The rain clouds moved out of Paradise to create a beautiful day for soccer. The Owls took advantage of the evening, earning three points and their first AAC conference victory against the USF Bulls (4-2-4) (2-2 AAC) in front of a ten-year record crowd. Before the fans could find their seats, Mamadou Diarra (pictured below, Angelina LaBelle) found the cross from Aboubacar Traore to score only 44 seconds into the match giving the Owls an early 1-0 advantage. The Bulls had no answer for the Owls offensive attack, as another Traore assist led to Noah Kvifte (pictured above, Angelina LaBelle) finding the back of the net, extending the FAU lead, 2-0 in the 19th minute. Florida Atlantic kept pouring it on as after two assists in the match, Traore decided it was his turn to score a goal as he found the top right corner of the net to give the Owls a 3-0 lead in 24 minutes of play. #FAU Men’s Soccer 10 minutes from their first WIN over #USF in 24 years. Owls up 3-1, started off by this early gem from Aboubacar Traore ? Let’s close it out! ?⚽️ pic.twitter.com/1tcD4rBVPD — FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) October 12, 2024 The first half closed out with more excitement as USF’s Mathis Haugen scored a goal as time expired to pull the Bulls within two heading into the half. It was all Owls in the first as FAU’s dominant performance led to a 3-1 lead and nine shots on goal. Florida Atlantic tied their season high in goals in one half as the team vied to earn their first win over South Florida since 2000. The second half saw an aggressive Bulls attack, slowed down by the Owls parking the bus. Keeper Nacho Alfaro, who started to receive more action in the evening, was taken off due to injury, which brought in Francisco Ranieri to close out the match in goal. South Florida’s attack proved formidable, but no goal was to be had in the second half for the Bulls as the Owls won 3-1. FAU had three separate goal scorers: Kvifte, Traore, and Diarra. Kvifte led in shots with five as the Owls had 18 shots and 11 on goal compared to USF’s 12 shots and six on goal. USF’s Felix Schaefer put in work as he had eight saves and allowed the three FAU goals. Alfaro had two saves with one goal allowed, and Ranieri had three saves. The Bulls had four corner attempts while FAU had three. Post-game with head coach Joey Worthen: ? Post-game with @FAUMSoccer HC @joeyworthen after #FAU ‘s dominant 3-1 victory over #USF . ?⚽️ #AAC #NCAASOC pic.twitter.com/i8puMkRSnk — FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) October 12, 2024 Florida Atlantic (3-4-3) (1-2-1 AAC) heads West to face another in-state foe in Florida Gulf Coast (2-6-2). The Eagles have played multiple opponents the Owls have played including USF tying the Bulls 3-3. The match-up is the final out-of-conference match for FAU before three important matches against AAC opponents. The match between the Owls and Eagles takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 P.M.
