DENTON, Texas – (Nov. 6, 2019) – Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer and Louisiana Tech went to a shootout in the opening quarterfinal round matchup of the C-USA Championship. The Owls prevailed by making all four of their attempts, while the Lady Techsters saw one knocked away by Cassidy Wasdin and their final try go off the crossbar, advancing FAU to the semifinals.
The Turning Point / The Finish:
The Owls (14-3-2) and Lady Techsters (13-4-3) played through a scoreless 90 and two 10-minute overtimes, despite FAU holding a 27-4 shot advantage throughout the run of play (including six combined attempts in the two extra frames).
Each team made good on their first two penalty kicks, with the Owl pair coming courtesy of Sammy Vitols and Pernille Velta. LA Tech’s third attempt was saved by Wasdin, while Luisa Daikeler gave FAU the advantage. Each side made their fourth, with FAU keeping the edge, 4-3, on Tiril Haga’s successful shot. Then the fifth LA Tech attempt went off the crossbar, sending the Owls out in a frenzied dogpile celebration.
Notables:
· A dozen Owls took shots in the match, with Mary O’Hara (five) and Thelma Hermannsdottir (four) leading the way
· Elisha Holmes, Pernille Velta and Sammy Vitols were next with three attempts apiece
· O’Hara put four of her five attempts on target, while Vitols had two
· Wasdin had one official save in the run of play, plus causing the unsuccessful PK
· This marks the third straight C-USA tournament opener that FAU needed extra time to advance, winning over UAB in Boca Raton in 2017 (1-0) and against Middle Tennessee last season in Norfolk (2-1)
· The last time FAU went to penalty kicks came almost 12 years ago, to the day. In the Sun Belt Tournament in Mobile, Alabama, on Nov. 7, 2007, the Owls played Denver to a scoreless tie, but the Pioneers advanced 4-1 on PK’s
Quotable:
“When you go to PK’s, it’s anybody’s (game),” said head coach Patrick Baker. “Just proud of our girls, we’ve been working hard on PK’s. I knew Cass (Wasdin) was capable of at least getting one (save) … and we didn’t need to go to our fifth kicker, which was nice. I thought we did some really good things today outside of putting the ball in the back of the net. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up before the next game, but proud of how we played and how we defended one of the best forwards in our conference. And now we have a wonderful opportunity on Friday, we’re 90 minutes from the final.”
“I knew (the shootout was) coming,” said redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cassidy Wasdin. “I’ve had experience with PK’s in championship games, in club and high school, but it’s a different game in college … You just have to be confident and try to read them.”
Full Video with Cassidy Wasdin:
What’s Next:
The Owls move on to the semifinal round to play either Charlotte or WKU in the first matchup on Friday. Kickoff will come at 5:30 p.m. Eastern with streaming again on ESPN+.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
