Men’s Soccer Travels to FAU

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Coming off of its first win of the season, the University of North Florida men's soccer team travels south to Boca Raton, Fla. to take on Florida Atlantic in a midweek nonconference match on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m.

The Ospreys (1-3-0) enter the week after picking up their first victory of the season. Freshman Ricky Lawrence's first half goal was all the UNF men's soccer team needed handing Longwood a 1-0 loss.

UNF controlled much of the action in the first half but didn't have much to show for their strong effort until late in the opening half when Lawrence put the ball in the net giving the Ospreys a 1-0 advantage. The goal came as a result of strong pressure by the North Florida attackers on the Longwood backline in the closing minutes of the period.

As the Lancers attempted to play a ball back to their goalkeeper, Lawrence intercepted the pass, dribbled around the diving keeper and carried the ball easily into an open net.

The two squads battled back-and-forth in the second half as both teams turned up the intensity on both ends of the field. Longwood nearly collected the equalizing score midway through the period as a long lead pass drew UNF goaltender Tyler Willets off his line. The Lancer attacker appeared to have an open shot into the open net but Willets scrambled back into the play, diving and swatting away a ball as it bounced toward the goal.

The Osprey defense stiffened over the final 15 minutes of play to secure the victory. Willets earned his first career victory and shutout stopping six shots in the contest.

Florida Atlantic enters the match 1-2-1 on the season after recording a victory over Big Ten opponent Wisconsin on Sept. 12. The Owls opened the season with back-to-back losses on the road to Jacksonville and UCF before recording a tie with Georgia State in their home opener.

UNF is 0-2-0 all-time against FAU. The match with the Owls marks the first time the two teams will meet in Boca Raton. The two teams first met on Oct. 31, 2005, with the visiting Owls claiming a 1-0 victory.

Last season, FAU claimed a 3-2 overtime victory over North Florida on Sept. 27. After a scoreless first half, the Ospreys scored two goals in the second half to take a 2-0 lead, but two late goals by the Owls forced overtime. With about 75-seconds remaining in the first overtime period, FAU managed to break the tie with a goal and earn the victory.

Live stats for the match are available by clicking here.

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