Panthers Enter The CUSA Tournament vs Aggies

With the regular season behind us, the Panthers enter the CUSA tournament vs. the Aggies. FIU ended its final regular-season game with a draw against Kennesaw St, securing the fourth seed in the CUSA tournament. Here is everything you need to know about the matchup vs. New Mexico St. on Nov. 8th in Newark, Delaware.

Panthers Secure 4th Seed

FIU finished the season 6-6-5, with a 3-3-2 record in conference play. Despite a slow start in conference play, the Panthers won two of their final three matchups, leaping into 4th place in the standings. New Mexico St finished the year 4-11-3 with a 3-4-1 record in conference play. When these two programs face off in Newark, it will mark the first meeting in the CUSA tournament.

There is not a whole lot of history between these two teams, as this will be just the fourth matchup in program history. The latest matchup ended with the Aggies taking a 1-0 win at home to kick off conference play. Overall, the series has been evenly matched, with a series record of 1-1-1.

Tournament Ready

Catch us in Newark 👋 pic.twitter.com/8CnJJcfnuP

— FIU Women's Soccer (@FIUWSoccer) November 2, 2026

Entering the postseason, FIU has been led by Mariana Barreto, who has five goals and 12 points this year. Barreto’s impact will be huge as the Panthers aim to get on the board early against an Aggies team that held them scoreless this season. Another standout this season has been veteran goalie Valery Restrepo. She enters the postseason with a 1.18 goals-against average and 66 saves, ranking 4th among CUSA.

New Mexico State enters the postseason after defeating Jacksonville State 2-1 in its final regular season game. The Aggies will look to build on their September win over FIU and advance to the semifinals. Holding down the fort for New Mexico St. is goalie Karolann Lafortune, who has the 2nd most saves in CUSA.

All-Conference Teams

⚽️ SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE ⚽️#NoLimitsOnUs | https://t.co/kgJDp3L5e2 pic.twitter.com/HYKFqtgSPy

— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) November 6, 2026

Before any postseason games get underway, CUSA announced the All-Conference Teams for the 2026 season. Mariana Barreto & Madeline Oliver were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Senior goalie Valery Restrepo & freshman midfielder Yuzu Tanida secured spots on the All-Conference Third Team.

Mariana Barreto finished the year as the FIU leader in goals scored (5) and total points (12). Valery Restrepo finished the year with a new career-high save percentage of .767 and 66 total saves.

⚽️ ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM ⚽️#NoLimitsOnUs | https://t.co/kgJDp3L5e2 pic.twitter.com/vhWxZnYx6e

— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) November 6, 2026

Yuzu Tanida and Madeline Oliver also earned spots on the All-Freshmen Team. Yuzu finished the regular season with three goals and six total points. Madeline Oliver finished her first year with two goals and a total of four points this season.

With a semifinal berth on the line, the Panthers will have an opportunity for revenge against the Aggies to start their postseason run. Being CUSA champions is nothing new for FIU, as they are just two years removed from their last tournament championship win. In 2024, they won the CUSA tournament vs. #2 Liberty, while also making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

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Sebastian Clavijo

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