Paradise had a nasty day, but the Owls did not as they gain their first win of the season against Belmont.
The match started off slowly as both teams had a hard time finding a shot on goal in the first half. The 26th minute was an exciting minute as FAU had a corner attempt that led to an attack by Belmont. The Bruins were not able to keep the shot on goal as the ball sailed over the net.
The good news for the Owls was the Norwegian, Noah Kvifte (11) using a spectacular spin move to score the first goal of the match for Florida Atlantic taking a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute. It was Kvifte’s first goal of the 2024 campaign.
Florida Atlantic had seven shots in the first half. That number is roughly two shots more than Belmont’s season average of 4.7 shots allowed per game. FAU exceeded that number in one half. Talk about a dominant offensive performance, though only one shot was on goal for the Owls.
The weather became rougher during halftime as rain introduced FAU and Belmont to the final 45 minutes. The Bruins scored the equalizer in the 52nd minute after a breakdown in the Florida Atlantic defense.
In the 65th minute Nacho Alfaro (13) made a spectacular dive to his left to stop the Bruins go ahead goal. FAU used their counter attack and it was Mamadou Diarra (35) taking the lead for the Owls off a header after the great cross from Kasper Heerfordt (19). It is officially the first of Diarra’s career with FAU after his hat trick against Stetson was not official (play suspended in the 53rd minute).
The final 20 minutes of the match started off with two more sensational saves by Alfaro. Belmont kept their attack up as they had multiple corner attempts. The Florida Atlantic counter attack led to a goal with 17 seconds left by the Charlotte transfer Aboubacar Traore (18) to give the Owls a 3-1 victory!
The final stats would have Belmont having 12 shots with four on goal with FAU had 11 shots with 4 on goal. Florida Atlantic’s Alfaro kept his superb season going with a 3 save game to help lead the Owls to their first victory.
Florida Atlantic gained their first win of the season to improve to 1-0-1 on the year as they prepare for game three out of four of their home-stand against the Utah Valley Wolverines. The Wolverines are 2-0-1 on the season as they come to Boca Raton for the first of two matches against Floridian opponents. The last time the two teams met was a 4-0 victory for the Wolverines. Hopefully this time around, FAU will be able to pull off the win. The match starts Thursday, September 5th, at 7 PM.