DENTON, Texas – (Nov. 6, 2019) – In a tale of two halves, Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer scored three first-half goals, but Charlotte battled back to tie with three of their own after the break, the third coming with 20 minutes left. It took until the second overtime and 104th minute for anyone to score again, and it was FAU senior Elisha Holmes with the golden goal and game-winner to send the Owls to the Conference USA title game with a 4-3 victory.
The Turning Point:
After not scoring a goal in the run of play Wednesday, the Owls (14-3-2) got on the board first, doubled it early, and tripled it not too long after. Just 6:13 in, Jessica Monteiro and Tiril Haga played a little give-and-go, and then Haga found the foot of Pernille Velta for the one-touch goal. In the 13th minute, Velta’s cross into the box was right on target, with an oncoming Mary O’Hara slotting it left and into the back of the net. And at exactly 23:00 in, Hailey Landrus played it ahead to Holmes, who found Haga on a one-on-one breakaway that would prove true for a 3-0 advantage.
The 49ers (13-5-0) got one back quickly after the break, on a corner in the 47th that ping-ponged around the box and in, and the lead shrunk to one 10 minutes later on another ball close in that couldn’t be cleared. They then tied it up with 20:01 remaining.
The Finish:
Neither team scored in the first overtime, and the Owls took two shots in the second extra frame before O’Hara fed Holmes on a runout. She outran the last defender, and curled around the oncoming keeper to beat her right, and bring out the Owls’ bench for the second time in three days in a pile-on victory celebration.
Notables:
· The respective goals, all four coming from Owl seniors, were Velta’s ninth, O’Hara’s 11th, Haga’s second and Holmes’ third of the season
· For O’Hara, that gives her 20 for her career, putting her into a tie for 10th all-time with Tara O’Brien (1996-99)
· Assist-wise, here are the updated season totals: Monteiro (one), Haga (four), Velta (five), Landrus (one), Holmes (four) and O’Hara (three)
· Velta’s 16th career assist puts her in a tie for second all-time, matching Danielle Castro (2000-03) and Denise Brolly (2003-05)
· For Monteiro, that marked not only her first helper of the season, but also of the four-year career for the senior
Quotable:
“What a great game, two teams that try to play the right way and coaches that do the right things,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “Memorable game, this will be one that will be talked about in our program for a long, long time. They’re going to remember this, as well they should. It was a great game.”
“Honestly, it’s undescribable,” said senior forward Elisha Holmes of her game-winning goal. “I’m just so happy that our team gets to move on to the next level. It’s been a while since we’ve been to the championship, and I’m just glad that we get to be there.”
Full Video with Coach Baker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lczearezWwk
Full Video with Elisha Holmes:
What’s Next:
The Owls move on to the championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, again on ESPN+, to play either North Texas or Rice, again, to earn C-USA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
– 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.
