MIAMI (August 17, 2018) - FIU women's soccer fell to Stetson on Friday night, as a pair of early goals lifted the Hatters past the Panthers on opening night for the 2-0 win.
 
Stetson earned both goals in the first half, with Lily Truong striking first in the 24th minute before Greta Watkins extended the lead minutes later to 2-0. FIU will have a short turnaround over the weekend, as the Panthers make the crosstown trip to Coral Gables to take on Miami at 6:30 p.m.
 
The Panthers were held to just one shot in the first half but came out more aggressive in the final 45 minutes, with FIU earning 11 shots to outshoot the Hatters in the second half by a margin of 11-5.
 
"The biggest difference from the first half to the second half was the effort," head coach Sharolta Nonen said following the game. "The second half we came out ready to tackle, ready to win 50/50s, ready to get on the end of crosses – that was the biggest difference."
 
Despite the extra created chances, the Panthers were unable to capitalize as Stetson outlasted FIU for the 2-0 road victory. A few of those chances were due to freshman Rayquel Berry however, who created offense with her speed and earned three shots in 40 minutes of action off the bench.
 
"I was happy with what I saw from Rayquel," Nonen said of the freshman forward. "She did a really good job stretching the opposing defenders and going 1-v-1 every chance she got. She really made it difficult for the opponent."
 
After allowing two goals in the first half, Christina Velazquez recovered nicely to earn five saves and hold the Hatters scoreless for the final 60-plus minutes of the contest.
 
"I think she handled it well, we certainly didn't make it any easier for Christina," Nonen said of Velazquez's play. "We gave them tons of opportunities in and around the 18, which is not what we want. She kept her cool and stayed calm and continued to communicate with our backline. Especially as a freshman I would say she did a really good job."

UP NEXT
FIU travels to Coral Gables on Sunday to face Miami at 6:30 p.m. The Panthers will return home the following Sunday as FIU hosts Denver at noon.
 
NOTABLE
- The win for Stetson marked its first at FIU since 1996.
- FIU is now 15-6-2 all-time against the Hatters.
- A total of eight players made their first start as Panthers on Friday night.
- Freshman Rayquel Berry led FIU in shots, firing off three with one on target in 40 minutes of action.
- FIU had 10 players register at least one shot on Friday night.
- Freshman Christina Velazquez earned five saves in 90 minutes of action between the post, while the keeper faced 12 shots on the night.
- FIU had four players (Christina Velazquez, Sierra Moss, Olivia Sandahl and Emily Baragar) log 90 minutes against the Hatters.
- A total of 18 players earned playing time on Friday night.  

SOCIAL MEDIA
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