MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Florida International's Michele O'Brien netted a goal in the 71st minute to break a scoreless tie, as the visiting Panthers defeated Middle Tennessee, 1-0, Friday afternoon in the Sun Belt opener for both teams at Blue Raider Soccer Field.
The two teams played to a scoreless tie in the opening half, but MT (3-4-0) held the upper hand for most of the opening 45 minutes. The Blue Raiders outshot FIU (5-1-0), 8-6, in the first half, though the Panthers had three shots on goal to Middle Tennessee's two.
The Blue Raiders missed a pair of open goal opportunities in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, twice sending shots over the net in the scoreless tie. O'Brien then stopped a deflected ball about 12 yards out in the 71st minute and beat MT goalie Emily Shrum low and left for the game's only score.
MT outshot the Panthers, 16-14, in the contest, and both Shrum and FIU goalie Amy Staley each had three saves in the match.
"Last year was a defensive game. We knew this one would be similar," MT head coach Scott Ginn said. "We had three open goals that we missed, but that's going to happen with a young team. We lost to a good team today. They're No. 1 in the conference and last week defeated Miami (FL), who was 14th in the nation.
"This game was a measuring stick for us to see where we stand overall. I thought our girls came out and played a wonderful game. I'm very proud of the way we played today."
The Blue Raiders host Lipscomb Sunday at 1 p.m., concluding a five-game homestand.
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