FIU Women’s Soccer 2026 Preview: New Faces, High Expectations

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FIU Women’s Soccer is approaching faster and faster each day. August 12th, the Panthers will finally return to the field vs FAU on the road to kick off their season. Second-year head coach Mat Dunn looks to build off last year’s run and reach the CUSA championship game for the first time since 2024, when they won it all. Despite a lot of turnover, a strong combination of newcomers and returners

New season right around the corner 👊 pic.twitter.com/HEPGlvlSjT

— FIU Women's Soccer (@FIUWSoccer) August 5, 2026

Newcomers to the FIU Roster

Mariana Barreto, a forward who is transferring from Central Methodist, comes in after a season in which she led the team with 24 goals. Of those 24 goals, six of them were game-winning goals. Barreto is going into her senior season after spending the previous three at Central Methodist. Expect her to likely start and be one of the top goal scorers on the team.

Along with Barreto, Adria Kitzinger will make an immediate impact. After spending the previous three seasons at Seton Hall, Kitzinger entered the transfer portal, where Dunn brought her in for her senior season. Last season, she played in 18 matches, starting seven. She recorded 23 shots on the year, 11 of which were shots on goal, and scored four goals, which was second on the team.

Dominated day 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/sfCS8NuAWP

— FIU Women's Soccer (@FIUWSoccer) July 16, 2026

Despite being listed as a freshman, Madeline Oliver comes in with plenty of international experience. The England native attended Manchester City Football Academy and has been on loan to both West Bromwich Albion F.C. and F.C. Halifax Town. She also won the Country Cup with West Bromwich Albion F.C. With plenty of international experience under her belt, expect Oliver to make an impact right away.

One player to note and keep an eye on is forward Kiana Dufour, who played her freshman year at Southern Mississippi. Despite only playing one game last season, her talents were showcased during her time with the Haitian national teams at the U17 and U20 levels. Another player to watch this season is forward Chiamaka Omeze. In the OPDL U17 league in 2025, she was a Gary Miller Charity Shield Finals champion, scoring 19 total goals.

Key Returners

A notable returner for the Panthers is goalkeeper Valery Restrepo. This will mark her third season with the program. In the 2025 season, Restrepo played and started in 16 games, ranking second on the team with 1,394 minutes played. She also posted a 1.16 goals-against average with four shutouts while recording career highs in saves (57) and save percentage (.760), earning CUSA Goalkeeper of the Week honors once.

In her first season with the program, Roxy Brewer played in 17 games, starting 16 of those. She posted three goals on nine shots, scoring her first career goal on September 28 against Jacksonville State. With key goal scorers Montelene Dymond (transfer) and Jayden Boelter (graduation) departing the program, Brewer will be counted on more.

Maya Maxwell is going into her second season with the program. In 2025, Maxwell played in 17 games, starting four of them and recording 590 minutes played. She scored one goal against Jacksonville State and overall, posted 17 shots. Maxwell will likely begin the season as a starter and will be near the top of the team’s minutes leaderboard.

Mona Gellert started all 17 games last season, recording 1152 minutes. The redshirt senior will likely replace the production from Grace Morris (graduation) and Jaileah McPherson (transfer).

Schedule and C-USA Matchups

FIU Women’s Soccer is starting up soon so here is a look at their schedule for the 2026 season 👀⚽️ #FIU #Pawsup #FIUSoccer #Sportswithseb pic.twitter.com/ktEW03EEW0

— SportswithSeb🏀🏈 (@Sportswithseb) August 5, 2026

FIU will kick off their season on the road vs. Florida Atlantic. Their toughest matchup of the season comes at home, hosting last season’s national champions, Florida State, on August 16th. Notable non-conference matches are against Duke, UCF, and the University of Miami before starting conference play September 27 vs New Mexico State. They will face the same Conference USA opponents, but instead of a quarterfinal rematch vs Middle Tennessee State, they will face Western Kentucky, who finished 6-0-2 in conference play last season.

An exciting matchup to watch comes on Sept 6th vs the Hurricanes. FIU will have the chance to avenge their 0-2 loss last year and face McPherson, who is now in Coral Gables after a successful freshman season at FIU. Come October 11, the Panthers take on the defending CUSA champions, the Liberty Flames. On October 18, they will face off against WKU, who shared the regular-season championship with Liberty.

Season Predictions

Looking over the roster and upcoming schedule for the Panthers, there is a lot of growth coming this season. A season with over 10 wins and finishing in the top 3 in the conference, along with an appearance in the Championship game, is possible, but with so many new pieces, the adjustments will need to be made early. FIU is poised for a great season after a roster refresh and a full offseason of hard work.

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