NORFOLK, Va. – (Oct. 17, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer team and Old Dominion played to a 1-1 stalemate on Friday night to earn the Owls a hard-fought point in the Conference USA standings.
The Turning Point:
The Owls (10-3-1, 4-1-1 C-USA) fell prey to a late first-half goal, but knotted it up on a late second-half goal. ODU (8-3-2, 2-3-0 C-USA) took the lead with under two minutes left before halftime, and the equalizer didn’t come until there was just 1:05 left to go in regulation. Gi Krstec crossed it in from wide right, with Sammy Vitols sneaking behind the backline defender to head it in for a 1-1 tie.
The Finish:
Neither team scored in the first extra period, with FAU taking two of the three shots. ODU had the only attempt of the second OT; an Owl free kick right at the one-minute mark did not prove successful.
Notables:
· For Vitols, it was her fifth goal of the season, and Krstec, not only her first assist this year, but of her FAU career
· The Owls trailed at the half for just the third time this year (not since Sept. 8 against North Florida)
· Similarly, ODU outshot the Owls 13-9, that too was only the third occurrence this year (Aug. 23 vs. Florida and Aug. 29 at Miami)
· FAU did take all eight corner kicks in the matchup
Quotable:
“What a great ball by Gi (Krstec) and a great header by Sammy Vitols,” said head coach Patrick Baker of the goal. “Big picture, we’re excited. Coming here and getting a result, which we’ve never done before … (It) looked like we were going to lose 1-0, we just stayed the course and stayed after it. Created a wonderful chance and scored a big-time goal.”
Full Video with Coach Baker:
What’s Next:
The Owls head to Mufreesboro, Tennessee next, for a Sunday matchup with Middle Tennessee. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. Eastern.
- 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.
