FAU women’s soccer (11-7-3, 5-4-1 C-USA) took down the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers (4-11-4, 2-6-2 C-USA) 2-1 on Friday night, advancing to the championship round of the Conference USA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

“We knew it was going to be difficult tonight, with Charlotte coming off a great victory over Rice,” said head coach Patrick Baker.

Charlotte got things started early on, getting on the scoreboard in the 13th-minute. Sophomore forward Macey Bader got the ball to graduate midfielder Haley Shand, who struck it into the net to take the first lead of the game.

The Owls found their equalizer in the 20th-minute thanks to senior midfielder Thelma Hermannsdottir. She fired a rocket of a shot past Charlotte’s goalkeeper, giving FAU a golden opportunity heading into halftime.

“I thought we were a little nervous and not really ourselves in the first 10 to 12 minutes. Thelma’s equalizer was special because it flipped the game pretty quickly right around the 20-minute mark,” said Baker.

FAU took the lead for good in the 62nd-minute. Redshirt sophomore forward Mia Sennes provided a great delivery to graduate forward Bri Austin, who slotted the shot into the net for her ninth goal this season to give her team the win.

“We’re pleased with the effort and how we grew into the game,” Baker said. “At halftime when it was 1-1, we said how we’re only 45 minutes away from the championship game and needed to score that first goal in the second half, and that’s exactly what we did.”

The Owls will play the University of Texas at San Antonio in the title game for a chance to qualify for their first NCAA Tournament in program history. The match will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m, and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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