Florida Atlantic could not stand the heat as they have their first loss of the season to Omaha. As a heat index reaching triple digits raced into the Omaha area, the game between the Owls and the Mavericks had to be pushed back to 8:00 PM EDT. The first half had plenty of action as both teams had numerous shot attempts. Florida Atlantic had five shots on goal, while the Mavericks had three. Starting the affair for FAU, with an impressive strike, was Sebastian Zettl (below video vis X). The first goal of the game came from the right leg of the Austrian from roughly 25 yards out. This gave the Owls the 1-0 advantage before a foul committed by FAU in the penalty box gave Omaha the opportunity to tie it up. The Mavericks did just that by scoring on the penalty kick, making the score 1-1. ANNOUNCER EXCITEMENT! @FAUMSoccer with the GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL vs Omaha! #FAU ??⚽️? pic.twitter.com/GkrgappmNh — FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) August 26, 2024 As for the goalkeepers it was a busy half. Nacho Alfaro (13) had three saves in the first half alone. That is only one less compared to last Thursday’s total in saves against Creighton. Omaha’s Nathanael Sallah has been playing for keeps with him having four saves in the first half compared to his game total of five against Oakland. The Owls second half was a bend not break mentality from the defenders. Omaha had taken ten shots while having six on goal in the second half. When it looked as if the Mavericks were going to find the game leading goal Captain Sebastian Zettl (23) of FAU scored his second goal of the night. The scrappy play by the Mavericks helped Theo Klein of Omaha to score the game tying goal in the 80th minute making the score 2-2. Omaha went on to score the dagger two minutes later taking the win away from FAU in a final of 3-2. Two Owls received bookings on the night with Nick Kinina (6), and Kasper Heerfordt (19) receiving yellows. Florida Atlantic committed 12 fouls while Omaha committed 10. FAU was able to get seven shots on goal, but Omaha’s ten went on to be the difference when it came to how the goals were scored. Nacho Alfaro (13) almost doubled his saves total from four on Thursday to seven today against Omaha. After the loss the Owls (0-1-1) travel home for a four game home stretch. The first team to visit Florida Atlantic will be the Stetson Hatters (0-1-0). The 2024 season started with a loss against UNC Asheville for the Hatters. Before visiting Boca Raton, Stetson will play FAU rival FIU Monday night. The game between the Owls and the Hatters will take place at 6:00 PM in Boca Raton, Thursday, August 29th.
