Oct. 28, 2009

There will be more at stake than just the regional rivalry when the Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University women's soccer teams square off at the regular-season finale on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. in Miami.

The Owls are in desperate need of a victory or tie against the Panthers to remain in contention to be one of the eight Sun Belt Conference (SBC) teams to qualify for the league's postseason championship tournament hosted by FAU from Wednesday, November 4 through Saturday, November 7 at 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. The team currently stands in ninth place with a 3-6-1 record in league matches and has a 5-11-3 record for the season.

Besides winning or tying on Friday, FAU needs losses by eighth place Arkansas State University (3-5-1) or seventh place Troy University (4-6) to move into qualifying position for the SBC tournament.

The Owls are also looking to deny FIU a chance at claiming the conference title and No. 1 seed. The Panthers have not suffered a loss in nine consecutive matches since opening league play with a 2-0 loss at Middle Tennessee State University on September 25. The team brings a 10-5-3 overall record into Friday's showdown with FAU, has received votes in the latest NCAA Division I South Region rankings, and has a 6-2-2 mark in home matches. Junior forward Thaisa Moreno leads the team in scoring with seven goals and 16 points. Sophomore defender Katrina Rose has added five goals to go along with three assists and was named the SBC "Player of the Week" earlier this week.

FAU has shown improvement throughout the season and has compiled a 3-2-1 record in its last six matches, including victories in its last two road contests. Freshman goalkeeper Ashley Lantes leads the league in saves (127) and saves per match (7.47). She has recorded double-digit saves on six occasions and posted four shutouts, including a tie against ASU on October 23. The Clermont native stands second in the league with 67 saves in conference matches.