FIU Women’s Soccer has officially etched its name into the record books, earning its first-ever Conference USA championship title with a 1-0 win over the eight-time conference champion Liberty University. The victory capped off a stellar regular season for the Panthers and marked a powerful moment of growth, resilience, and belief for the team.
The winning goal came on a penalty kick by Deborah Bien-Aime, a moment filled with confidence and calm. “Honestly, I knew it was going to go in,” she shared after the match. For Head Coach Jonathan Garber, it symbolized the team's hunger and grit. “There was never a question about her commitment, her loyalty to her teammates, her hunger, her grit — everything she represents. If someone asks what our program is about, you just point to Deborah Bien-Aime. That’s it. That’s our program.”
Bien-Aime, a senior who has been with the team since her freshman year, reflected on the years of hard work leading to this moment. “Like every year, we built off the one before, and finally getting to the point where we’ve won a championship and made history. It made it all worth it.”
The team’s success is a testament to their development, with seven of the eight All-Conference players having started their careers at FIU. “As a program, we're number one in the country in RPI development, from where we started to where we are now. That's a fact,” Garber noted. “They're players who were overlooked by a lot of more accomplished universities and they've outdeveloped their competition.”
As the seniors prepare to graduate, emotions are high. “It’s really a combination of pride and love for them, but also sadness because I’m going to miss them,” Garber said. “When you miss someone or something, it means it was worth it. And the fact that we can walk away with no regrets and as champions, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.”
Looking ahead, Bien-Aime hopes to keep playing. “I want to keep playing, see if I can find this feeling again somewhere. Being on the field is definitely one of the places where I’m happiest so I want to keep that going,” she said.
With a championship under their belt and a foundation of player-driven growth, the FIU Panthers are stepping into their next chapter with confidence, and the future looks brighter than ever. For more information, visit FIUSports.com.
