BOCA RATON, Fla. – Playing for the first time since November of 2019, Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer fell in the team’s 2021 opener, Thursday night to Utah Valley.
The Turning Point:
The Owls (0-1) got on the board first, on a Sammy Vitols-to-Thelma Hermannsdottir connection about 12 minutes in. A little less than six minutes later, the Wolverines (1-0) equalized, and the match stayed tied into the break. But UVU took the lead early in the second, and continued to push the advantage.
The Finish:
A free kick in the 69th minute pushed the cushion to two, and two more add-ons gave the visitors the win.
Notables:
- Hermannsdottir scored the second goal of her career, and first since Sept. 2, 2018
- Vitols picked up her eighth career assist
- On the night, 18 Owls saw the pitch, and 10 officially donned the FAU uniform for the first time: Gabi Cimino, Amit Cohen, Madeline Crowe, Katie Houston, Tatum Ireland, Brooke Jones, Hunter Koziara, Natalie Mangayi, Amanda Martin and Mia Sennes
- Cimino attempted her first shot; Hermannsdottir led the squad with three
- The loss snapped a 10-match winning streak for the Owls on their home pitch, not having fallen since last season’s opener, Aug. 23, 2019 against Florida
QUOTABLE”First of all, Coach Lemay and his team were phenomenal tonight,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “It was an absolute pleasure to watch them play; unfortunately the opponent they were playing so well against was us. I just thought right from the get-go they had great energy and they got after it. Even though we were at home and we’ve not traditionally had this type of a loss, no bones about it, the better team won.”
WHAT’S NEXT
For the only time as of right now on the schedule, the Owls will play twice on the same weekend. This Sunday, the team hosts USF at 1 p.m., and capacity again is limited, but free.
