By: Anthony Guivas / Staff Writer
As the Panthers stand in a do or die position and stand in third place in the Sun Belt Conference, wins are at an absolute premium.
Since the Panthers’ last two games ended in a tie and loss, this weekend was key in deciding if FIU could still win the conference. Thankfully for FIU, the Panthers had the chance to face off against the two teams they trail behind: North Texas and Denver.
With so much riding on the line on Oct. 14, the Golden Panthers took to the field against North Texas in what was an absolute physical battle. But once the smoke cleared and the game came to a close, FIU stood victorious with a 1-0 win.
It was not easy though, as North Texas came in with guns blazing and giving FIU everything they could handle. The first half was a dramatic one to say the least, as North Texas completely dominated the tempo of the game, out shooting the Golden Panthers in the first half 12 to three.
“The first half we were a bit off offensively, we just weren’t clicking, it was sort of like sand in the gears,” said head coach Thomas Chestnutt.
But with FIU carrying a never say die attitude, they were able to keep Texas at bay.
One key player of the game was goal keeper Kaitlyn Savage who had seven critical saves in the first half. So once the first half concluded, it seemed destined to be a forgetful night for FIU as Texas had everything running on all cylinders. But with their defense keeping the team in the game, the Golden Panthers came into the second half reinvigorated.
“The second half we felt like we came back and we moved much better so we are happy to see that,” Chestnutt said. “They fought, they battled and it was great to see the commitment level extremely high.”
With the Panthers coming into the second half as the aggressor, FIU finally began controlling the tempo of the game. And with the swing in momentum came the first goal of the game by FIU’s own April Perry.
The goal occurred when in the 59th minute, a foul was placed against North Texas inches away from the penalty box. FIU then placed a formation in front of the box, which resulted in Perry driving in home the decisive goal of the game.
From that point forward, the game changed from a game of momentum to a game of physicality.
Players from both teams shoved and bumped into each other, fighting over every single possession until the final minute.
“I can’t remember a game where I felt so beat up, afterwards we were [players] just throwing our bodies to the ball,” co-captain Victoria Miliucci said.
With both teams at each other’s throats, FIU was able to muster up enough strength and persistence to keep North Texas off the board and seal the win.
With another victory placed in the win column, the Golden Panthers now stand at 8-6-1 on the season and 5-1-1 in the SBC.
So with four games remaining on the season, the margin for error is extremely slim, but the Golden Panthers take it one game at a time.
“We preach to our team, the next game is the most important game so they will enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow we will get to work on Denver one game at a time,” Chestnutt said.
The Panthers will take on conference leading Denver on Oct. 16 at noon at home.
FIU 1, DENVER 0
With the Panthers coming off the heels of defeating North Texas, the second place team in the SBC on Oct. 14, FIU looked to drop another SBC team down a peg as they took on first place Denver on Oct. 16.
Last time these two teams faced off against one another was on Nov. 4 of last year, when Denver eliminated FIU in the SBC semifinals by a score of 1-0. But this afternoon’s game ended on a different note, as the Panthers beat the Denver Pioneers 1-0 in a thriller.
“Anytime you come off a loss from the previous year you always want to beat that team so it always gives that little extra edge,” goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage said.
With so much at stake this late in the season, every win and loss is enhanced more than ever. So as FIU took down first place Denver, the atmosphere surrounding the game felt as that of a tournament game.
As a small drizzle fell throughout the game, both teams still took to the field at noon, and the game quickly became a battle of the defenses.
The first half was a constant tug of war battle, as neither team had a clear advantage over the other. While both offenses had their opportunities, neither of them could break one another’s defense in the first half.
This was evident when the first half concluded and Denver led FIU in shots by a ratio of five to three. Along with that, out of the five shots, only two where threatening enough for Savage to make a save.
So once the first half came to a close, the second half arrived with both teams looking to control the tempo of the game. Right out of the gate, the Pioneers became the aggressor, constantly driving the ball in Panther territory.
But thanks to a gritty and confident Panther defense, all of the Pioneers attempts came up short. So as the Golden Panthers weathered the storm, the team began asserting their offensive prowess.
As both teams stood toe to toe with one another for the remainder of the game, it appeared that overtime was going to decide a victor. But in the 85th minute, the Panthers pulled off a magnificent play to seal the win.
With forward Chelsea Leiva on the right side of the field in Denver territory, she crossed the ball to her left and found freshman Johanna Volz, who drove it home with a ferocious kick.
“I felt like we dealt real well with them today, and there were chances when we controlled the match and dictated the play… at the end of the day we were able to put the ball in the back of the net,” Chestnutt said.
As the clock began to count down, Denver tried again and again to tie things up and bring the game to overtime. But once again the FIU defense contained the Pioneers offensive efforts and added another much needed victory to their win column.
With two back to back wins against the two top teams in the conference, the Golden Panthers confidence is riding high.
“They’re the biggest two wins of our season so far, I mean we still have to take care of the next three games we have, but this put us in a better position… so it just gives us confidence overall,” Savage said.
The Panthers now stand at 9-6-1 on the season and are 6-1-1 in the SBC. With three games remaining, the Panthers will take on ULM next on Oct. 20 in Louisiana.
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