The FAU women’s soccer team came into its recent three-game home stand looking to win after going 3-3-2 on the road to open the season. On Thursday, Sept. 30, the Lady Owls (5-3-2, 2-2) brought their best to the field and walked away with a huge win over Belmont University. FAU wasted no time, scoring its first goal of the night against the Bruins (3-6-0, 1-2) just 19 seconds into the first half, and continued to build its lead until game’s end. Kari Fernandez’ goal, with an assist by Susanna Lehtinen, was just the beginning. Later goals, by Christie Ashton (2:08), Michele Fazzari (8:18), Katri Nokso-Koivisto (17:41), and a 25-yard shot by Alicia Tirelli (23:29) that nailed the top corner of the net gave the Lady Owls a 5-0 lead at the half. By the final whistle, they had cruised to an 8-0 shutout. Of the team’s performance, Denise Brolly said, “It’s just nice to get confidence. It just feels really good.” Brolly added two goals to her credit, bringing her team-leading tally to five this season. Fazzari also made a second score later in the game. Brolly and Lehtinen had two assists each.
Coach Brian Dooley commented, “You know, it’s just, hey, let’s get onto our streak. We’ve always been an incredible team in October. We might have lost one game in three, four years in October. This is the end of September, and we get rolling.”
The victory comes on the heels of a 2-0 defeat of Florida International University, and extended the team’s winning streak to three games.
The Lady Owls return home to end their season with a four-game home stand, beginning October 15 against Jacksonville at 7:00 p.m.
