FORT MYERS, Fla.-
Lexie Bennett scored her first two goals of the season while
Ryanne Robinson headed in an equalizer late in the second half as the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles earned a 3-3 draw against the Florida Atlantic Owls Sunday afternoon at Pickering Field in Fort Myers.
The Eagles got on the board first as
Taylor Latini found a streaking
Lexie Bennett on the right wing who pushed into the box and drilled a shot to the back post that found its mark after a deflection off an FAU defender to put FGCU in front 1-0 13 minutes into the contest.
FAU answered seven minutes later, striking a ball from just inside the 18 into the upper 90 of the goal, tying the game at 1-1 in the 20
th minute of action.
FGCU had a chance to go back ahead in the 30
th minute as
Tessa Brooks crossed one to the top of the box for
Ryleigh Acosta who shot towards goal and narrowly missed giving the Eagles the lead back as she hit the right post and the ball went out of bounds for a goal kick with the score still 1-1.
What seemed like a harmless play turned dangerous for the Eagles in an instant in the 33
rd minute as a misplay turned the ball over in the Owls attacking third and FAU floated a deep strike at goal from 30 yards out and found the back of the net to give themselves a 2-1 lead into the break at half.
The Eagles tied things up 10 minutes into the second half as a little tic-tac-toe passing from Latini to
Kaitlin Gabelman and onto the left wing for Bennett gave her a good look at goal and she buried it with a curling right footer inside the left post to draw FGCU back even at 2-2.
The game didn't remain tied for long though as just 1:16 later the Owls had an answer, lifting a left footed shot into the corner pocket for a goal to put them back in front 3-2.
The Eagles had a pair of shots at goal in the 61
st minute, but one was blocked and the other saved by the Owls keeper to keep FAU in front 3-2.
FGCU's next shot didn't come until the 78
th minute, but they made that one count as the Eagles earned a corner and
Sarah Greiner curled an inswinger to the center of the box and found the head of
Ryanne Robinson who pushed it past the keeper and into the back of the net to draw the Eagles back even at 3-3.
Neither side had a great chance at the go-ahead goal in the final 10 minutes of action as both back lines stood tall. FAU had a pair of shots blocked by the Eagle defense in the 85
th minute while an Owl corner led to a shot on goal and ended up in the hands of FGCU keeper
Madara Bome moments later to keep the score tied at three.
The final horn sounded with the ball at midfield and after a game filled with offensive action, the two teams settled for a 3-3 draw.
As expected, the numbers were pretty even across the board for the Eagles and Owls. FGCU outshot FAU 12-9 and had six shots on goal to the Owls five. The Eagles had a slight 6-4 advantage in corners in the contest and were whistled for one more foul with nine than the Owls eight on the afternoon.
Bennett posted her best game as an Eagle with the two goals while Robinson's equalizer was the first of her FGCU career. Latini picked up assists on both of Bennett's goals, giving her her first multi-point game of her tenure as an Eagle.
It's the second straight draw for the Eagles who run their unbeaten streak to four with the tie. They move to 2-1-3 on the year while FAU also earns a result for the fourth straight game, going to 2-2-3.
The Eagles are back in action for their final non-conference game of the year next Saturday when they host High Point on September 12
th at Pickering Field in a 4 p.m. kick in the front end of a doubleheader along with the FGCU men's team.
For more information on FGCU women's soccer, follow @FGCU_WSoccer on
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 fgcuathletics.com.
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