Hilltoppers battle FIU to 1-1 tie
Published 5:05 pm Sunday, October 18, 2026
Western Kentucky sophomore forward Makenna Egan scored a penalty-kick goal to help the Hilltoppers earn a 1-1 tie against Florida International on Sunday in Miami.
(WKU ATHLETICS)
Western Kentucky’s women’s soccer team battled Florida International to a 1-1 tie on Sunday in Miami.
WKU moved to 8-1-6 overall to 2-1-2 in Conference USA play. WKU sophomore forward Makenna Egan scores on the team’s first penalty kick of the season. Egan scored her seventh goal of the season and the 12th of her career.
Despite FIU controlling the first few minutes offensively, the Hilltopper defense managed to limit the Panthers to just one shot in the opening minutes. In the sixth minute, WKU flipped the script, securing two corner kicks back-to-back. Midfielder Mya Jackson recorded a shot on the first corner, but it was blocked by a FIU defender. Moments later, Alaina Nugier came up with a key defensive stop, blocking a Panther shot and winning the 1-on-1 battle.
Egan drew a foul in the 12th minute, resulting in a penalty kick. From the spot, Egan fired the ball on a line past the diving goalkeeper to put the Tops on the board first. However, nearly three minutes later, the Panthers responded with a penalty kick of their own to even the score at 1-1.
The Tops appeared to take the lead in the 23rd minute as Tyler Roth and Danielle Lewin connected with Egan, but the goal was called back for offsides. FIU managed to record two corner kicks in the 27th and 28th minutes of play, but a save by goalkeeper Mia Riddick and strong coverage from the WKU defense prevented the Panthers from taking the lead. The Hilltopper defense continued to shine as Riddick came up with the diving save before April McDonald blocked the follow-up shot to keep the score even to close out the half.
As both teams continued to search for the lead, FIU recorded the first shot of the second half off a cross but was sent away by a block from Abby Wiedermann. WKU totaled four more corner kicks in the closing half but could not convert. Freshman defender Raegan Thompson made a key defensive stop against a FIU attack, forcing a weak shot that was saved by Riddick. WKU continued to hold off FIU’s attack late in the second half, with Riddick saving a free kick in the 64th minute before the Tops looked for a go-ahead goal of their own. Rose Finnegan missed over the crossbar in the 79th minute, followed by a shot from Amanda Simpson in the 81st, but neither team found the back of the net as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Email newsletter signup
“We came out flat today and got outplayed by a hungry FIU squad,” WKU coach Jason Neidell said in a news release. “We will take a point on the road, regroup and be ready for our home stand this week.”
The Hilltoppers’ six ties this season rank second-most in a single season in program history. The Hilltoppers moved to 14-5-6 all-time against FIU.
Riddick recorded four saves, bringing her season total to 44.
The Hilltoppers return to the WKU Soccer Complex for their next CUSA matchup against Jax State on Thursday at 6 p.m.
