HIALEAH, Fla. (Oct. 2, 2024) - Florida National continues to move in the right direction, picking up its second consecutive win Wednesday. The Conquistadors (3-4-0) earned a 1-0 victory over the Warner University Royals (1-5-3) in its second-to-last game of the 2024 season in front of a home crowd at Milander Park.

This is the fifth straight victory for Florida National against Warner, a streak that began in 2021. FNU stands at 5-0-1 opposite the Royals with its only draw coming in 2015. 

In the first half, Florida National and Warner ended things in a scoreless stalemate, and the Conquistadors dominated time of possession for most of the period. FNU had a staggering 23 shots in the period but were denied at every turn. The Royals recorded three shots in the half, spending most of the frame retreating defensively to cool Florida National's attack. 

FNU's offense began to wear the Royals down the stretch, as WU's Chad McAuliff had the game's first yellow card after taking down Marcos Bakale. FNU's senior forward was breaking away down the right side of the field before McAuliff tugged on his jersey to stop Bakale in his tracks. Santiago Sanchez Lopez impressed with four shots in the opening half, but the forward saw all his attempts miss the mark or land in the hands of goalkeeper Wesley Lacy.

The second period was more of the same for the Conquistadors. The home team totaled a frustrating 28 shots before the final whistle blew at Ted Hendricks Stadium. Warner, for the majority of the contest, was stout on defense, denying much of FNU's stellar attack. Florida National finally broke through in the 81st minute after a textbook corner kick from Christian Omar Hernadez on the right side of the pitch found the waiting head of defender Ricardo Delwing. The Estrela, Brazil, native whipped the ball past Lacy and earned Hernandez his fourth assist of the season.

The Conquistadors managed the clock well through the last nine minutes of play and sent the Royals back to Lake Wales, Fla., with the program's fourth loss in five games. Notably, Juan Manuel Fermoselle had three saves, while Lacy ended the night with 11. 

Up Next: FNU is in Hattiesburg, Miss., for a contest versus the NAIA's No. 13-ranked William Carey University Oct. 5. Kickoff from Danny Owens Field is set for 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.