CORAL GABLES, Fla. – (Aug. 29, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer team scored twice early and held off both a late Miami surge and the elements in defeating the Hurricanes in a weather-shortened match, 2-1 at Cobb Stadium on Thursday.
The Turning Point:
The Owls (2-1-0) got on the board early and doubled the lead a dozen minutes later. The goals were tallied by Sammy Vitols and Elisha Holmes, and the FAU defense was stingy, not allowing a single shot on goal in the first half.
The Finish:
The homestanding Hurricanes (2-1-0) did halve the lead in the second, in between two weather delays. The teams played for 13 more minutes, but the latter weather halted the match at 76:07 (which had become official when it passed the 70:00 mark).
Notables:
· Under two minutes in, 1:47 to be exact, Vitols deposited a corner kick in for her third goal of the season
· Vitols had another good look in the 14th minute, and teammate Holmes was on the spot to deflect it past the UM keeper for a 2-0 lead. The score would hold there into the break
Just after the second half began, weather forced a delay of just under 45 minutes
· Goalkeeper Cassidy Wasdin turned away three very tough UM looks early in the second
· She and a backline defender combined to keep two more out on the same flurry, but the Hurricanes snuck a third attempt across for their first goal in the 64th
· A downpour halted play with 13:53 left, and the teams would have attempted to come back out had another lightning strike not occurred during the delay window
Quotable:
“I was pleased with how we started the game, I thought that we were really good, very similar to how we started against Florida,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “Very similar to Florida (also), we come out of halftime … and have to go into a delay. Give Miami credit, they’re very talented, they’re very well-coached and we knew they were going to bring it to us.”
What’s Next:
On Sunday afternoon, the Owls will take on No. 18 Kansas on the road. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Eastern and the match will be both streamed (on Big 12 Now on ESPN+) and broadcasted (free on KU radio) live.
– 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.
