SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Aug. 29, 2014) – In its first of two games in California this weekend, the FIU women's soccer team (1-2, 0-0) dropped a tight, 1-0, contest to the No. 15 Santa Clara Broncos from Buck Shaw Stadium.

"I was very happy with the focus and composure we showed," said Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt. "Santa Clara is a great program, and they found a way to win tonight. We thought we performed well, but it's unfortunate to not get more from the match."

With three saves in the first half, freshman net-minder Nevena Stojakovic and the Panthers' defensive corps were able to combat back-to-back corners from the Broncos in the 24^th minute.

The Panthers and Broncos entered halftime in a scoreless draw, with both teams knotted at three shots on goal apiece. Despite being outshot, 8-4, FIU had several quality looks in Santa Clara's defensive third of the field. Senior Johanna Volz' struck a shot just wide from six yards out at the 10-minute mark, while sophomore Ellen Crist gave FIU its final look of the half, with a shot off a free kick from 30 yards out a minute before the whistle blew. Sophomore Alyssa Robinson collected the Panthers other two shots in the first 45 minutes.

The lone goal of the game came in the 75^th minute of action. Off a ball played down the right flank, a cross by the Broncos' Kat McAuliffe from 18 yards out found Sofia Huerta, for her team-leading third goal of the season.

Redshirt senior Chelsea Leiva picked up one shot in the contest.

FIU will try and split its West Coast trip on Sunday, as the squad will face the Pacific Tigers at 4 p.m. ET.

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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