Nov. 5, 2008

Final Stats

DENTON, Texas - In the second of four games in the Sun Belt Soccer Championship's opening day, No. 5 FAU defeated No.4 Middle Tennessee 2-1 in overtime. FAU moves on to play top-seeded Denver in round two Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.

"I was a little worried going into overtime," said FAU head coach Brian Dooley. "We had to go into a defensive state due to their pressure. I told them we would have to find those gaps and a chance would come."

"Finally that opportunity came and Ashley (Mannarino) nailed it. She was big for us."

Middle Tennessee (9-8-3, 7-3-1 SBC) got the scoring started in the 39th minute of the first half. Midfielder Hope Suominen hit from nearly 40 yards out, hooking a shot into the corner of the net, to put the Blue Raiders on top 1-0. It was Suominen's third goal of the season.

FAU (7-9-2, 5-4-2) responded in the 14th minute off a deflection after a penalty kick form Janelle Blake. Senior Brittany Comer parlayed the deflection into the tying score, to nod the game at 1-1. Blake was credited with the assist.

Each team had 8 shots apiece at halftime. However, Middle Tennessee held a 6-5 shot-on-goal advantage.

The second half consisted of an offensive struggle, with the Blue Raiders holding an 18-12 shot advantage. Each team found opportunities in their opponent's territory, but were unable to capitalize.

The game-winning goal came in the 98th minute of overtime, when Mannarino found the back corner of the net. The goal was set up by an open field assist from Jannica Tjeder.

FAU outshot Middle Tennessee 21-15 on the game. Owl goalkeeper Jessica Badders finished with 11 saves to lead the team.

With today's win, Florida Atlantic has lost just once in their last eight matches.

Middle Tennessee failed to reach the second round for the second year in a row. The Blue Raiders lost to UALR in a shootout in the 2007 Championship.