Two teams heading in different directions met in a Battle of the Owls as FAU headed North to Philadelphia as they faced off against Temple (1-5-2, 0-2 American). The matchup was the first conference appearance for Florida Atlantic while Temple faced Missouri State last week.
After a close first-half the Florida Atlantic Owls pulled away earning a 3-1 victory in dominant fashion.
First Half
It took less than a minute for FAU to jump ahead as Mamadou Diarra’s attack down the right side of the pitch found Aboubacer Traore in the box with Traore finishing the early strike in the bottom center of the goal.
The next twenty minutes were aggressive with both sides trading attacks, but Temple’s Nathan Brown scored the equalizer in the 21st minute, 1-1.
The remainder of the first half was more of the same, as the Owls stayed at a 1-1 stalemate at the end of the first 45.
First Half Stats
Florida Atlantic had 12 shots to Temple’s four, but only two of those 12 were on goal. The Owls from Philly earned two shots on goal as well. FAU had four cornet attempts to Temple’s one. If a squad were to pull ahead in the second, it would be down to converting on chances.
Second Half
FAU did just that. The pace slowed down early in the second half, but in the 58th minute Kerfalla Troure’s header off a free kick landed at the right foot of Francesco Aiello. From there it was a swift kick that led to the Owls from Boca taking a 2-1 lead.
FAU extended their advantage in the 71st minute off a Traore corner kick as the ball found the head of Kerfalla Toure (top image, Aubrey Corkum), 3-1.
Temple tried to come back for the remainder of the game, but Florida Atlantic overpowered the hometown Owls earning the 3-1 victory.
Stats & Leaders
Entering the contest, Temple had FAU’s number in the series, as the Owls from Boca were 0-2-1 in previous meetings. The past did not bother Florida Atlantic today as they dominated in nearly every statistical category.
FAU had 20 shots with six on goal, while Temple had only six shots in total and were stuck at two shots on goal for the second half of the match.
Florida Atlantic earned six corner attempts while Temple had just one. Five FAU Owls were a part of an assist as well.
Owls GK Alfred Mikkelsen had one save while Temple’s Diego Dauzier had a busy day with having to earn three saves.
The win is Florida Atlantic’s 300th program victory.
Up Next
Florida Atlantic (5-2, 1-0 American) will be back in Paradise as the Owls will host FIU (3-2-2, 1-0 American). Looking to bounce back after the 1-0 conference quarterfinals defeat against the Panthers last season, FAU will head into this contest with an eight-game non-losing streak at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm on Friday, Sept. 26.
