Daniela Manzo / Contributing Writer
The FIU Panthers Women’s soccer team is finally ready to begin their 2021 season this upcoming Sunday.
This season was supposed to begin in the Fall 2020 semester alongside FIU men’s soccer, but COVID-19 concerns have pushed the season opener all the way to February 7th.
Along with the change in schedule, the roster for the Panthers has drastically changed since last year, beginning with their new head coach, Jonathan Garbar.
“I am honored to join the FIU community and proud of the opportunity to build its women’s soccer program to the ambitious heights the Panther family deserves,” Garbar said in a statement to FIU Athletics.
Garbar was the former head coach of the Division II Franklin Pierce Ravens from 2017-2020. During his time with the Ravens, he achieved a 34-15-6 overall record and has appeared in a Division-10 Conference Championship and an NCAA Division II tournament.
The Panthers finished their 2019 season with a 2-15 record and failed to make the cut for the Conference USA Tournament. This season may be looking up for the Panthers as they added experienced players to their roster.
The New Recruits
In the offseason, the Panther’s signed seven new recruits. Every new recruit is a transfer student from another college across the United States, and six out the seven recruits are juniors.
FIU’s replacement at goalkeeper is Junior Kiera Gibson, a transfer from the Eastern Florida State Titans. She is the all time leader for the Titans and the Southern Conference in both saves and shutouts, with 17 shutouts and 111 saves.
Two Swedish recruits are joining the roster for the Panthers. Forward Angelica De Don and Midfielder Ronja Cronvall are both junior transfers from Broward College.
FIU also added two new defenders to fill in their missing links. Estefania Cardona is a junior transfer from the Iowa Western Reivers, and Sydni Greaves is also a junior transfer from the Longwood Lancers.
Junior forward Idelys Vazquez is a transfer from the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, and forward Courtney Walker is a graduate student from the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
The 2020 Schedule
FIU will play a total of 12 games this season with four of those games at home and the rest on the road. The first five games will be out of conference matches then the rest will be against opponents from Conference-USA.
The first game will be at home against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Sunday at 11 am. Jacksonville holds an all-time 3-2 record against the Panthers dating back to 2003. However, the last two matches have gone in favor for FIU, including a 3-0 win in August 2019.
The second matchup for the Panthers will be against the North Florida Ospreys on Friday, February 12 at 4pm in Jacksonville. They have an all-time record of 3-3-2, so FIU can decide the tie breaker this upcoming Friday or maintain a tie with the Ospreys.
FIU will then rematch the Dolphins on the road on Sunday, February 14th at 4pm.
On Thursday, February 18th at 6pm, the Panthers will meet the Stetson Hatters in Deland, Florida, where they also have an overall tied record of 4-4- 1. They have only won a single game against Stetson on the road.
The last part of the non-conference portion of the schedule will be against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on February 21st at 1pm in Fort Myers. The Eagles maintain a dominating all-time record of 10-1-1 over the Panthers. FIU’s last win in the series against the Eagles was back in August 2010.
FIU will play their first C-USA game of the season at home against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Thursday, February 26 at 6 pm. The Herd holds a record of 5-0-2 against the Panthers.
The next match up is against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Thursday, March 4th at 6 pm in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The two teams have only met twice since 2018, but Western Kentucky hold a 2-0 advantage over the Panthers.
FIU will then host the Old Dominion Monarchs on Thursday, March 11th at 1 pm. Both teams have a split 2-2 record against each other. Both teams have not met since 2017, in which the Monarchs win by a score of 2-0.
Next up for the Panthers is their cross town rivals, the Miami Hurricanes. They’ll square off in Coral Gables on March 14th at 6pm. UM holds a 6-1-1 overall record against the Panthers, and FIU’s sole win in the series was in 2016.
The Panthers will then play the Charlotte 49ers in North Carolina on March 19th at 7pm. Much like the Hurricanes, the 49ers have had a dominant edge over FIU, historically. They have a perfect 7-0 record against FIU since they began to meet in 2013.
FIU will then host the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Friday, March 26 at 7pm. Both schools have met 18 times dating back to 2003, but the Blue Raiders lead the Panthers in the series with a 14-3-1 record.
The final game of the regular season for FIU is on Friday, April 9th at 7 pm against the Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton. The last win FIU had against their rival was in 2013, as FAU has the advantage in the series with a 9-5-2 record.
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