After a tough loss on Thursday to rival FIU, Florida Atlantic had to find a way to gain some momentum. The Owls went on to do just that, by earning a 0-0 draw against the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. The Owls came into this game (0-2-1), while Louisiana came into todays matchup after an impressive 5-1 win over MTSU making their record (2-0-1). Both teams to begin the season were trending in opposite directions. The game started with the Ragin Cajuns lethal offense attacking with five shots in the first 15 minutes of play. Three shots missed the net, while it was team co-captain Lexi Gonzalez (1) stopping the two shots that were on goal. For the rest of the first half, possession settled down. Florida Atlantics defense only allowed one more shot opportunity during the final 30 minutes of the half. The Owls went on the attack as they were able to obtain a corner kick, and had two shots with one of them being on goal during that same time frame. Entering halftime the score was still deadlocked 0-0 as neither team could convert offensively. Once the second half kicked off both teams traded opportunities for goals. Neither team was able to find the back of the net. For the rest of the half, Louisiana showed their aggressiveness as they had three shots on goal compared to none by FAU. As time trickled away the final shot was taken in the 89th minute by Michelle Horan (10). Her shot missed the goal as time expired. Coach Patrick Baker shared his thoughts about the draw, “Proud of our girls. First shut out of the year, wish we could have gotten a little something out of it today”. Statistically on the day, FAU fell behind on shots with a total of four compared to Louisianas ten. This same discrepancy carried over in shots on goal as the Owls only had one compared to the Cajuns five. Corner attempts went in favor of Florida Atlantic as the Owls had five attempts compared to the Cajuns two attempts. The stat that helped lead to a draw for the Owls was saves by Goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez. She seemed to be a brick wall in front of the net. Gonzalez went on to have a total of five saves on the day compared to Louisianas one. Florida Atlantic (0-2-2) is still looking for their first win of the season. The Owls will take on the first of two SEC opponents on the season in the Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1-0) on Thursday, August 29th. The game will take place at 7:00 PM in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama finished the 2023 season with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tide are ranked 22nd in the NCAA Women’s soccer RPI. Alabama will be coming off a visit to Chattanooga before they face the Owls. A first win for the 2024 season is not impossible for Florida Atlantic, but it would need to take a nearly perfect effort to pull it off.
