MIAMI (Aug. 21, 2013) - The FIU women’s soccer team (13-6-2 in ’12) begins its inaugural season in Conference USA this Friday at home against Arizona (6-11-3 in ’12) with a match time set for 7 p.m ET. The game will be held at FIU Soccer Stadium.

The Panthers are coming off back-to-back Sun Belt Conference finals appearances and are looking to continue their dominance in C-USA, where the Panthers were picked fifth out of 16 teams in the preseason poll.

FIU played Arizona in the 2012 campaign and is looking to build off the 0-2 loss from one season ago.

“We have a better understanding of what the competition is going to be like,” said senior Kim Lopez, who started all 21 games for the Panthers in 2012. “Obviously teams change and certain players come in, so they’re going to be a tough team to beat, but we have to be ready.”

Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt has led the team to four-consecutive 10-plus win seasons and is ready to get back on the pitch.

“We’re excited to start the season off against a quality opponent like Arizona. We just got back from L.A. where we played some scrimmages and did a lot of team bonding,” said Thomas.

The Panthers know that Arizona will be a good test early on in the season, especially the Wildcats’ Jazmin Ponce, who led the team in points last year with 18 and notched a team- leading 8 goals.

“We played the team last year, and we got to see a little bit of what the team is about,” said junior midfielder Johanna Volz, who racked up 1,706 minutes in 2012. “I think they’re good competition for our team and a great home opener to start the season. It should be a very exciting game.”

This Friday also marks Parent’s Weekend for the Panthers, which is always a good time for the team.

“It’s always exciting with our families here. Everyone comes to play. Everyone is excited any time you touch the ball, get on the field. It’s just exciting to have that family presence that you may not have at every game,” said Volz.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWomensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWSoccer) for all the latest FIU women’s soccer news. Follow all of FIU’s 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).


About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu