The Florida Atlantic Owls took to the pitch of Howard Schnellenberger Field at Flagler Credit Union Stadium to kickoff the season against Loyola (MD). Looking to start the 2025 campaign off on the right foot, FAU’s second half charge led to an exciting contest that ended in a 1-1 draw.
The First Half
The first 20-minutes of play saw an aggressive attack from the Greyhounds that resulted in two shots on goal and a corner kick. But, the first goal of the contest did not come until the 34th minute as Loyola’s Kennel Riley found the back of the net, giving the Greyhounds a 1-0 advantage.
After the end of the first, the stat sheet said it all. Loyola had five shots to FAU’s one. Three of the Greyhounds’ shots were on goal while the Owls did not achieve a SOG in the first half.
Second Half
Florida Atlantic’s offensive troubles seemed to disappear early in the second half. A Michelle Horan cross in the 52nd minute found freshman Isabel Bostic in the box as FAU evened the contest at one.
Working into the 75th minute, the teams were nearly even in terms of attacks, but the go-ahead goal was not found.
The final 15 minutes of play were exhilarating with the two squads trading attacks, but neither team found the go-ahead goal as the contest ended in a draw 1-1.
Game Stats
While the record book on the night will show a one sided affair in favor of the Greyhounds, the SOG category is what tells the story. Loyola had 13 shots compared to Florida Atlantic’s 6, but FAU only trailed by two in the SOG category as the Owls had three to the Greyhounds’ five.
Owls Goalkeeper Ashley Small had four saves on the evening while Florida Atlantic’s leading shot taker was Bostic with two.
Up Next
Florida Atlantic (0-0-1) will hit the road to face off against the UCF Knights (1-0-0) on Sunday, August 17th. The Knights are coming off a 2-1 victory over UAB. The contest will be Central Florida’s home opener with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 PM.
