Under the lights of FAU Soccer Stadium, Florida Atlantic kicked off their 2025 campaign against a familiar season-opening opponent in Creighton.
After rain and smoke from the Everglades rolled through the area it was time for the first game of the 2025 season as the Owls earned a convincing victory over the Blue Jays.
First Half
FAU dominated the first ten minutes of play, as Preseason American Conference Player of the Year, Mamadou Diarra’s (pictured above, Angelina LaBelle) strike led to a goal off the deflection of a Blue Jay in the eighth minute.
The Owls first half ownership continued as a solo attack from the midfield by Eli Conway put Florida Atlantic up 2-0 in the 23rd minute.
The teams played calmer during the remainder of the half compared to the first 25 minutes as the teams went into the locker rooms with no score change, 2-0 Owls.
Halftime Stats
Florida Atlantic’s shots total was only two more than Creighton’s. The Owls had eight to the Blue Jays six. In the shots on goal category the story was different as FAU had two shots on goal to Creighton’s three.
A major player in the first half shut out was goalkeeper Alfred Mikkelsen. The new Owl had three saves in the first and looked great as a starter overall.
Second Half
The Blue Jays attack dominated the first 15 minutes of the second half. While Creighton had two shots on goal, they never saw the ball hit the net. During those 15 minutes, the chippiness of the contest intensified as Creighton earned their fourth yellow card of the night within the first 50 minutes of game time.
Florida Atlantic did not park the bus in the second as a beautiful cross from Aboubacer Traore found the duo of Diarra and Oliver Moller-Jensen. After a shot from Diarra, Moller-Jensen found the rebound and scored the Owls third goal of the evening, 3-0 FAU in the 64th minute.
For the remainder of the match, FAU slowed down their pace as the first clean sheet and win of the season came for Florida Atlantic, 3-0.
Stats & Leaders
The score suggests domination by the Owls, but the stat sheet tells a different story. Florida Atlantic and the Blue Jays were even in shots at 13 while Creighton had six shots on goal to FAU’s four. Another factor on the night was bookings. Creighton had eight yellow cards on the evening while Florida Atlantic avoided any.
Conway led FAU in shots with four in 51 minutes played. GK Mikkelsen had six saves on the evening.
Overall, the win marks a strong start for the Owls as the victory came against a team that was picked to finish second in the Big East Midwest division.
Post Game
🎥 Our @Gbach2003 caught up with @FAUMSoccer HC @joeyworthen after #FAU’s 3-0 victory over #Creighton‼️ Not much to complain about in this one. 🦉⚽️ pic.twitter.com/CYWFnQSJyC
— FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) August 22, 2025
Up Next
Florida Atlantic (1-0-0) will stay in Paradise as Omaha (0-1-0) comes to Boca Raton while Creighton (0-1-0) heads further South, facing off against FIU. It will be the second match up between the Owls and the Mavericks all-time as Omaha took the win at home last season, 3-2. Kickoff between the squads is scheduled for 7 PM on Sunday, August 24th.