Goffi’s first-career goal lifts Middle Tennessee to a 3-2 win over FIU in conference opener

Thursday, September 16

Murfreesboro, TN

7:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

5-3-1, 1-0-0

FIU

1-8-0, 0-1-0

FIU

Middle Tenn.

9/16/2021 11:42:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Anthony Fiorella, MT Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.—Much like it did on Sunday, the Blue Raider soccer program needed a hero.

That's when sophomore Alex Goffi stepped in. After attempting a few free kicks and corner kicks throughout both overtime periods, it was the final free kick that came after an FIU yellow card that rendered Goffi the hero for MTSU.

The Weston, Florida native rifled the free kick into the back-right corner of the FIU net and stood motionless with her hands over her face and eyes open as wide as the net she just buried the game-winner in as her teammates mobbed her to celebrate a 3-2 win over the Panthers in Middle Tennessee's conference opener.

"It was such an exhausting game both mentally and physically," Goffi said. "It was so back-and-forth early and at the end we were trying to just ram it down their throats and keep (the ball) on their end. I just took the chance that I had and it just so happened to go in."

First career goal and the game-winner?! Have a night @AlexGoffi! Also, dog piles definitely make it better! 😏👏#BlueRaiders | #MT pic.twitter.com/QIJEJBuSfa
— MT Soccer (@MT_Soccer) September 17, 2021

As Goffi donned her heroes' cape, she took a moment on the field to reflect on the fact that her game-winning goal was also, in fact, the first of her career.

"At the end of my freshman year I was like 'Ok, I didn't score, but it's just my first year so it's ok,'" Goffi said. "So far this season I've been asking myself why I haven't scored and it's frustrated me, so I'm just beyond happy that I did. It means even more that I could do it for the team. It was shocking, but I was excited to come off the field and give everyone a hug."

The night ended beautifully for the Blue Raiders, but the beginning wasn't near as pretty as the end.

FIU netted the evening's first goal in the 15' when senior Jessica Magerman bumped in a header from the Middle Tennessee box. The Panthers were able to disrupt Middle Tennessee on both ends of the pitch for much of the first half as they had a lot of success passing through the air and did a good job of keeping the Blue Raiders out of their own box.

Though it came out flat to begin the match, Middle Tennessee began showing signs of life near the end of the first half when Peyton DePriest scored her team-high eighth goal of the season on a beautiful assist on a sliding pass from Kirstine Lykke. For DePriest, it was the 54^th goal of her career, a number that continues to pace all NCAA women's soccer players, while also marking the fourth game in a row in which she's found the back of the net at least one time.

Check out the absolute dime from Kirstine Lykke to @PeyDepriest that evened things up to end the first half! Mark it down, 54 career scores for the C-USA all-time leader!#BlueRaiders | #MT pic.twitter.com/54UM25PPuV
— MT Soccer (@MT_Soccer) September 17, 2021

"We moved Peyton (DePriest) to more of a striker position to get her in a pocket of space and maybe draw more players to her and it opened things up for us on the outside," Rhoden said. "We asked the team during halftime 'What do you do if you can't run through a wall?' 'You go around it or go over it.' We went around it and it worked out well for us."

Lykke picked up her third point of the season with the assist on DePriest's goal. While it was Lykke's third career point, it was the first assist of her young career.

The midfielders' relentless effort continued to provide her team with a huge boost in the second half, as the native of Denmark gave Middle Tennessee a 2-1 advantage with a goal from deep within the FIU box in the 68'.

After receiving a pair of crosses from Ashley Shimberg that turned into shot attempts for Lykke just minutes prior, it was the icing on the cake for the 5-foot-10-inch forward who ended the night with a goal, an assist and a total of six shots attempted.

Defensively, Middle Tennessee Hannah Suder saved four shots and the Blue Raider backline went through a 38-minute period spanning both the first and second halves in which it didn't allow a single FIU shot attempt.

The Panthers answered in the 79th minute to even the score on an unassisted goal from FIU's Noemi Paquin.

The Panthers outshot the Blue Raiders 4-1 over the final 10 minutes of play, before going into the team's third overtime contest of the season.

Both sides battled through the first 10 minutes of the opening overtime period, with the Panthers continuing to aggress and outshoot Middle Tennessee 4-1, but to no success on both sides as the team's would enter a second and final overtime period.

The Blue Raiders locked in over the final seven minutes of play as they held the Panthers shotless, but it wasn't until the 108th minute that Goffi took the free kick following a FIU yellow card that she powered past the wall of Panthers and Blue Raiders and the FIU keeper's left side to sink the game-winner and call game on the 3-2 Blue Raider victory.

FINAL | BLUE RAIDERS WIN! Goffi with the game-winner off the free kick!

⚡ - 3
🐈 - 2#BlueRaiders | #MT pic.twitter.com/YLFnXpoMWA
— MT Soccer (@MT_Soccer) September 17, 2021

"Anytime you win a game in conference in overtime it's a massive accomplishment," Rhoden said. "We came off a really natural high from the win against the SEC champs, Vanderbilt, so it was surprising to see us come out a little flat. We persevered, stuck it out and finally pushed one over the line."

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