Carla Mendez | Staff Writer
In their first Conference USA matchup of the year, the FIU women’s soccer team took a 3-1 victory over the UTEP Miners on Sunday, Sep. 17, 2023 at the FIU Soccer Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Prior to this match, the Panthers had a scoreless night offensively and took a 1-0 loss to the FGCU Eagles on Sep. 10, 2023.
Taking their second loss of the season, FIU’s record fell to 5-2-1, which is still overwhelmingly positive despite the loss.
UTEP has had a much slower start to their season, as they were on a three game losing streak and held a 1-7-1 record entering the match.
The game started with the Miners striking first, with junior midfielder Sheyliene Patolo scoring their only goal of the match at the 19-minute mark.
Falling into an early 1-0 deficit, the Panthers looked to respond before UTEP could build more momentum.
At the 30-minute mark, junior forward Noemi Paquin took a shot that ricocheted off the top left of the net and crossed inside, resulting in an equalizing goal for FIU.
With the game tied at 1-1, both teams played staunch defense until halftime, where the score remained the same.
Coming out of halftime, the Panthers were energized and ready to build a lead.
Scoring her second goal of the game at the 54-minute mark, Paquin’s shot once again found the back of the net and gave FIU a 2-1 lead.
Struggling to respond, the Miners couldn’t find any consistency as they collected nine fouls and couldn’t score in the second half.
Putting the finishing touch on the game, graduate student Camille Sahirul scored with less than a minute remaining, which allowed the Panthers to claim a 3-1 victory.
Bolstering their record to 6-2-1 on the season, the Panthers are having their best start to a season since 2015.
Looking to keep their electrifying start going, the FIU women’s soccer team is taking on the Sam Houston Bearcats on Thursday, Sep. 21, 2023 at Pritchett Field in Huntsville, Texas.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm and the game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
Follow Carla Mendez on X: @carladfmendez
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