Owls Earn Third Straight Win With 1-0 Result Over WKU

Friday, October 22

Bowling Green, Ky.

7 PM

Florida Atlantic

6-5-4, 4-1-2

WKU

10-4-0, 5-2-0

Florida Atlantic

Western Ky.

10/22/2021 9:50:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Miracle Porter first half goal turned out to be the difference in the Florida Atlantic University women's soccer team's 1-0 win over WKU on Friday night. The Owls have now won three consecutive games and improved to 6-5-4 on the year including 4-1-2 in C-USA action. The Hilltoppers dipped to 10-4-0 and 5-2-0 in conference action.

The Turning Point
FAU broke through in 35^th minute. Hailey Landrus sent in a cross that was punched away by the WKU keeper, but Porter was in perfect position. From 22 yards out and with the keeper off her line, she blasted a strike that found the back of the net. The goal was the second in as many games for Porter, as she scored the equalizer with 25 seconds left last time against Marshall.

FAU Defense Holds Strong Down the Stretch
The FAU defense held the one goal lead in the second half, but it didn't come without a couple of WKU scoring chances. With 22 minutes remaining, WKU sent a shot to the right post that was snagged by FAU goalkeeper Amit Cohen.

Cohen picked up another save in the 72' to keep the zero on the board. The Hilltoppers sent a cross into the middle of the box in close with 12 minutes to play, yet Landrus stepped in and booted it away to thwart the opportunity.

Notables

Porter's score was her fifth of the season which now leads the team
Landrus registered her first assist of the campaign
The win over the Hilltoppers was the first one for the Owls at WKU in the 13 series meetings. Prior to tonight's game, WKU held a 6-3-3 edge in the all-time series
The shutout marks Cohen and the defense's third of the year and marks back-to-back road shutouts
The Owls out-shot the Hilltoppers, 11-6
FAU controlled the pace of the game and held possession 57% of the 90 minutes
A handful of Owls went the full 90 in Cohen, Landrus, Hunter Koziara, Emma Grissom, Jodi Smith, and Amanda Martin
Smith and Cohen have yet to come off the field this season and have played the full 1,467 minutes for FAU
Bri Austin paced the offensive attack with four shots, three being on goal

Quotable
"It was a good game, WKU has a lot of wins this year and has beaten a lot of good teams," head coach Patrick Baker said. "We knew coming in here would be no easy task or ask, but I thought we played really well. It was a collective effort from our goalkeeping, to the back line, to the midfield. We've showed grit and determination, and Miracle (Porter) scored an unbelievable goal. She's in great form, and we're really proud of her."

Full Interview With Coach Baker

What's Next
The Owls will return to action for the regular season finale against Old Dominion on Oct. 28. That will also be FAU's Senior Night, which will be held pregame.

Conference USA Tournament on the Horizon
FAU will serve as the host for the 2021 Conference USA Women's Soccer Championship. The tourney is scheduled to begin on Nov. 1 with the championship match to be held on Nov. 7.