The Florida Atlantic Owls (6-7-3, 3-5 AAC) bested longtime in-state rivals and nationally ranked No. 23 Florida International University (FIU) Panthers (9-4-4, 5-1-2 AAC) 1-0 on Sunday night.

“What a game, what a win for our boys in a tournament anything can happen,” said head coach Joey Worthen after the game. “FIU is a great team, coached really well. It just had everything in the game, it was really exciting. Our boys never gave up. I tell them to play as hard as they can.”

FIU was a 3-seed after a 2-2 draw with the University of Tulsa to end the season. In their previous meeting on Oct. 20, the Owls beat the Panthers 2-1.

The Owls started out bringing the ball down the pitch multiple times and creating opportunities, while the Panthers struggled to get started on offense in the opening moments. 

Eventually, the Panthers settled in, and both teams appeared evenly matched. As the game continued, the Panthers kept play on their side of the pitch. 

Both teams went into the half scoreless. 

The second half started out much like the first: very even. As both teams grew tired, more opportunities began to open up. It was only a matter of time, before tensions began to rise in this defensively charged matchup.

With 20 minutes remaining, things looked uncertain for the Owls. The Panthers attacked the net multiple times. With momentum undecided, the Owls created some opportunities of their own. 

Soon only six minutes remained, and the odds of the game going into overtime grew in possibility. 

In the closing seconds, FAU junior forward Noah Kvifte scored the first and only goal of the game, assisted by senior midfielder Arthur Widiez. That was Kvifte’s seventh goal of the season. 

FAU advances to the semi-finals, where it will face the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (10-3-1, 6-2 AAC) on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

Jackson Gore is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this story or others, email him at [email protected] or DM him at jackson_raton.