NEWARK, Del. – FIU Women's Soccer will be on the road for its first conference matchup of the season when they take on CUSA-newcomer, Delaware, on Sunday, September 21 at noon.

Sunday, September 21 at Noon

• Time / Site: Noon / Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium

• TV

• Live Stats

• Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics

The Panthers concluded non-conference play this past Saturday when they drew with Jacksonville, 2-2, bringing their record at the halfway point of the season to 3-2-3. The only losses for FIU came against Power-4 opponents in then-ranked No. 3 Florida State and Miami, while they have one Power-4 win under their belt in a 1-0 result at UCF. This will be the first meeting between FIU and Delaware in their respective histories, with the Blue Hens recently making the transition to CUSA from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) this season.

So Far in 2025

The Panthers are off to a 3-2-3 start to the 2025 season, tallying ten goals so far. FIU opened the scoring account with a goal at North Florida, followed by three in a win over Florida Atlantic and three more in a victory against Stetson. In their last matchup, FIU handed the UCF Knights their first loss of the season in a 1-0 result, the lone goal coming from junior Montelene Dymond.

Senior Chinatsu Kaio Kaio has played a pivotal role early on, netting equalizers against both North Florida and Florida Atlantic. Her clutch performances earned her CUSA Offensive Player of the Week honors for the week ending August 24.

Junior Montelene Dymond has been in outstanding form, recording back-to-back braces (two goals in a match) against Florida Atlantic and Stetson. With five goals already, she has surpassed her scoring total from last season.

Sophomore Delfina Lombardi added her name to the scoresheet with her first career goal, converting a penalty kick for the game-winner against Stetson. Graduate student Jayden Boelter and redshirt-junior Maya Maxwell both earned their first goals of the season in the Panthers' matchup at Jacksonville.

FIU opened the season with a challenging road test at No. 3 Florida State, falling 2-0. Despite the loss, the Panthers held their own against the national powerhouse, limiting the Seminoles, who had previously routed SEC opponent Florida 5-0, to just 13 total shots and five on goal in a strong defensive showing.

History Made in 2024

FIU is coming off a historic 2024 season that saw the team win 13 games, the second most wins in program history. After the Panthers beat Middle Tennessee in the CUSA Tournament semifinals, they went on to beat Liberty in a 1-0 nailbiter at the FIU Soccer Stadium, and secured just their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament (1993, 2011). It was just the first time in program history that the team won not just the CUSA conference tournament, but the CUSA regular season championship as well.

Key Returners

Out of the eight Panthers to grace the 2024 CUSA All-Conference lists, only two are returning to the 305. Junior goalkeeper Valery Restrepo, who led CUSA in shutouts last season with eight and earned a Second Team All-CUSA selection, looks to continue her dominance this season. Graduate defender Zora Jackson, also a Second Team All-CUSA selection last season, will look to make her mark once again as a key contributor for the Panthers in the 2025 campaign.

New Coach, New Team

Mat Dunn was named the fifth head coach in FIU Women's Soccer history last March. Dunn joins FIU after a highly successful tenure at Keiser, where he compiled a 232-35-15 record and won back-to-back national championships in 2019 and 2020, earning NAIA Coach of the Year both years. At Keiser, he also led the program to 10 SUN regular season titles and six tournament championships. Originally from Sheffield, UK, Dunn aims to bring his winning formula to the Panthers.

FIU enters the season with a 28-player roster, featuring a balanced mix of experience and new talent. The Panthers return 14 players from last year's squad and welcome 14 newcomers, including three true freshmen, five Division I transfers, five transfers from NAIA programs, and one international addition.

SCOUTING THE BLUE HENS

At 7-0-2, Delaware is off to their best start in program history. The Blue Hens started the year 4-0 before tying with Towson, and went on to go 3-0-1 over the last four matches of non-conference play. Delaware comes into the game off a win over former CAA opponent, William & Mary. 

Delaware is coming off a 2024 season that saw the Blue Hens go 6-7-6. Despite a 2-4-2 start to the season, Delaware completed a successful conference season in the CAA, going 4-2-4, good for fifth in the conference. The Blue Hens' season ended in the first round of the CAA tournament when they fell to four-seed Hofstra, 1-0. 

Delaware comes into CUSA-play scoring 1.89 goals per game and allowing just .67 goals, second and first in the conference respectively. The Blue Hens have seen a lot of production from many of their players, most notably junior Maggie Groh, who is top-four in the conference in goals (4), shots (24), shots on goal (18), assists (3) and points (11). A trio of Hens in Lilli Lubic, Adiat Olaogun-Dickson and Taisiya Reid all have three goals a piece, good for second on the team. 

Overall, seven Blue Hens have scored on the season, and have combined for 51 total points as a team through nine games. Goalkeeper Sophia Hall rounds out a high-performing Delaware team, allowing just six goals so far on the year and a 0.67 GAA with 38 saves, second and third in the conference respectively. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

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