MIAMI (Oct. 20, 2012) – Coming to FIU back in 2009, redshirt junior Kaitlyn Savage didn’t know what to expect when she traveled nearly 3,400 miles across country form Fox Island, Wash., to be a part of a women’s soccer program that had not had much success in seven seasons. Four years later the Panthers have compiled a 44-27-9 record, won a Sun Belt Conference regular season title, a league tournament title, and earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1993.  

 

Sunday’s contest versus the UALR Trojans will mark Savage’s final home game of her FIU career. 

 

“It’s been great to be a member of this team over the past four years,” Savage said. “When came in as freshman back in 2009, I didn’t quite know what to expect. But, being a part of a successful program that had not had a lot of success before I got here is something that I am proud to be a part of. Just knowing that the team is going to continue to grow after I am gone is a great feeling. I know that they are going to continue to do well.”

 

“Kaitlyn has been a great leader by example all four years that she has been here,” Head Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. “She has always done what has been asked of her and has done it to the best of her ability. That is great to always have. You never have to worry about anything with respect to her. She’s a captain this year and that is because her teammates recognize her importance to our squad. She has been fantastic in goal from day one. We are so happy to have her here and proud of the job that she has done.”

 

A three-time Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Savage is a two-time, second-team, all-conference selection, also earning SBC Freshman of the Year honors in 2009. She comes into Sunday’s contest with career record of 31-15-7 and a career goals-against-average of 1.05 in 58 games played. She has recorded 289 saves (No. 3 all-time at FIU) and 19 shutouts (No. 2 all-time) for her career.

 

This season, Savage is among the top conference goalkeepers, registering a 9-5-2 mark with a 1.05 GAA (No. 4 in the conference). She has notched 95 saves (No. 2 in the conference) in 16 matches for a save percentage of .848 (No. 2 in the conference), and her 5.1 shutouts are the second-most among Sun Belt Conference ‘keepers.

 

Sunday’s game with the Trojans will mark Savage’s 30th start at home, where the 5-foot-10 goalkeeper has tallied a 22-5-2 mark. This season FIU is 6-1 at the FIU Soccer Stadium and Savage knows that the final home game is important for the Panthers as they look to defend their Sun Belt Conference crown from a year ago. 

 

“Consistency is the key,” Savage said. “It is always difficult, when you finished on top, to stay on top. Winning the conference title has been our goal all along and I think we are in a really good place to continue with that goal. We have to continue to work hard and finish the regular season well.

 

“I am sad and excited for tomorrow,” Savage said. “I feel like there are going to be a little bit of mixed emotions after our game with UALR.” 

 

In a game that will have a lot of emotion attached to it, Savage knows that the team still needs a positive result as they continue to move towards their goal of another conference championship.

 

“Before the game, I will probably be going through my normal pregame things,” Savage said. “We need to prepare for the game, regardless of what is going on after. I will definitely be focused on the game. After the game, hopefully with a win, we will celebrate.”

 

Celebration is something Savage has gotten used to during her time with Panthers. FIU has won 10-or-more games in each of the last three seasons and is one win shy of making it four-straight. With all of the success Savage and the Panthers have had since 2009, two moments stick out for the FIU net-minder.

 

“There are two moments that are the most memorable for me,” Savage said. “When we beat FAU my freshman year to win the Sun Belt Conference regular season title, that was special as it was also senior night that year. And then last year in the SBC finals versus WKU where we won the conference title on a shootout. Those are feels that you can’t describe and that you can never really try to relive.”

 

Savage was a key factor in both of those moments. During the season finale versus Florida Atlantic in 2009, Savage made four saves as the Panthers downed the Owls, 1-0, capturing the Sun Belt Conference regular season title and extending the team’s unbeaten streak to 10 games. In last year’s Sun Belt Conference title game versus WKU, Savage made a then-career high 10 saves to go along with two key stops in the penalty kick round to help FIU win the crown on PKs, 4-3. 

 

Although the season is winding down and Sunday will be the final home game of her collegiate career, Savage, who will earn her degree in sports management and marketing, will look to take the pitch on the professional level after graduation.   

 

“I am going to go and try and play overseas,” Savage said. “I’ve been looking into Germany, France and Australia. Anywhere that I can get an opportunity, I would love to go. I figure that while I am young, I might as well go live overseas. I have plenty of time to establish myself here in the U.S.”

 

“She has a bright future ahead of her; in whatever she decides to do,” Chestnutt said. “I know that she wants to continue to play soccer beyond her time here at FIU and she has a lot of options available to her. It will be exciting to continue to keep tabs on her career and see how well she does.” 

 

Looking back at it all, the daughter of Ron and Rhonda Savage made a decision four years ago that has paid off. 

 

“Originally, I was going to stay on the west coast,” Savage said. “But, then I started thinking that if you are going to get on a plane, it doesn’t really matter how far you go. I got this opportunity from Thomas (Chestnutt) and decided to take it. My decision has really paid off. Obviously, getting a degree is the main focus. But, the experiences that I have had have been some the best of my life.” 

 

The end of the regular season might be on the horizon and Savage’s career at FIU is close to an end, but Coach Chestnutt and the women’s soccer program have no plans on hanging up their cleats anytime soon.

 

“It’s like everything else in life,” Chestnutt said. “You really don’t know what you have until it is gone. I’m sure that we will feel stronger emotions after tomorrow’s game. We are excited for tomorrow. We hope to have many more games with her in the net this season.” 

 

Savage herself admits that the finality of her collegiate career is something that she is aware of. But, the ride continues and the team has its sights set on its second-straight tournament title. 

 

“It really hasn’t sunk in too much,” Savage said. “It probably won’t until the end of the season.”

 

Game time for Sunday’s match will be 1:00 p.m. at the FIU Soccer Stadium. Savage will be honored for her contributions to the FIU women’s soccer program following the game. 

 

For tickets information for this Sunday’s game, fans can call the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com. Those Panther fans unable to attend the game can follow all of the action on PantherVision (live streaming). For more information, log onto www.FIUSports.com and access “Live Events” from the Multimedia tab. 

 

Fans are encourage to follow @FIUWomensSoccer on Twitter, and “Like” FIU women’s soccer on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUWSoccer) for the latest Panther soccer news. Follow all of FIU’s 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), Pinterest (FIUAthletics), 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 bachelors, masters 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 50,000 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. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.