The FAU men’s soccer team (1-0-1) got their first win of the season over the Stetson University Hatters (0-0-2), 2-1, after going down 1-0 earlier in the first half.

Stetson redshirt sophomore midfielder Connor Bates scored the Hatters’ lone goal with a low shot to the left side of the net to give his team the lead in the 37th-minute. 

FAU had a corner kick in the 44th-minute, where junior midfielder Spencer Mallion crossed the ball into the penalty area and found sophomore midfielder Leo Keller, who soared in the air for a powerful header and equalized right before the break. 

The Hatters had a total of three shots on target while the Owls sat with one at halftime. Both sides accumulated a combined 11 fouls and three yellow cards.

At the start of the second half, FAU won a penalty kick due to Stetson defender Daniel Wintermeier committing a handball offense. Senior forward Victor Claduel stepped up to the spot and tucked it in the bottom-right corner to take the lead for the Owls. That was his third goal in two games this season.

FAU was more dominant for the rest of the game, totaling 12 shots with five on target and seven corners. The team kept control of the game by maintaining the majority of the possession and prevented any real threat from the Stetson squad.

The Owls will finish their homestead against the Lipscomb University Bison on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FAUSports.com 

Matthew Aguilar-Lizzi is a staff writer at the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected], or tweet him @mattaguilarUP