With the Golden Panthers coming off a defining 3-1 win against the Denver Pioneers, FIU had the chance at making history when facing off with Western Kentucky for the SBC championship on Nov. 5.
The Golden Panthers have been on an absolute roll beating each of their opponents by decisive margins. On Nov. 2, FIU defeated Arkansas State 2-0 and on Nov. 3 beat Denver 3-1.
But the Panthers were not the only ones coming into play with momentum. With Western Kentucky coming off a dramatic win over North Texas in double overtime, the game needed to be decided by penalty kicks at the very end to propel them to the finals.
To make the stakes even higher, the last time these two teams faced off it resulted in a 0-0 tie in double overtime on Oct. 7. But regardless, the Golden Panthers’ magical ride did not conclude with a fairy tale ending, as FIU defeated Western Kentucky 4-3 in a game for the ages.
With so many ups and downs throughout the year, the Golden Panthers were able to get the team running on all cylinders at the most opportune moment, delivering FIU their third SBC championship.
But this by no means was an easy task, as Western Kentucky came into the game with a ton of persistence and heart.
At exactly 2 p.m., the Golden Panthers and Western Kentucky took to the pitch and from the very start both teams were dead even, with each team having equal possession of the ball. But all the while that the contest was even, WKU gave FIU some scares early on as in the 12th minute, Kentucky was given a free kick but FIU was able to clear, it escaping the threat.
But WKU’s quick threat did not last long, as the Golden Panthers were able to have a quick offensive surge towards the end of the first half. In the 36th minute, Nicole DiPerna delivered a fantastic shot only to have it deflected by WKU’s goalkeeper.
The Golden Panthers’ continuous offensive onslaught lasted throughout the first half, but to Kentucky’s credit, their defense was performing strong. The first half ends 0-0, with FIU proving to be the stronger of the two, as they did not allow WKU a single shot in the first.
The second half began with WKU coming in hot with eight quick shots, six of which were saved by goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage while the other two were high. But of all the shots, the most dangerous was the free kick awarded to WKU in the 59th minute that was saved by Savage.
After WKU could not record a single shot in the first half, they rolled off eight in a matter of 20 minutes. WKU then continued to dominate the second half, leaving FIU baffled, as they could not record a shot until the 84th minute.
The second half concluded with WKU completely dominating the offensive side of the ball, but FIU kept them at bay long enough to run down the clock down and begin overtime.
After a small reprieve, overtime began, and WKU started where they left off, attacking over and over again. But in the 92nd minute, Kaitlyn Savage made the ultimate save diving to the ball, arguably saving FIU’s season.
Then FIU again suffered another heart stopping scene within the box when the ball rattled around Panther territory resulting in the ball sailing high. With WKU continuing to apply pressure, FIU was somehow able to hold them off leading to a second overtime.
This time around though, FIU was able to control the ball to begin the second half, but WKU was still able to manage great shots when given the opportunities.
But thankfully for the Golden Panthers, Savage was able to deny every single shot that WKU offered in the second half of overtime.
“[Kaitlyn Savage] played fantastic, she made great saves, and in the second half we were just holding [WKU] and she came up big for us,” coach Thomas Chestnutt said.
So with savage playing her best game of the year, the Golden Panthers’ season rested on her shoulders as the game was decided on penalty kicks.
WKU was first up and their shot hit off the crossbar game. FIU then came up and co-captain April Perry delivered a beautiful shot. The Panthers were then up 1-0.
WKU’s Mallory Outerbridge came up and scored, tying the game up at one a piece. FIU’s Nicole DiPerna came up and scored FIU, then up 2-1.
WKU’s Lindsay Williams came up and scored again to tie things up at 2-2. But FIU’s own Melanie Raimo scored to put FIU ahead 3-2.
Then WKU’s Kiersten Ottaway came up and shot, but Savage blocked it. FIU then came up with Chelsea Leiva who took a shot but it went high. The game stood at 3-2, FIU.
WKU then brought up Chrissy Tchoula, who made her shot tie things up 3-3. So with the season on the line, FIU brought up Freshman Johanna Volz to the box. And she brought the FIU season full circle as she scored to have FIU win the shootout 4-3, delivering FIU their third SBC championship.
“It’s a fantastic feeling, it’s another step forward, we took the program to another level today, and I am so proud of the girls performance,” Chestnutt said.
The Golden Panthers’ 2011 season has now solidified itself as one for the FIU record books. But this win also marks the teams second time that they advance to the NCAA tournament.
When asked about how happy the team was entering the NCAA tournament, Chestnutt answered, “Its one of our goals, so we accomplished two of our goals [SBC championship/NCAA tournament spot] of the year today so we will focus on that tomorrow, but as for today, we will enjoy the win,” Chestnutt said.
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