FIU Women’s Soccer remains undefeated

Luis Diaz/ Contributing Writer

Yes, everyone is undefeated going into opening day. And yes, it was only game one. But at the end of the day, FIU Women’s Soccer team was 1-0, undefeated and they got there in a very decisive fashion.

The Panthers faced adversity from the very beginning of the game. In only the sixth minute, Dayton was given a corner kick. Not a minute after Coach Chestnutt screamed to his players from the sideline, “What are we doing?” Dayton  was able to score off that corner giving them a 1-0 lead that would take them to the half.

The first half however, besides that one corner kick from Dayton, was still dominated by FIU. The Golden Panther’s continually attacked Dayton’s goalkeeper and Sophia Trujillo, the junior goalkeeper who transferred this summer to FIU from San Diego State, was flat-out a beast in front of her net. In the 11th minute, Sophia made three consecutive diving saves in just a matter of a few seconds.

FIU was not just knocking on Dayton’s door, they were banging on it and were finally able to kick it down in the second half.  Less than ten minutes into the first half, freshman Lyrik Fryer set up fellow freshman Jacky Byers with a beautiful pass and Byers was able to tie the game up with her first NCAA goal coming in the 54th minute.

That goal was just a testament to what this team has been preaching over the summer. This is a team that is looking for anyone and everyone in Blue and Gold to step up and make plays for this team. It’s only fitting two of the youngest members of this team, giving the FIU fans a taste of what this team’s future looks like.

The score would remain 1-1 into overtime, but not much longer after that. Just two minutes into the extended play, junior Alyssa Robinson and senior Madlen Weinhardt reminded the fans that there are still some savvy vets on this squad. And just as the crowd was running out of nails to bite, senior Weinhardt set Robinson up for a goal that was definitely worthy of being the game winner as it sailed right past Dayton’s keeper.

After an intense game with some new names being created on the pitch, this season looks to be headed in the right direction. This mix of young and experienced young women now knows what it takes to win at this level. And this being the only game number one on their road to the Conference USA title, the fans can expect more this season to be something special.