Oct. 2, 2007

BOCA RATON, FL - With just one game in an eight-day span, the Florida Atlantic University men's soccer team turns its complete focus on new rival Florida Gulf Coast University in a Thursday match-up at FAU Field.

The Owls (4-5-0, 1-0-0 ASC) were stunned in a 2-1 overtime loss to Marshall University last Sunday at home, a game the Thundering Herd triumphed in despite losing three players to red cards in regulation. The defeat was FAU's second straight after riding a three-game winning streak to begin conference action.

"We played well," said Head Coach Kos Donev. "It's just one of those games. We've taken some positive things from it and we're focusing on this next game."

Diego Monsalve scored the only goal for the Owls in the contest, his first of the season and fourth of his FAU career. The senior captain converted a penalty shot in the game's 46th minute, one of four shots he recorded on the day.

Florida Gulf Coast (4-4-1) previously visited Boca Raton for the FAU Classic, held in mid-September. The Eagles defeated Georgia State (3-2, OT) in their first game, and fell to Iona (2-0) in Day 2 of the event.

FGCU recently broke a four-game winless streak with a victory over Mercer to earn the school's first ever win in Atlantic Sun play. The first-year team, comprised mostly of freshmen, is led by defender Chris DiNapoli (2G, 1A - 5 Pts).

"This is a surprising team," said Donev. "They've been doing very well, especially for a brand new program. We cannot underestimate them."

Thursday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at FAU Field. Tickets for all games are $4 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under, and $1 for children wearing youth league jerseys. Tickets may be purchased by calling the FAU ticket office at 1-866-FAU-OWLS. Real-time updates are available online by logging onto GameTracker at fausports.com.