FAU men’s soccer (7-4-2, 2-2-2 C-USA) earned a crucial game on the road in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday evening, beating the UAB Blazers (2-10, 0-5 C-USA) 3-1.

The Blazers got on the scoreboard first in the 22nd minute as senior forward Brooks Rice floated the ball over FAU’s senior goalkeeper Neil Strauber, brought the ball back to the ground, and put it into the lower-left corner of the net.

FAU, knowing the stakes of this game to stay alive in contention for the Conference USA Tournament, responded in mere seconds. Thanks to senior midfielder Alonso Coello Camarero making a quality pass, freshman forward Pontus Steffensen shot the ball to the lower-right side of goal as he equalized for his first career goal for the Owls.

In the 55th minute, the Owls got the goal they needed. Graduate defender Daniel Skistad placed a great high pass for senior midfielder Blake Dean to catch the ball mid-air and cross it inside UAB’s penalty box for senior forward Ivan Mykhailenko to score his sixth goal this season.

UAB gave FAU a jumpscare in the 72nd minute as their senior defender, Mason Robicheaux, placed a fast strike on target. To the Owls’ luck, Strauber made an excellent save as the ball went off the post as a result, keeping the Blazers at bay. 

Sophomore midfielder Celestin Theodore Jr. drew a penalty foul as freshman forward Filip Jauk converted the spot kick to seal the deal for FAU in the 75th minute. Jauk now has eight goals this season.

UAB got one last shot on target from Robicheaux in the 80th minute, but it bounced off the crossbar as the Blazers couldn’t get a goal back against a determined FAU squad.

The Owls will play their last non-conference game on Tuesday, Oct. 26, heading to Jacksonville, Fla. to take on the University of North Florida at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Swooplife Live.

Richard Pereira is the Sports Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Rich26Pereira.