After winning the Sun Belt conference last year, the FIU Panthers received five first-place votes. FIU also had three Panthers named in its women’s soccer All-Sun Belt preseason team: forward Chelsea Leiva, midfielder Nicole DiPerna, and goalkeeper Kaitlin Savage.
Playing for Harbor FC, Kaitlyn Savage jumped in the air to head the ball when her opponent hit her to throw off her balance. As she landed, she immediately knew something was wrong. Then she heard the crack. Savage crippled to the floor and cried out in pain. She had blown out her knee.
In the 2011 season, the FIU women’s soccer team came out on top as Sun Belt Conference Champions. However, it will be difficult to be repeat this year with the strength of schedule the Panthers face.
Florida International University will be one of five teams that will joining Conference USA in 2013 along with University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Louisiana Tech University, University of North Texas and University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).