Miami, Fla. – The FIU Women's Soccer team (8-3, 3-0) grabs a win against New Mexico State (7-5-1, 2-2 CUSA) on the shoulders of Noemi Paquin, who netted her ninth and tenth goals of the season.
The game was rocky for the Aggies from the jump, with a red card being pulled at the 3:16 mark for a New Mexico State defender after she pulled on the back of the jersey of an FIU attacker to stop her from scoring. NM State would play the rest of the contest down a player.
FIU held possession for the majority of the first half but could not find the back of the net despite several chances, with FIU forcing eight shots and three shots on goal to no avail.
The Panthers finally broke through right before the half, when senior Camille Sahirul fed fellow senior Noemi Paquin a nice pass through the New Mexico State defense, with Paquin promptly scoring her first goal of the night to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. It was the Canadian native's eighth goal of the season, with Sahriul assisting on her third goal of the season.
Out of the half, FIU kept the pressure on the Aggies, scoring quickly off the foot of senior Nikole Solis in the 51st minute, the sixth of the season for the 2023 CUSA points leader, giving FIU a 2-0 lead. The Boca native played 65 minutes off the bench for the Panthers, netting one goal on two shots and two shots on goal.
FIU kept the hot foot at the 61:10 mark when Camille Sahirul delivered her second assist of the night to Noemi Paquin, who scored her second goal of the night as well for a 3-0 lead for the Panthers. It is her ninth goal in four games and 10th overall. In her last four matches, Paquin has scored two or more goals in each of them, the most in CUSA in that time frame. At four assists, the forward Sahirul has already eclipsed her assist total of three from last season, a career high for the senior.
The Panther defense played lights out, literally, blanking New Mexico State 3-0. FIU allowed just one shot and zero shots on goal in the match, never giving the Aggies a chance to gain momentum.
Valery Restrepo is credited with her fifth shutout of the season and her third in four games, another standout performance for the sophomore in her first year as a Panther.
It is the fifth victory in a row for FIU, out-scoring their opponent 19-3 in that timespan. The first winning result against the New Mexico State Aggies, who ended the 2023 regular season with the best record in CUSA. The Panthers have now secured winning results over the 2023 CUSA champions (Liberty) and the 2023 CUSA Champioonship runner-ups in New Mexico State.
UP NEXT
FIU will stay at home to take on University of Texas - El Paso on Sunday, October 5 at 1:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available.
BAPTIST HEALTH
The 2024 FIU men's and women's soccer season is presented by Baptist Health, the official sports medicine provider of FIU Athletics.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIWSoccer), Twitter (@FIUWomensSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWomensSoccer) for all the latest FIU Women's Soccer news.
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
