Bautista Samperi | Staff Writer
On a day that’s associated with frights and horror, the Panthers faced down their fears and made history.
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The women’s soccer team tied in its final game of the regular season against Jacksonville State on Oct. 31 to clinch its first ever regular season title.
It was a fast and electric start to the game by both sides. The visiting team put the pressure on the Panthers early on and it paid off.
Jacksonville State scored from a freekick, taken by Nancy Almanza, in just the second minute of the game after a handball outside the box by senior Reagan Bridges.
The game continued being back and forth throughout the first half as both teams combined for 14 shots, nine by FIU. Despite the countless efforts by the home team they would go into halftime down on the scoreboard.
Only seven minutes into the half, in the 53rd minute, FIU got their equalizer after a great assist by junior Ashly Martinez to sophomore Montelene Dymond who scored her fourth goal of the season.
Senior Noemi Paquin gave the home team the lead in the 68th minute with a brilliant solo run, scoring her 14th goal of the season.
The Panther’s happiness was short-lived, as just one minute later, the visitors leveled the score after another free kick goal, this time scored by junior Nanaka Inaba.
FIU continued pressing for a third goal to secure a regular-season-ending win, but a strong defensive effort by the Gamecocks denied multiple attempts by the Panther and the game ended in a draw.
After the game, when asked about the importance of having home-field advantage, and with their focus now on the Conference Tournament, Bridges said “We’re used to playing on this field, it is nice and large, so it fits our style of play and we’re able to move the ball well. I think it’s gonna make a huge difference going into the tournament, especially now since we’re gonna be starting off in the semifinals.”
She also highlighted the team’s chemistry and the crucial role it played this season.
“So many of us have been together for so many years now and we have just been fighting our way to get to this point where we are competing for a conference championship,” said Bridges. “We all have that same mentality, we all want the same thing, we all want to fight for each other. That makes a difference and it shows.”
The Panthers now focus on what’s next as they look for their strong performances to continue into the postseason. The Conference USA tournament will be held at Leyva Family Field at FIU Soccer Stadium from Nov. 6-10.
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