Paula Silva / Contributing Writer
The 2021 season for FIU Women’s Soccer is set to begin in a week, and this season will mark the return of supporters, who will be allowed to attend home games.
The upcoming season will kick off with a home opener against the Stetson Hatters on August 19 at 6pm.
Coach Garbar’s Work
This will be Head Coach Jonathan Garbar’s second season under the helm. 17 newcomers will join the team this semester, which consists of 10 freshmen and 7 transfer students, nine of which are international. Moreover, the team has been training consistently in scrimmages and drills in order to familiarize the new recruits with their teammates.
FIU Head Coach Jonathan Garbar
“The standards we’ve set for the program are very clear, they’re honest, and they’re non-negotiable,” stated Coach Garbar in an Instagram post by the team. Garbar has made it clear that the Panthers are not satisfied with last season’s outcome, finishing in sixth place out of the seven teams in the Conference USA Eastern Division.
Reminiscing On Last Season
FIU only managed to win three games out of the shortened 12-game season. They started the season strong, shutting out against the Jacksonville Dolphins by a score of 2-0, but proceeded to lose three out of their next four matches.
During a matchup against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, FIU got off to a hot start scoring three goals, but WKU ended up with four of their own, handing the Panthers another loss. The losing streak continued for three more games, in which FIU was only able to score a single goal during that stretch.
It wasn’t until late in March of the season that FIU would find success, in a match against Marshall, winning by a score of 3-1. The momentum didn’t carry over for their final two games of the season against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and Florida Atlantic Owls, being shut out in both games.
Departing Players
For FIU, 10 athletes from the past season have graduated, leaving plenty of room for new recruits to take their spot. Some notable athletes who have left include defender Sierra Moss, Colombian midfielder Laura Chavez, and midfielder Angie Ponce Baque had to leave as well after graduating.
Some players who will be returning for another year at FIU are goalkeeper Kiera Gibson, forward Sydney Amparo, and forward Kédie Johnson.
The New Panthers
There are 17 new members of women’s soccer for FIU. Some of these athletes are from the local South Florida area, including midfielder Deborah Bien-Aime and forwards Francesca Brito and Nikole Solis.
In addition to the Florida natives, FIU will also welcome three players from Massachusetts: goalkeeper Casey Kane, midfielder Jessica Magerman, and forward Marissa Orlando. Midfielder Camille Sahirul will also be joining the team as a transfer student from North Haven, Connecticut. The last American-born addition to the team is defender Reagan Bridges from Littleton, Colorado.
There are also 10 international student athletes who will be a part of the team, beginning with four Canadians. Defender Paris Stec, and midfielders Claire Monyard, and Dominique Marcelli come from Ontario, while midfielder Noemi Paquin is from Montreal.
In addition to local and national talent, five Europeans will also be present. Goalkeeper Ithaisa Vinoly hails from Spain, midfielder Elli Kainulainen is from Finland, and both defenders Madeleine Hager and Delinda Sehlin are from Sweden. Lastly, forward Farah El Tayar is from Bsous, Lebanon.
The 2021 Schedule
This season will kick off with a home game against Stetson on August 19. After a road meeting with Jacksonville a few days later, FIU will host four straight home games against the North Florida Ospreys, Lipscomb Bisons, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, and Murray State Racers from August 26 to September 5.
FIU will then head to Coral Gables for a matchup against the Miami Hurricanes on September 9, then travel to Murfreesbobo to take on Middle Tennessee on September 16 to begin the Conference USA stretch of their season.
The final two games in the month of September will be home and road affairs between FAU on the 19th and the Marshall Thundering Herd on the 24th.
The month of October will feature the final five games of the regular season, beginning at home against Charlotte on the 1st, a trip to Denton to take on the North Texas Mean Green on the 8th, and a return to Miami on the 15th against WKU.
The final two games are against the Old Dominion Monarchs on October 22 and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on October 28.
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