LAFAYETTE, La. – The FIU women's soccer team fell in its season opener at Louisiana on Thursday night, as the Panthers held an early lead through the second half prior to the Ragin' Cajuns rallying for a two-goal spurt to earn the 2-1 win at Home Bank Soccer/Track Field.
Sophomore forward
Noemi Paquin picked up where she left off after a solid all-freshman campaign in 2021, netting her sixth career goal for the Panthers' lone score of the night, while
Idelys Vazquez provided the helper for her first assist and points of the season.
Sophomore
Delinda Sehlin added a pair of shots, as freshmen
Chinatsu Kaio and
Selena Ramos also recorded shots in their FIU debuts.
With just two shots combined over the first 45 minutes of play, the Panthers would make the most of their first shot of the 2022 season, striking first on the attack in the 13
th minute of action to boost an early 1-0 advantage.
Vazquez would play a ball to
Noemi Paquin just inside the top-right of the box, as Paquin would loft a right-foot shot that sailed over Louisiana's Libby Harper into the left side of the goal for the lead. Following the lead, FIU's defensive line held strong, only allowing one Ragin' Cajuns shot for the remainder of the frame to hold the 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
The Panthers' chemistry looked to strengthen through the early portions of the second half, seeing a shot from Sehlin come off the keeper for a corner in the 49
th minute prior to
Selena Ramos nearly tacking on a second goal after striking a
Farah El Tayar cross off the crossbar just moments later.
FIU's defense remained solid, denying a sequence of close calls with blocked shots inside the box as Louisiana answered on the attack, though, a costly mistake and gamble along FIU's goal line would allow for the equalizer in the 64
th minute by Louisiana's Ruthny Mathurin to knot the match at 1-1.
Louisiana built on its momentum and began to wear on the Panthers with its attack, as the Ragin' Cajuns would find a break that saw a pair of passes inside the box set up Jacie Crochet for the go-ahead goal in the 74
th minute, 2-1. From there, FIU competed hard to the finish, seeing
Chinatsu Kaio send a cross into the far-right side of the box that Paquin would just miss wide right late in the 88
th minute, as Louisiana would ultimately hold on for the 2-1 win at the end of regulation.
UP NEXT:
The Blue & Gold return to Miami this weekend for its home opener, as the Panthers will play host to Mississippi State on Sunday, Aug. 21. First kick is slated for an 11 a.m. start at FIU Soccer Stadium to be broadcast on CUSA.tv.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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@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.
