Murfreesboro, Tenn. – FIU Women's Soccer (6-3-0, 1-0-0 CUSA) prevails over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3-6-0, 0-1-0) in their first Conference USA game of the season, 4-2, on the shoulders of Noemi Paquin's second-half hat trick.
The match started well for Middle Tennessee, with the Blue Raiders finding the back of the net at just the 5:03 mark in the first half, taking advantage of a corner kick to take the lead early.
The Panthers' defense strengthened after Middle Tennessee's initial score, not allowing another goal for the rest of the half despite seven shots and three shots on goal from MTSU, all of which were either cleared by the FIU defense or saved by sophomore Valery Restrepo. The Colombian native, playing all 90 minutes in the contest, ended the match with four total saves, her highest single-game save total of her career.
The Panthers dominated possession most of the first half and would have 10 shots and four shots on goal in the first 45 minutes but could not connect with the back of the net, going into the half with Middle Tennessee leading, 1-0.
Out of the half, FIU and Middle Tennessee played gritty ball until senior Noemi Paquin was able to net an incredible goal from deep outside the box, tying the game at one a piece at the 62:02 mark.
The scoring would not stop there for the Canadian native, as she netted her second goal of the evening on a header, courtesy of a free-kick assist from fellow senior Deborah Bien-Aime in the 71st minute, giving FIU the lead 2-1.
The 2023 First-Team All-CUSA recipient did not want to stop at two goals, completing that hat trick not 10 second later after stealing the ball from an MTSU midfielder on the inbound after her previous goal, and promptly finding the back of the net for the final time in the game, making it a 3-1 game, every goal coming off the foot (and head) of Noemi Paquin. It is the first FIU hat trick since Nikole Solis netted three in a 4-0 victory over Stetson last season.
The Panthers' scoring did not stop at Noemi Paquin. Sophomore Montelene Dymond found the back of the net after putting nifty moves on multiple Blue Raider defenders before shooting a strike past the Middle Tennessee goalkeeper, making the score a staggering 4-1 in favor of FIU.
Neither team would score again after a late goal for Middle Tennessee made the score 4-2 in the 79th minute.
At 19-16, the Panthers got off more shots as well as 11 shots on goal to Middle Tennessee's six, showcasing the prolific offense head coach Jonathan Garbar has curated in Miami.
The victory marks three in a row for the Panthers, the most since the 2023 campaign when FIU won the first three matches of the season by a combined score of 17-0.
UP NEXT
FIU will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia on Friday, September 27 at 6:00 p.m. to take on the current leader in the CUSA standings, Liberty. The match 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
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General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
