Boca Raton, FL -- The Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer team returns after a one-week break to put its undefeated 2-0 record on the line in two home matches this weekend.  The Owls will battle Mercer University on Friday, September 2, at 7 p.m. before facing the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday, September 4, at noon.  Both matches will be played at the FAU Soccer Stadium, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus.

FAU is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2005 after victories over Lynn University on August 19 and Stetson University on August 21.  The team has allowed just one goal over the course of the two matches.  However, not wanting to rest on the squad’s laurels, FAU Women’s Soccer Coach Brian Dooley spent the early-season break working to correct imperfections in the offense and defense.  Improving the players’ physical conditions was also an emphasis, as was getting the team ready for the remainder of the fall season.

“It is nice to start the season with two wins.  However, there is room for improvement, and our players know that there was a slim margin in our past victories.  We have to play better, starting this weekend,” said Dooley.  “It took us a while to get two wins last year and the pressure we put on ourselves wore on us.  So, it is good to get off to strong start this season.”

Sophomore forward Jesse Shugg leads the FAU offensive attack with two goals and seven shots.  The Burlington, Ontario, Canada native has found the back of the net in the first half of each match this season.

Fellow sophomore Brittney Nash also has been actively involved in the offense with a goal and two assists.  She has contributed to both game-winning goals in the early-season matches. 

Meanwhile, redshirt junior midfielder Meghan Brown also has recorded two assists and junior forward Allison Griffin had the game-winning goal in the Owls’ 2-1 victory over Lynn.

Junior goalkeeper Ashley Lantes recorded her fifth career shutout in the 2-0 victory over Stetson.  Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Courtney Zwetsch also contributed a scoreless second half in the triumph over Lynn.

Friday night’s match will showcase two undefeated teams.  Mercer stands 3-0 on the season and has yet to allow a goal in victories over Jacksonville State University, Georgia Southern University and Georgia State University.  The Bears are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, which once featured FAU.  The Owls are 1-0 against Atlantic Sun teams after defeating Stetson.

“Mercer will offer our stiffest match yet this season,” said Dooley.  “They have three impressive wins so far.  They are a team that likes to keep possession and develop scoring opportunities from those possessions. We have not played Mercer since we moved to the Sun Belt Conference.”

Sunday’s opponent, UMKC, will be the first meeting between the two NCAA Division I teams.  The Kangaroos enter the weekend with a 0-1-2 record and have scored one goal by Taylor Bare.

“The new coach has added a lot of enthusiasm to the UMKC program,” said Dooley.  “Since this is our first meeting we don’t know a lot of what they like to do.  They have played better than their record, and will be a dangerous opponent after coming off a challenging Friday night match.  That’s why we have worked so hard on physical conditioning during the past two weeks. We have to be ready to accept the challenge, mentally and physically.”

Live statistics of both matches can be found at www.fausports.com. 

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