It had been since August 28th since FAU played in front of a home crowd. But with a heavyweight battle against one of the best teams in the American, the Owls stood up in front of a nearly packed stadium as Florida Atlantic ran FIU (4-3-2, 2-1 American) back to Sweetwater in a 2-0 victory..
First Half
The defenses stood out over the first 20 minutes as both sides allowed only two shots.
For the remainder of the first half it was a different story. Both sides traded attacks throughout with the final 15 minutes displaying offensive attacks throughout.. The two rivals had their opportunities, but at the end of the first 45’ it was squared at one.
Halftime Stats
Both sides were near even in offense with the Owls having six shots compared to the Panthers four. Florida Atlantic had two shots on goal compared to FIU’s one as well.
Second Half
Over the first nine minutes of the second half, neither team was able to take advantage of an attack, but in the 53rd minute an Owl was pulled down off a crosser into the box. From there it was senior Eli Conway’s (top image (11), Angelina LaBelle) PK that finally broke the tie, 1-0 FAU.
The remainder of the second half saw the Panthers attack, but the Florida Atlantic defense held strong.
In the final minute, the Owls put the dagger in the heart of the Panthers as Mamadou Diarra (top image, right, Angelina LaBelle) had only the keeper to beat in finalizing a 2-0 victory for FAU.
Stat Leaders
FAU had 15 shots with six on goal in the contest while FIU had 11 shots and four on goal. The Panthers had their opportunities from the corner as Florida International had four corner attempts while the Owls had three.
A stat that stood out was the offsides. The Panthers were offside three times. Too aggressive, that’s what seemed to bite them. FAU was not called offside in the match.
The keepers were busy with Florida Atlantic’s Alfred Mikkelsen earning four saves, extending the FAU home shutout streak to five. FIU’s Nigel Van Havergen allowed two goals, but also had four saves.
Up Next
The Owls (6-2, 2-0 American) will head to Springfield, Missouri as FAU will square off against conference newcomer Missouri State (3-2-2, 1-1 American). Florida Atlantic will have the midweek off before taking the pitch against the Bears on Friday, Oct. 3rd at 8 pm ET.
