BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Sept. 13, 2019) – Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer handed Ball State its first loss of the year Friday night in a 1-0 decision at FAU Soccer Stadium. That marks the Owls’ third straight win, and five out of six, all coming against opponents that had been undefeated coming into the match.
The Turning Point:
It took less than six minutes for the Owls (5-2-0) to get on the board, and the defense would hold strong to keep the slim edge. Pernille Velta played a ball up to the sprinting Elisha Holmes, who cut across the face of the goal and found Mary O’Hara to her left. O’Hara’s blast, past the BSU (5-1-0) keeper, was her fifth of the year and third in the last two outings.
The Finish:
The FAU defense clamped down to the tune of allowing zero Cardinal shots for the entirety of the match, and while the offense had chances to add on to the lead, nine more shots on target (and 18 overall attempts) were turned away. Still, O’Hara’s goal stood as lone tally, and game-winner, over the final 84:04 of the contest.
Notables:
· O’Hara continues to pace the team with her five goal tally on the year
· The forward duo of Holmes and Velta each recorded the assist, Holmes’ third, and Velta’s first of 2019
· Reigning C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week Cassidy Wasdin stayed in net for the match’s entirety, and was joined for the full tilt by Alex Maxson and Hailey Landrus. Jessica Monteiro came out in the 87th
· In addition to the 18-0 shot advantage, FAU had an 11-1 edge in corners
· The Owls are now 5-1 against a group that came in with a combined record of 17-0-1
Quotable:
“Everybody does their research on each other,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “We talked about maybe trying to manufacture an early goal and make (Ball State) a little uncomfortable, make them come from behind … and we were able to do that. They’re a good team, they’re well-coached, and they’re going to win a lot of games this year. I thought we defended really well, defended in the right areas, were quick in transition and created opportunities.”
Full Video with Coach Baker:
What’s Next:
The five-match homestand concludes this upcoming weekend, with the first of two at FAU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night when the Owls play their 2019 Conference USA opener against Marshall. The weekend will then wrap on Sunday, hosting out-of-conference foe Creighton.
– 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.
