Middle Tennessee women’s soccer claimed victory against the reigning Conference USA Champions, Florida International, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 C-USA Women’s Soccer Championship, with a final score of 1-0.
“We stayed true to our identity,” head coach Aston Rhoden said. “That’s one of the things we challenge our team on in overtime. Don’t panic, stick to your identity, stick to your ability, and keep working.”
With a heightened sense of nerves in the CUSA tournament setting, the match began with very limited offensive action, with each team unwilling to commit to becoming the aggressor and opting for a passive, methodical pace of play.
Both teams made careful passes and cautious offensive advancements, unwilling to make a mistake and give their opponent an edge. Each team only notched five shots in the first half, with MTSU taking only two shots on goal and FIU one, highlighting a stern defensive line from each team.
First team All-CUSA forward, Emma Pettersen, had a chance to score for the Blue Raiders in the 25th minute, but a rare misstep in which the ball rolled off her foot during an attempted shot saved FIU from an early deficit.
Later, senior Taijah Fraser commanded the Blue Raider’s offensive attack and took a shot on goal in the 30th minute but was saved by FIU goalie, Odaliana Gomez.
On the other end, FIU was unable to put together consistent offensive momentum of its own, with the lone shot on goal of the half coming from junior midfielder, Maya Maxwell, in the 21st minute.
In the second half, FIU became the aggressors on offense and put MTSU on its backfoot. The Blue Raiders struggled to respond with its own attack, but the defensive line remained defiant and held firm against FIU’s increased offensive output.
Freshman goalie, Ella Sellers, made five saves for the Blue Raiders in the second half to keep the score even, and preserve a clean sheet for the match.
The Blue Raiders had a pair of opportunities to score in the second half: in the 73rd minute, Norwegian forward, Idun Kvaale overshot an empty FIU goal. Later, in the 82nd minute, Pettersen took a shot on goal but could not find the back of the net as the second half concluded.
With the 0-0 stalemate still holding through 90 minutes, the teams competed in golden goal rule overtime, with the first team able to score winning the match.
The Blue Raiders defense prevented the Panthers from taking a single shot in overtime and put the pressure back on FIU. Finally, in the 96th minute of the match, junior forward Hannah Murphy managed to find the back of the net for the Blue Raiders, off the assist from Pettersen, securing victory for MTSU.
“We’ve worked too hard, we’ve sacrificed too much,” Rhoden said. “This was a game that we wanted, and we went out, and we did it.”
MTSU will face the Missouri State Bears on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the semifinals of the Conference USA Championship, with a coveted spot in the CUSA Championship game up for grabs.
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