| 8/13/2024 | Women’s Soccer BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic women’s soccer team ranked fifth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll and had three Owls on the Players to Watch list announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. The Owls finished the 2023 season with a 3-3-3 record in conference play. Florida Atlantic made its first appearance in the AAC Championship Tournament and beat South Florida (1-0) to advance to the semifinals. Ahead of their second season in the AAC, the conference announced Goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez, Defender Jodi Smith, and Midfielder Sofia Voldby as the three players to watch for Florida Atlantic. Gonzalez registered six shutouts in the 2023 season with a 5-4-3 record. Gonzalez was named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week twice throughout the season. She registered her 100th career save in the win over USF at the AAC Championship Tournament. Smith was a great asset to the team and helped the Owls record six shutouts last season. She was recognized as the AAC Defender of the Week for the week of September 25. Smith was named AAC Second-Team All-Conference for her efforts throughout the 2023 season. Voldby played in all 20 games of the season and registered four goals on the year. One of them was the winning goal against Rice. Voldby was also a two-time AAC Weekly Honor Roll recipient. “We have enjoyed a successful preseason and are looking forward to getting the 2024 campaign underway,” said Head Coach Patrick Baker. “We have an experienced group returning and we like a number of the things we have seen thus far. Our non-conference games will definitely prepare us for the rigors of the American Athletic Conference schedule in September and October. The team made a nice run to the AAC semi-finals in 2023 and is looking to build off that run this year. We appreciate the pre-season placement but know that playing everyone in the AAC will be a challenge, and there is a fine line between the upper and lower halves of the standings. For the full release from the AAC, visit https://theamerican.org/sports/wsoc. The Owls open the 2024 season on Thursday against the University of Central Florida. The match will take place inside the FAU Football Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. |
