Women’s Soccer Loses Spot in CUSA Championships After Loss To FIU Panthers

The Liberty University Women’s Soccer team traveled to Miami, Florida, for the Conference USA Championship Nov. 8-10, where they competed in a split series. Liberty took down New Mexico State and advanced to the final, but it was ultimately defeated by FIU. 

The Lady Flames faced off against the New Mexico State Lady Aggies Nov. 8. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Grace Workman took her place in the net during this semifinal matchup.  Junior forward Ivy Garner took her first shot attempt at 24:12 into the first half, which was unsuccessful as it went just to the right of the goal. 

Senior forward Taylor Mason made a scoring attempt 10 minutes later that was out to the top right. The Lady Flames had three more scoring attempts from junior defenseman Kayla Magee, redshirt junior midfielder Briana Myers and freshman midfielder Isabella Wedemeyer, but none were able to secure a point. Liberty kept New Mexico at bay during the first half, preventing them from having any scoring attempts. 

In the second half, there were several more shot attempts from Garner, redshirt sophomore forward Halle Engle and sophomore midfielder Gabby Miranda. Garner’s and Engle’s shots were saved by New Mexico’s redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Valerie Guha. At the 54:14 mark, New Mexico’s sophomore defender Kennedy Herrera received the first yellow card of the game.    

Garner opened scoring halfway through the second by sneaking one by Guha. Her goal brought Liberty into the lead with a 1-0 score. Liberty remained in control during this game, leaving the final score at 1-0 to move on to the final against FIU.

Later that weekend, Liberty squared up against FIU for the championship title Nov. 10. FIU was the only team to defeat Liberty during the regular season, trumping the Flames 3-0 back in September. The Lady Flames went into the game looking for redemption against the Lady Panthers. 

FIU’s sophomore goalkeeper Valery Restrepo and Liberty’s Workman both took their places in the net for the final game of the championship. The Lady Panthers started off the first half strong with shot attempts from junior defender Elizabeth Rapp, senior forward Noemi Paquin, junior forward Brealyn Viamille and junior defender Catherine Rapp. However, none of the FIU girls capitalized on their attempts. 

The first half ended with both teams locked at zero. At the 46:32 mark, FIU took the lead early in the second half with a goal from senior defender Deborah Bien-Aime on a penalty kick. The Lady Panthers stepped into the lead with a 1-0 score. 

Junior forward Ashly Martinez picked up FIU’s first yellow card of the game at 48:47. Paquin made another shot that went out just above the top of the net. Engle saw two more chances to score for Liberty, though both shots were saved by Restrepo at the bottom left and bottom center of the net.

FIU’s junior midfielder Chinatsu Kaio picked up her first yellow card of the game, followed by Liberty’s Workman with her first as well. Paquin took another shot that missed its mark. Liberty freshman forward Avery Paulson had her first shot on goal of the game at the bottom center, which was saved by Restrepo. Garner and Miranda took two more shots to try to tie the game for Liberty, but they did not put one in the back of the net. 

“We have a lot to learn about playing in a championship,” Head Coach Lang Wedemeyer said. “We just have to start games stronger.”

Time ran out on the clock, leaving FIU to take the victory over Liberty with a 1-0 final score.  FIU took home its first CUSA Championship title in program history, granting it an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. Liberty took away many positives from this season, such as earning its first national ranking and securing a win over a ranked program. Engle also managed to rack up a team-high of 12 goals and 27 points, leading the nation in game opening goals with nine. 

Schlösser is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion