Coming off a draw to the Creighton University Bluejays and a loss to the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks, the Florida Atlantic University Owls men’s soccer team (0-1-1) (0-1-1) started their home opener off right with a 3-1 lead against Stetson University Hatters (1-1) on Aug. 29.
Senior forward Mamadou Diarra scored a first-half hat trick before the game was delayed and ultimately called. The teams will meet again later in the season to play the remaining 37 minutes of the second half, with the Owls having the 3-1 lead to hold.
The Hatters have historically held the upper hand, with a 10-7-2 record against the Owls in 19 meetings since 2006. In last year’s meeting between the programs, Stetson snatched the game with an 88th-minute game-winning goal to end the contest 4-3. Despite this, the Owls have been dominant at home against the Hatters, with 14 wins and only four losses historically. Stetson’s last win in Boca Raton was Sept. 19, 2018, scoring 2-1.
With a 0-1-1 record in the new season, the Owls started the game strong, winning a corner within two minutes. They kept that momentum going into the 20th minute when Diarra struck first blood with a timely finish into the bottom left of Stetson’s goal.
Only moments later, Diarra found the back of the net once again. He quickly dribbled around the keeper before finding the top netting, successfully avoiding the Stetson player trying to intercept the ball on the line.
Just five minutes later, in the 25th minute, the Hatters brought one back as Stetson forward Xavi Csato scored with his right foot. However, this did not deter the Owls from continuing to attack Stetson’s backline.
In the 32nd minute, Diarra once again found the back of the net to complete the hat trick, achieved by scoring three goals in a single game. His third goal was executed with a header off of a corner kick, topped off with a dancing celebration before embracing his teammates. 
Diarra, the senior from Pennsylvania, recently moved from Southwestern College to become a forward for the Owls. In his final season with Southwestern, he scored 16 goals in 16 games. Hat tricks, though quite rare, seem to come easy to Diarra, who had two games last season scoring three or more goals before making the move to Boca Raton.
Sebastian Zettl, a junior and team captain, continued his flying form from last Sunday’s hard-fought loss to Omaha with an assist to Diarra. In that game, the Owls had been leading 2-1 thanks to two wonder strikes by Zettl, with one being from nearly 30 yards out.
The Owls made multiple substitutions after taking a 3-1 lead, including Diarra himself to consolidate their defense and ensure a comfortable victory. Stetson also made multiple substitutions in attempts to reduce their deficit before the half ended.
Six minutes into the second half, a weather warning was issued, and the game was delayed due to the ensuing thunderstorm. The game was postponed indefinitely. Both teams will play out the final 37 minutes of the second half later in the season. FAU will look to hold their lead when the match resumes.
Alexander Tabares is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this story or others, email him at [email protected]. or DM him on Instagram @alextabaresof
