panthers host North Texas for a 7 p.m. matchup in Miami.
 
Seniors Sydney Amparo, Ithaisa Vinoly and Camille Sahirul will be honored prior to kickoff for their contributions to the program.
 
Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. North Texas (7-5-2, 3-2-1 C-USA)

• Time/Site: 7 p.m. at FIU Soccer Stadium
• Streaming Video: CUSA.tv
• Live Stats
• First 75 students in attendance receive free FIU Panther Power t-shirts

 
Thursday's matchup with the Mean Green marks a significant one for the Panthers on their home pitch with the regular season winding down, as FIU searches for its first C-USA win having drew 1-1 in two of its last four matches, while narrowly dropping close 1-0 matchups in the other two.
 
FIU (2-6-3, 0-3-3 C-USA) holds three points in the C-USA standings, sitting atop Middle Tennessee (0-3-2) and UTEP (0-4-2), as a victory Thursday will keep the Panthers within contention of earning an appearance in the C-USA Tournament.
 
Despite the results, the Panthers have competed significantly defensively, having not let up more than one goal in each of the past four matches, behind strong defensive line efforts from Reagan Bridges, Idelys Vazquez, Catherine Rapp, Hanako Fujii and goalkeepers Ithaisa Vinoly and Maaike van Klink.
 
Vinoly has led the charge in goal for the Panthers with 33 saves through 10 starts this season, including a shutout, while van Klink has appeared in FIU's last two matches – starting versus Western Kentucky last Friday – notching three saves apiece in each match.
 
Offensively, FIU will need a spark from the boots of Nikole Solis (5 goals), Catherine Rapp (2 G), Kim Schneider (2 G), Noemi Paquin (1 G), Farah El Tayar and Chinatsu Kaio, as these core six Panthers ultimately lead the squad in goals and shots. FIU has only scored two goals through its last six matches and will look to ramp up its attack offensively in search of results down the stretch of the regular season.
 
A win versus the Mean Green would mark the first since 2011 – which came in Miami, 1-0, on Oct. 14, 2011.
 
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS:
North Texas features the league's top scoring offense and is the only team in Conference USA averaging over two goals per match for the entire season. Against conference opponents, UNT is only giving up half a goal per match, which is near the best in the league. 
 
A trio of North Texas players sit atop C-USA individual ranks for points, led by Olivia Klein (8 G, 4 A), Taylor Tufts (4 G, 7 A) and Madison Drenowatz (5 G, 4 A). Additionally, the North Texas defense has been strong behind goalkeeper Dani Jacobson, who holds a league-best six shutouts this season on 25 saves.
 
Series History: UNT leads 19-3-2
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will travel to face Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is slated for a 1 p.m. start to be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUWSoccer), Twitter (@FIUWSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWSoccer) for all the latest Women's Soccer news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.