Sam Houston State soccer matched Florida Atlantic shot-for-shot, each taking 12, however, the Owls capitalized on second half opportunities to hand the Bearkats their first loss on the season by a score of 2-0 from Texas A&M’s Ellis Field in College Station on Friday afternoon.

The Bearkats (2-1) return on Sunday at 4 p.m., taking on Rice (1-1) from Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium as part of a doubleheader with the National Women’s Soccer League’s Houston Dash, who play the Boston Breakers at 7 o’clock. Tickets are normally $25 but are available for $10 and $5 for Bearkat students on GoBearkats.com before Saturday at 2 p.m.

“I thought we had some stretches of the game where we played very well and kept possession of the ball,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “We made a couple mistakes and got punished for them. When you play against really good teams, you can’t afford to make those errors.”

The squads remained deadlocked until the 53^rd minute when the Owls’ (3-0) Geovana Alves broke away, beating Sam Houston goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton in a one-on-one matchup, netting a shot from 15 yards out. FAU’s Mimi Godoy added the assist.

In the 61^st minute, the Owls added the final dagger when a Sam Houston foul created a free kick. With the ball placed 25 yards left of the penalty box, FAU’s Mary Hasler was able to capitalize, slipping a shot inside the far post.

Sam Houston junior Madison Cannon posted a match-leading four shots, including three on goal, while sophomore Caitlin Schwartz, who scored the game-winner in the opener against Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, added a pair of shots, but nothing passed up keeper Sydney Drinkwater.

The loss was only the Kats second over their last 10 games dating to last season’s 2-0 victory at Lamar on Oct. 10. It was also Sam Houston’s first regular-season loss in nine matches with the last coming against Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 5 last year.

“We got to look at a lot of players today and that will help us as we move forward in the season,” said Brown.

For the latest on Sam Houston soccer, follow @SHSUSoccer on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.