STOCKTON, Calif. (Aug. 31, 2014)—The FIU women's soccer team (2-2-0) split its West Coast road trip with a 1-0 win over the Pacific Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Redshirt senior Chelsea Leiva's 13^th career game winning goal proved to be the difference maker.

"I was happy with the result," Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "It was good to get the shutout and really limit their offensive opportunities. We split the weekend; it was a great performance on Friday that didn't go our way. So it was really good to finish the trip with a win."

Leiva was a persistent threat to the Tigers all game, finishing with three shots. After missing last season to injury, Leiva grabbed her first goal of 2014 in the 70^th minute of play. With 71 career points, the explosive forward sits alone in fifth place all-time in program history for scoring. She's also one goal shy of joining the top five in goals in a career, as she currently has 27.

"We knew going into this game that the ball had to do the work," Leiva said. "We went in with a good mindset and were able to control most of the game. We had a lot of opportunities. As soon as I knew it went in, I was so happy. After a whole year of rehab, it felt great. We know we still have a lot of work to do, but right now it feels nice."

FIU's first test to Pacific's Jacqueline Kane came in the 21^st minute. Following a quick chance in the Panthers' defensive third of the field, Leiva carried the ball up the field, making a lethal cross from the right flank towards the box. Sophomore Talia McMurtrie and senior Ashleigh Shim both fired off back-to-back shots, but Kane came up with a kick-save.

The Panthers' backline held strong for the entirely of the first half, surrendering just two shots in the half. In the 35^th minute, a potential Tiger threat was eliminated from about 35 yards out, as senior Johanna Volz was able to poke the ball out of bounds.

The game went into halftime scoreless, although FIU held a 4-2 advantage in shots, while also topping the Tigers, 3-1, in shots on target.

Ten minutes into the second half, Leiva showed her explosiveness again, as the Royal Palm Beach, Fla., native just missed a goal off a touch on her left foot. Leiva struck again in the 70^th minute when redshirt junior Scarlet Montoya served in a ball, which connected with Leiva's head for the goal. It's the eighth assist of Montoya's career.

"We rebounded well today," Montoya said. "We played well Friday, but we really wanted to take home a win today. It felt great being the one that was able to assist Chelsea on her first goal of the season. She's worked so hard to come back."

Freshman goalkeeper Nevena Stojakovic picked up the second shutout of her young career in the effort.

"As a team, we played well," Stojakovic said. "The defending four in front of me did a great job stopping any chances before they could happen."

The Panthers finished with eight shots, seven of which were on goal. Shim also tallied two shots in the game.

FIU returns home for a seven-game home stand, which begins Wednesday, as the Panthers play host to Florida Gulf Coast. First kick is slated or 7:30 p.m. from the FIU Soccer Stadium.

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).
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of Conference USA. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and the FIU Football Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's 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 and enrolls nearly 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. 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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