MIAMI (August 8, 2013) – Picked fifth out of 16; projected to win its division; claimed three-straight conference titles – all of these describe FIU as it heads into a new era of women’s soccer. But, all of the preseason hype and past successes were pushed aside as the Panthers took to the pitch on Wednesday to officially kick off the team’s first year in Conference USA.

“It’s an overused phrase but, we are really excited to be out here,” Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. “This is why you coach; to be on the field with your team, getting started with a great season ahead of us. It’s great to see the excitement in the girls’ eyes with the beginning of the season right around the corner.”

Entering his seventh season with the Panthers, Chestnutt has compiled 55 victories, including four-straight seasons of 10-or-more wins, including back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Tournament final appearances. He knows that with a new conference, comes new challenges.

“We had a good start with the fitness tests this morning. I thought our players really came out strong,” Chestnutt said. “That said, the demands are higher now and they are stepping up to that challenge. We have a good group that is pushing the team with their energy and focus. That is great to see this early in our training.”

The Panthers return 19 players from a team that went 13-6-2 a year ago and will face a brand new field of competition as FIU enters its first season in C-USA. Picked to finish first in the East Division and fifth overall by the league’s 16 head coaches, FIU comes into the year as a seasoned squad.

The Panthers return 100 percent of its offense from a year ago which complied 41 goals and 40 assists for 122 points (No.3 in the SBC). Senior Chelsea Leiva, who was listed as one of C-USA’s 16 Preseason Players to Watch, enters the 2013 campaign ranked No. 6 all-time at FIU in points (68) and goals (26), following a 2012 season in which the Royal Palm Beach, Fla., native notched 11 goals and seven assists for 29 points.

Also returning to the fold is junior Scarlet Montoya, who had a breakout season in 2012, as the Miami native notched nine goals and six assists for 24 points. Sophomore Madlen Weinhardt returns as the team leader in assists from a year ago, as the Deckenpfronn, Germany, native posted nine assists in 2012, good for the third-most by a Panther in a single season.

In all, FIU returns six seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores and five freshmen. Seniors Leiva, Nicole DiPerna, Paige Covington, Kim Lopez, Paula Zuluaga and Crystal McNamara have amassed 37 victories during their first three years with the program and come into this year’s training camp looking to become one of the winningest classes in FIU history. However, to do that, they know that it starts with training, and DiPerna and the rest of the Panthers want to start things off on the right foot.

“I think the first day of training camp went really well,” said DiPerna. “We had 10 people pass the fitness test which is a pretty high number. My freshman year I believe we had only four or five. I think everyone is really excited to get out here on the field.”

Although this year’s roster is filled with a lot of returning Panthers, it will also be key for the freshmen to make their mark. For this to happen, the newcomers’ transition into Division I college soccer needs to be a smooth one. This is something that Coach Chestnutt and the upperclassmen are fully aware of. 

“As a freshman and first-year player, I’m really excited to finally be able to practice with the team,” freshman Alyssa Robinson said. “With the support of everyone, it has not only made today’s practice a success for me, but the entire team.” 

FIU will continue training through the month of August until its season opener. The Panthers open the 2013 season versus the Arizona Wildcats on Friday, Aug. 23, at the FIU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET. Tickets for the 2013 FIU women’s soccer season are on sale and fans can purchase their tickets by calling the FIU ticket office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.

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/

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