Owls Topped by Middle Tennessee, 1-0

Friday, October 1

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 PM

Florida Atlantic

3-5-4, 1-1-2CUSA

Middle Tennessee

6-5-1, 2-2-0CUSA

Middle Tennessee

Florida Atlantic

10/2/2021 12:01:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women's soccer team was clipped by Middle Tennessee in a close 1-0 match on Friday night. The Owls dipped to 3-5-4 on the season and 1-1-2 in Conference USA action, while the Blue Raiders now stand at 6-5-1 and 2-2-0 in conference play.

The Turning Point:
The match was scoreless at the break, and then the Blue Raiders got on the board in the 56^th minute. Off a Middle Tennessee corner kick, Kirstine Lykke sent in a looping header that was stopped by FAU keeper Amit Cohen. In a crowded box, Sam DeBien got a piece of the ball off the rebound and put it in the net to give Middle Tennessee a 1-0 advantage.

The Ending:
The Owls had a few opportunities to tie the match as time was winding down. In the 71^st minute, Amanda Martin had a look after a corner kick that sailed wide. Emma Grissom sent in a corner in the 76^th minute that wound up at the feet of Jodi Smith, yet her shot went wide as well. The final shot came from Gi Krstec with just over two minutes to play, but it was denied by the Blue Raider keeper Hannah Suder.

Notables:

The Owls controlled the game on the offensive end with a 16-8 edge in shots and 10-3 advantage in corner kicks
Cohen registered five saves in net for the Owls, including two in a span of 40 seconds on a couple of prime first-half Middle Tennessee scoring chances
Cohen, Martin, and Smith once again went the full 90 minutes for the Owls. That trio has yet to step off the field this year, as they have each played all 1,183 minutes for FAU.
Krstec, Miracle Porter, and Bri Austin took three shots apiece to pace the offensive attack for FAU
The defeat is the first home conference loss for FAU since Sept. 29, 2017, which was also against Middle Tennessee

Quotables:
"It's disappointing for us," head coach Patrick Baker said. "Credit to Middle Tennessee, they played well. They scored off a corner kick, which is now three out of four conference games where we've given up a goal off either the initial ball or second ball off a corner kick. We're aware of it, we're working on it, and we have to keep working on it…We'll watch tape, we'll recover, and we've got to get better. We have to put on a big travel hard hat, because going to El-Paso next week will be a tough one."

"From front to back, we try to make play predictable by limiting passing lanes and squeezing the game in certain areas," Baker said. "For the most part, Hunter (Hunter Koziara), Amanda (Amanda Martin), Jodi (Jodi Smith), and Hailey (Hailey Landrus) haven't come off the field, so there hasn't been much interchange in those areas. We have had consistency and good chemistry. I'm proud of our group- we've hardly given up anything in the run of play all year…There's a lot of soccer still to be played, as we're only halfway through conference play."

Full Video With Coach Baker:

Up Next:
The Owls will hit the road to face UTEP next Saturday, Oct. 9. Game time is set for 9:00 p.m. eastern.

Conference Tourney on the Horizon:
FAU will serve as the host for the Conference USA Championship Tournament. The tourney is scheduled to begin on Nov. 1 with the championship match to be held on Nov. 7.