BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – (Sept. 29, 2019) – Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer, behind a goal in the 79th minute by Madison Davenport, topped UAB on Sunday afternoon, 2-1, for a Conference USA road victory. The win runs the Owls’ current streak to six in a row, and at 8-2, the team is off to its best start through 10 matches in program history.
The Turning Point:
The Owls (8-2-0, 2-0-0 C-USA) and Blazers (2-3-3, 0-1-0 C-USA) each hit the back of the net in the first half. FAU made good on a Pernille Velta tally in the 27th; UAB knotted it up just over seven minutes later. FAU came out firing after the break, hitting both the post and crossbar with two separate shots, and having some solid attempts saved by the UAB keeper. But the Owls stayed on the offensive.
The Finish:
To that end, in the 79th, Mary O’Hara streaked into the box and pushed the ball forward off a UAB defender. Davenport was on the spot and beat the keeper for the go-ahead goal. The Owls played keep-away and held possession for the remainder of the match to seal the win.
Notables:
· For the sophomore Davenport, it was the first goal of her FAU career
· Velta notched her fourth score this year, matching a season high, and 13th in four seasons
· On Davenport’s goal, assists were credited to O’Hara and Tiril Haga
· The Owls outshot the Blazers 19-7, with Gi Krstec nearly equaling the opposition, with six herself
· Of her six, three were on goal, while she was also just wide on an attempt early in the second half, hitting the post
· UAB’s goal snapped a scoreless stretch of just over 350 minutes for the FAU defense
· On an unseasonably hot afternoon in Birmingham that necessitated mandatory water breaks, only the goalkeeper Cassidy Wasdin and two defenders, Luisa Daikeler and Alex Maxson, were on for the full time
· The previous best start to a year was a 7-2-1 mark in 1992
Quotable:
“A lot of ups and downs in the game to be fair,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “Just a huge road win, especially after traveling all the way to Oklahoma on Thursday, not playing, and traveling all the way back here. Not (an) ideal travel situation, but a really important three points and really important road win to get to 2-0 in the conference.”
“Obviously we won, so it was a good game, but I think that we started off a little flat,” said senior forward Velta. “We’ve been traveling for four days … and haven’t been able to play or train that much, but we got the ‘W,’ so we’re happy.”
Full Video with Coach Baker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npB1zDc0Z3U
Full Video with Velta:
What’s Next:
Next weekend, FAU is set for two more road matches, both in league play. Friday night’s matchup will be in Ruston, Louisiana against Louisiana Tech; on Sunday afternoon, FAU will take on Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
– 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.
