Sept. 7, 2005

BOCA RATON, FL -- With the first week of the season in the books, the Florida Atlantic University men's soccer team faces a busy second week with a home game on Wednesday followed by a two-game swing in Colorado.

The Owls (1-1) will welcome rival Florida International University on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and then travel to Colorado where they will take on Denver and Air Force.

"We were happy to get that first win out of the way," head coach Kos Donev said. "Sometimes that first one can be the hardest to get, but we played two solid games."

"FIU is always a spirited game. It will be good to see how some of our new players react to such a big rivalry. We will need to play well in order to pick up win number two," Donev said.

Florida Atlantic will square off with Denver on Friday at 6 p.m. EDT and Air Force in Colorado Springs Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT.

"Anytime you have to travel that far it can be hard on a team. We will have to make sure we are mentally sharp, especially for the Denver game," Donev said.

Last week, the Owls suffered a 2-1 loss to Missouri State in 2OT. The team bounced back, however, with a 3-0 victory over IPFW. The shutout was goalkeeper Anders Granstad's ninth in his career, breaking the school record.