The FGCU men's and women's cross country teams begin their season with their first hurdle at the Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in Boca Raton for the FAU Invitational.
"We are looking forward to getting out and having an opportunity to compete with the majority of teams," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We will use this meet to see how our new runners stack up and the fitness of our returners. Excited to see how they respond."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of an up and down season from last year. The men finished as high as 2nd place (FAU Invitational) while the women finished as high as 5th (FAU Invitational).
In the A-SUN Cross Country Championship, the men would finish 5th overall while the women finished 7th. The Eagles were still able to send five to the NCAA South Regional Championship.
History in the FAU Inivitational:
This will be the third time the teams will compete in this meet. Last time both teams competed, the men would finish in 2nd place behind Miami while the women finished in 5th place.
New Blood:
On the men's side, the six newcomers will be making their including freshman Bryce Bell and transfer Lucas Kiprotich.
Bell recently graduated from Lyman High School in Orlando where he competed for coach Fred Finke.
Kiprotich joins FGCU after spending his freshman season at Eastern Kentucky. Kiprotich joins the FGCU as a sophomore and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
On the women's side, four newcomers join including freshman Jillian Felton and redshirt junior Victoria SanFilippo.
Felton joins FGCU after graduating from Citrus High School in Inverness, Florida.
Already a student for her freshman through junior years, SanFilippo joins the team as a walk-on for the team. The Staten Island native will have two years of eligibility remaining.
In addition, Goodson has also added a new coach to the squad: Luka Ndungu. Ndungu is entering his first season as assistant coach. A native of Nyahururu, Kenya, Ndungu competed in five races and turned in the most prolific season in program history after transferring from Eastern Kentucky. Ndungu earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors in 2016 and paired with now grad student Ronny Greenup to become the first duo to take home first-team honors in the same season.
Returners:
For the men's side, returners for the team include Greenup, junior Jan Figueroa, and sophomore Cole Pruim.
Figueroa competed in the FAU Invitational last season where he etched a 5k time of 16:23.35 for a 12th-place overall finish. In the NCAA South Regional Championship, Figueroa finished 143rd with a time of 34:55.7
After being named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team last season and being named a participant in the NCAA South Regional Championships where he finished with a time of 26:03.80 (22nd overall), Pruim made his debut coming in 24th overall (16:50.97-5k) in the FAU Invitational last season.
Greenup returns to compete after missing the entire season with a foot injury. Greenup hasn't competed since the 2016 NCAA South Regional Championship. Greenup competed in the FAU Invitational at the start of the 2016-17 season with a 6th place finish in 15:50.9.
For women's side, seniors Carley Lutzow and Angela Cruz Gonzalez return to finish for their final season.
Lutzow clocking in a 5k time of 18:56.42 to finish 6th overall and the first runner to score for the 2nd place Eagles in the FAU Invitational last season. Along with being named on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, she was the only runner on the women's team to compete in the NCAA South Regional Championship as she competed and set a personal best of 21:14.90 in the 6k run (48th overall).
After transferring from NJCAA Pasco-Hernando State College, Gonzalez, the brother of assistant coach Argeo Cruz, competed in the FAU Invitational last year finishing 47th overall with a time of 21:28.91.
Polls:
As the A-SUN Cross Country Preseason Polls were unveiled Wednesday afternoon, FGCU was picked to finish fourth on the men's side and sixth on the women's side.
Who Else Will Compete?:
Along with host FAU, FGCU will compete against Miami, FIU, and A-SUN foe Stetson among other programs.
The race will begin on Saturday, August 31 at 6 P.M. The women will race first at 6:30 P.M. and the men will follow at 7 P.M.
About Me
FGCU VB: Lobo Classic Preview
The FGCU volleyball team (2-1) head for another wave of road matches as they prepare for the Lobo Classic, hosted by the University of New Mexico. The tournament will not only feature host New Mexico (1-2), but it will also feature New Mexico State (2-1) and Eastern Kentucky (0-3).
"Consistency is what every coach is looking for this time of year," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "It's early. There's going to be some ups and downs. We saw a little bit of that in our first event at Miami. I'd like to see us shrink those peaks and valleys so it's a little more sustainable. That's really the priority right now."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a strong outing to begin the season after competing in the Sunshine State Challenge. The Eagles would split the first two games shutting out FAU 3-0 and falling 1-3 to UCF, but the biggest moment in the tournament was against Power 5 Conference team and host Miami. In a surprising turn of event, the Eagles shutout the Hurricanes 3-0.
Power 5 Win:
With the win over Miami, this marked the first time the Eagles beat the Hurricanes and the second time in program history they defeated a Power 5 Conference team (First Time vs. Indiana Sept. 10, 2016).
Shutouts:
With the shutouts against FAU and Miami, the Eagles now have a total of 180 total shutouts and counting, including shutouts from 2003-2006 when the Eagles were a NCAA DII team.
Coach 100:
Since being at the helm for the volleyball program, head coach Matt Botsford is entering his fifth season and is only nine wins away from reaching 100 wins while becoming the second FGCU head volleyball coach in program history to reach that milestone.
The inaugural head coach of the volleyball program, Jaye Flood, was the first coach to reach 100 wins. Flood would finish with 103 wins with FGCU, when they were a NCAA DII independent team at the time.
The second head coach, Dave Nichols, was one win shy of reaching 100 as he finished with 99 wins.
What It Do VanLiew?:
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew began the season on a very strong note. The Seymour, Indiana native started on the bench in the game against FAU and got 17 kills. After that, VanLiew started against UCF and Miami and got 16 against the Knights and a career-high 20 against the Hurricanes.
VanLiew currently leads the team in kills (53) and was recently named A-SUN Co-Player of the week with Lipscomb's Carlyle Nusbaum.
Swinging the Ax:
Freshman libero Dana Axner is off to a strong start in the Sunshine State Challenge. Axner currently has 40 digs, including a 20 dig game she had against UCF. Axner was named a A-SUN Freshman of the Week after her performance in the Sunshine State Challenge.
Homeward Bound:
For senior Amanda Carroll, this will be a home advantage for her since the tournament will be hosted in Albuquerque, her hometown.
"Having a chance to play in New Mexico is something we have been working on for a couple years," Botsford said. "I know it means a lot to Amanda, and we really wanted to make sure she got the chance to compete back in Albuquerque."
In the Sunshine State Challenge, Carroll had a total of 31 kills in the tournament. Carroll also had two aces, in which that put her at 2nd all-time in career aces (101), passing A-SUN Hall of Famer and beach volleyball Olympian Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (100). Carroll is 39 away from passing Ana Kokanovic (139) for most career aces.
Record Set:
Senior Maggie Rick has been in sight to pass Gigi Meyer for most career assists (4,408). Rick is currently sitting second all-time with 3,759 career assists and needs 650 for the record.
In addition to her total amount of aces, Carroll is now just three digs away from 1,000 in her career, which would make her the sixth player in program history to accomplish the feat and only the second (Brooke Youngquist Sweat) to join the 1,000/1000 club in kills and digs. She also needs just six more kills to eclipse Katie Plummer (Mercer, 2001-04, 1,390) for eighth-most in A-SUN history.
Block Party:
During the tournament, seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaitlan "Kaiti" Krivdo, juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti and sophomore Snowy Burnam have become an elite group known as the Block Party. In addition, there is a new member that joined the group: freshman Tori Morris.
The squad has a combined total of 33 blocks, hence the title "Block Party".
Scouting New Mexico:
This will be the first time the Lobos and the Eagles will play each other.
The Lobos, who are hosting the tournament, began their part of the season in the Idaho Tournament. They would fall in the first two matches losing 2-3 in the opening match to Grand Canyon and shutout by Santa Clara before defeating host Idaho 3-2 in the third match.
Junior Lauren Twitty earned a spot on the Idaho All-Tournament team for her efforts that included 49 kills, 3.77 per set, on the weekend.
Fellow junior Tai Bierria, a transfer from Memphis, is not far behind Twitty as she is second in kills (35).
Scouting New Mexico State:
Like their interstate rival, the Aggies opened their season on the road in the Sun Devil Volleyball Classic. The Aggies began with a split on day one as they defeated The University of the Pacific 3-1 and fell 0-3 to host Arizona State before wrapping up the tournament with a 3-0 win over UT-Arlington.
Redshirt freshman Savannah Davison leads the team with 29 kills.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore Ashley Anselmo has 15 kills and leads the team with 13 blocks.
This will be the second time both teams play each other. The first time FGCU and New Mexico State played was in 2008 where the Eagles were shutout by the Aggies in the Hotel Encanto Volleyball Classic.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky:
Like New Mexico, this will also be the first time FGCU and EKU play each other.
The Colonels recently competed in the Penn State Invitational. They would lose 0-3 in all three matches to host #6 Penn State, Navy, and UMBC.
Offensively, senior Cassie Knutson and sophomore Lindsey Wilkins pave the way. Knutson leads the team in kills (25) while Wilkins is second (23).
Defensively, junior Kaylin Johnson leads the team in blocks (8).
Breakdown:
This is a two-day tournament.
On day one, FGCU will begin the tournament at 12:30 PM ET. EKU will then face host New Mexico at 2:45 (ET) before facing New Mexico State at 7:15 (ET) FGCU will close out day one by facing New Mexico at 9:30 PM (ET).
For day two, FGCU will face EKU at 1PM (ET) to wrap up their portion of the tournament before host New Mexico closes the tournament with their Rio Grande Rivalry game against New Mexico State at 3 PM (ET).
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all six games and livestream will also be available. For the most part, the livestream is free on Golobos.com.
Radio station 91.5 FM KRUX in New Mexico will also be providing audio for people that are unable to watch or attend the match. People can listen to it in their cars or on the link below.
Fans can also keep themselves updated from teams' Twitter accounts:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
New Mexico: @UNMLoboVB
New Mexico State: @NMStateVBall
Eastern Kentucky: @EKUVolleyball
Link to livestream video(s):
https://golobos.com/watch/?Live=4448&type=Live
Link to audio stream:
https://tunein.com/radio/KRUX-915-s35170/
"Consistency is what every coach is looking for this time of year," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "It's early. There's going to be some ups and downs. We saw a little bit of that in our first event at Miami. I'd like to see us shrink those peaks and valleys so it's a little more sustainable. That's really the priority right now."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a strong outing to begin the season after competing in the Sunshine State Challenge. The Eagles would split the first two games shutting out FAU 3-0 and falling 1-3 to UCF, but the biggest moment in the tournament was against Power 5 Conference team and host Miami. In a surprising turn of event, the Eagles shutout the Hurricanes 3-0.
Power 5 Win:
With the win over Miami, this marked the first time the Eagles beat the Hurricanes and the second time in program history they defeated a Power 5 Conference team (First Time vs. Indiana Sept. 10, 2016).
Shutouts:
With the shutouts against FAU and Miami, the Eagles now have a total of 180 total shutouts and counting, including shutouts from 2003-2006 when the Eagles were a NCAA DII team.
Coach 100:
Since being at the helm for the volleyball program, head coach Matt Botsford is entering his fifth season and is only nine wins away from reaching 100 wins while becoming the second FGCU head volleyball coach in program history to reach that milestone.
The inaugural head coach of the volleyball program, Jaye Flood, was the first coach to reach 100 wins. Flood would finish with 103 wins with FGCU, when they were a NCAA DII independent team at the time.
The second head coach, Dave Nichols, was one win shy of reaching 100 as he finished with 99 wins.
What It Do VanLiew?:
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew began the season on a very strong note. The Seymour, Indiana native started on the bench in the game against FAU and got 17 kills. After that, VanLiew started against UCF and Miami and got 16 against the Knights and a career-high 20 against the Hurricanes.
VanLiew currently leads the team in kills (53) and was recently named A-SUN Co-Player of the week with Lipscomb's Carlyle Nusbaum.
Swinging the Ax:
Freshman libero Dana Axner is off to a strong start in the Sunshine State Challenge. Axner currently has 40 digs, including a 20 dig game she had against UCF. Axner was named a A-SUN Freshman of the Week after her performance in the Sunshine State Challenge.
Homeward Bound:
For senior Amanda Carroll, this will be a home advantage for her since the tournament will be hosted in Albuquerque, her hometown.
"Having a chance to play in New Mexico is something we have been working on for a couple years," Botsford said. "I know it means a lot to Amanda, and we really wanted to make sure she got the chance to compete back in Albuquerque."
In the Sunshine State Challenge, Carroll had a total of 31 kills in the tournament. Carroll also had two aces, in which that put her at 2nd all-time in career aces (101), passing A-SUN Hall of Famer and beach volleyball Olympian Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (100). Carroll is 39 away from passing Ana Kokanovic (139) for most career aces.
Record Set:
Senior Maggie Rick has been in sight to pass Gigi Meyer for most career assists (4,408). Rick is currently sitting second all-time with 3,759 career assists and needs 650 for the record.
In addition to her total amount of aces, Carroll is now just three digs away from 1,000 in her career, which would make her the sixth player in program history to accomplish the feat and only the second (Brooke Youngquist Sweat) to join the 1,000/1000 club in kills and digs. She also needs just six more kills to eclipse Katie Plummer (Mercer, 2001-04, 1,390) for eighth-most in A-SUN history.
Block Party:
During the tournament, seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaitlan "Kaiti" Krivdo, juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti and sophomore Snowy Burnam have become an elite group known as the Block Party. In addition, there is a new member that joined the group: freshman Tori Morris.
The squad has a combined total of 33 blocks, hence the title "Block Party".
Scouting New Mexico:
This will be the first time the Lobos and the Eagles will play each other.
The Lobos, who are hosting the tournament, began their part of the season in the Idaho Tournament. They would fall in the first two matches losing 2-3 in the opening match to Grand Canyon and shutout by Santa Clara before defeating host Idaho 3-2 in the third match.
Junior Lauren Twitty earned a spot on the Idaho All-Tournament team for her efforts that included 49 kills, 3.77 per set, on the weekend.
Fellow junior Tai Bierria, a transfer from Memphis, is not far behind Twitty as she is second in kills (35).
Scouting New Mexico State:
Like their interstate rival, the Aggies opened their season on the road in the Sun Devil Volleyball Classic. The Aggies began with a split on day one as they defeated The University of the Pacific 3-1 and fell 0-3 to host Arizona State before wrapping up the tournament with a 3-0 win over UT-Arlington.
Redshirt freshman Savannah Davison leads the team with 29 kills.
Defensively, redshirt sophomore Ashley Anselmo has 15 kills and leads the team with 13 blocks.
This will be the second time both teams play each other. The first time FGCU and New Mexico State played was in 2008 where the Eagles were shutout by the Aggies in the Hotel Encanto Volleyball Classic.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky:
Like New Mexico, this will also be the first time FGCU and EKU play each other.
The Colonels recently competed in the Penn State Invitational. They would lose 0-3 in all three matches to host #6 Penn State, Navy, and UMBC.
Offensively, senior Cassie Knutson and sophomore Lindsey Wilkins pave the way. Knutson leads the team in kills (25) while Wilkins is second (23).
Defensively, junior Kaylin Johnson leads the team in blocks (8).
Breakdown:
This is a two-day tournament.
On day one, FGCU will begin the tournament at 12:30 PM ET. EKU will then face host New Mexico at 2:45 (ET) before facing New Mexico State at 7:15 (ET) FGCU will close out day one by facing New Mexico at 9:30 PM (ET).
For day two, FGCU will face EKU at 1PM (ET) to wrap up their portion of the tournament before host New Mexico closes the tournament with their Rio Grande Rivalry game against New Mexico State at 3 PM (ET).
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all six games and livestream will also be available. For the most part, the livestream is free on Golobos.com.
Radio station 91.5 FM KRUX in New Mexico will also be providing audio for people that are unable to watch or attend the match. People can listen to it in their cars or on the link below.
Fans can also keep themselves updated from teams' Twitter accounts:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
New Mexico: @UNMLoboVB
New Mexico State: @NMStateVBall
Eastern Kentucky: @EKUVolleyball
Link to livestream video(s):
https://golobos.com/watch/?Live=4448&type=Live
Link to audio stream:
https://tunein.com/radio/KRUX-915-s35170/
FGCU M. Soc vs #1 Wake Forest Preview
After splitting their first two games on the road, the FGCU men's soccer team (1-1) prepare for their home opening game as they welcome Power 5 Conference team Wake Forest (2-0) on September 1 at 7 P.M.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles began the season on the road in the Carolinas with a split. They would fall to Charlotte 1-0 to start the season before defeating Presbyterian College 2-0.
Freshman O'Vante Mullings currently leads the team in goals. The Toronto native made his debut in the starting lineup against Charlotte and had a remarkable game against Presbyterian scoring both goals in the game with assists from sophomore Chris Clement.
Despite falling to Charlotte in his first start, redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos (0-1) had a miraculous game finishing with 10 saves in the game.
Fellow redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Connor Gavigan (1-0) held Presbyterian down defensively with three saves in his sixth shutout with FGCU.
Scouting Wake Forest:
The Deacons are coming off of a successful two-game homestead at home.
The Deacons were ranked #5 in the nation prior to the start of the season, but after they defeated Indiana 2-1 in double overtime as well as ETSU by a score of 4-2, the Deacons jumped to being #1 in the nation.
Indiana was ranked #2 in the nation at the start of the season, but dropped to #6 after the loss to Wake Forest.
Offensively, sophomore Justin McMaster leads the team. In the game against ETSU, McMaster scored two goals in the game.
Junior goalkeeper Andreu Cases Mundet (2-0) has five total saves. All of the 2017 ACC Championship MVP's five saves were against Indiana.
Series History:
This will be the second time both teams play each other. The first time was on September 5, 2015 where the Deacons won 1-0 at Wake Forest. At that time, both were ranked in the top 25 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (FGCU[19th], Wake Forest [20th]).
How to Stay Updated:
The game will be on livestream via Facebook and livestats will also be provided.
Promotions:
It is also a greenout, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear green to the game.
In addition, any student/fan in an international team or any club team kit or shirt can enter to win a vintage FGCU soccer jersey.
Other promotions will include the following:
Magnet Night: Free 2018 fall magnets will be given out
Poster Signing: Stay after the game to have your poster signed by the players
Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
Last Time Out:
The Eagles began the season on the road in the Carolinas with a split. They would fall to Charlotte 1-0 to start the season before defeating Presbyterian College 2-0.
Freshman O'Vante Mullings currently leads the team in goals. The Toronto native made his debut in the starting lineup against Charlotte and had a remarkable game against Presbyterian scoring both goals in the game with assists from sophomore Chris Clement.
Despite falling to Charlotte in his first start, redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos (0-1) had a miraculous game finishing with 10 saves in the game.
Fellow redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Connor Gavigan (1-0) held Presbyterian down defensively with three saves in his sixth shutout with FGCU.
Scouting Wake Forest:
The Deacons are coming off of a successful two-game homestead at home.
The Deacons were ranked #5 in the nation prior to the start of the season, but after they defeated Indiana 2-1 in double overtime as well as ETSU by a score of 4-2, the Deacons jumped to being #1 in the nation.
Indiana was ranked #2 in the nation at the start of the season, but dropped to #6 after the loss to Wake Forest.
Offensively, sophomore Justin McMaster leads the team. In the game against ETSU, McMaster scored two goals in the game.
Junior goalkeeper Andreu Cases Mundet (2-0) has five total saves. All of the 2017 ACC Championship MVP's five saves were against Indiana.
Series History:
This will be the second time both teams play each other. The first time was on September 5, 2015 where the Deacons won 1-0 at Wake Forest. At that time, both were ranked in the top 25 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (FGCU[19th], Wake Forest [20th]).
How to Stay Updated:
The game will be on livestream via Facebook and livestats will also be provided.
Promotions:
It is also a greenout, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear green to the game.
In addition, any student/fan in an international team or any club team kit or shirt can enter to win a vintage FGCU soccer jersey.
Other promotions will include the following:
Magnet Night: Free 2018 fall magnets will be given out
Poster Signing: Stay after the game to have your poster signed by the players
Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
FGCU M. Soc @ Presbyterian Recap
The FGCU men's soccer team (1-1) bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Charlotte to open the season by taking down the reigning 2017 Big South Champions Presbyterian College (0-2) by a score of 2-0, Sunday afternoon at Martin Stadium.
"Much better performance today against a conference champion and NCAA tournament team," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "I thought we did a much better job expressing ourselves, delivered quality chances and we were tight defensively. We look forward to preparing and hosting national powerhouse Wake Forest next Saturday. We're excited to come home!"
18 minutes into the first half, junior Shak Adams had an opportunity to score another by striking one from inside five-yard box which was denied as his second attempt veered right of the lower post on the rebound. The constant pressure from the Eagles paid off in the 27th with one of two assists on the day from sophomore Chris Clement's. The Spain native settled a pass on the right side near the out of bounds line and with a one-time strike, found a leaping freshman O'Vonte Mullings on the far post who headed it over the keeper's left shoulder for the score. It was FGCU's first score of the season.
Presbyterian nearly found the equalizer with just under five minutes left in the first half but Ryan Standridge's header bounced off the left post as FGCU held a 1-0 lead at the break.
The duo of Clement and Mullings added insurance developed in the middle of the field and quickly into the second half. After junior Jahan Rajaee placed a pass to his right, a sprinting Clement who with two touches, crossed it into a wide-open Mullings for the tap-in, giving the freshman the brace in the 53rd.
Redshirt sophomore Connor Gavigan collected his his first win of the season after he finished the match with three saves. It was Gavigan's sixth clean sheet with the Eagles as the staunch defense limited the Blue Hose to three shots over the remaining 20 minutes of play.
Up Next:
FGCU returns home this Saturday, Sept. 1 for its home-opener against #5 Wake Forest.
"Much better performance today against a conference champion and NCAA tournament team," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "I thought we did a much better job expressing ourselves, delivered quality chances and we were tight defensively. We look forward to preparing and hosting national powerhouse Wake Forest next Saturday. We're excited to come home!"
18 minutes into the first half, junior Shak Adams had an opportunity to score another by striking one from inside five-yard box which was denied as his second attempt veered right of the lower post on the rebound. The constant pressure from the Eagles paid off in the 27th with one of two assists on the day from sophomore Chris Clement's. The Spain native settled a pass on the right side near the out of bounds line and with a one-time strike, found a leaping freshman O'Vonte Mullings on the far post who headed it over the keeper's left shoulder for the score. It was FGCU's first score of the season.
Presbyterian nearly found the equalizer with just under five minutes left in the first half but Ryan Standridge's header bounced off the left post as FGCU held a 1-0 lead at the break.
The duo of Clement and Mullings added insurance developed in the middle of the field and quickly into the second half. After junior Jahan Rajaee placed a pass to his right, a sprinting Clement who with two touches, crossed it into a wide-open Mullings for the tap-in, giving the freshman the brace in the 53rd.
Redshirt sophomore Connor Gavigan collected his his first win of the season after he finished the match with three saves. It was Gavigan's sixth clean sheet with the Eagles as the staunch defense limited the Blue Hose to three shots over the remaining 20 minutes of play.
Up Next:
FGCU returns home this Saturday, Sept. 1 for its home-opener against #5 Wake Forest.
FGCU W. Soc vs. Niagara; Michigan Preview
The FGCU women's soccer team (2-0) return home for their next two hurdles: Niagara University (2-1) on Friday August 31 at 7 PM. and Michigan (3-2) on Sunday, Sep 2 at 1 P.M at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles pulled off a big upset win as they defeated Power 5 Conference member Alabama by a score of 4-2. This was the 9th win that the Eagles had against a Power 5 Conference team. The last win was last season where they defeated Arizona (1-0).
Ma's Career Goals:
Since joining FGCU fall 2017 after spending her freshman year at NCAA DII West Florida, junior striker, Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen, has been quite a tear lately. Last season, the GSC Player and Freshman of the Year, in her sophomore campaign, locked in 11 goals in her first season.
In the game against Alabama, the Sao Palo native scored her 13th goal of her career where she passed Ali Rogers, FGCU's current women's soccer direct of operations, and Olivia Elias (12) for 8th all-time. She is now four goals away from passing Gina Petracco (16) for 7th all-time in career goals.
Boilesen currently has two goals and an assist this season.
Along with Boilesen, her "tag team" partner this season that has been a big impact on the offensive front is fellow junior Evdokia Popadinova.
Popadinova, a native of Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria, joined FGCU after spending her first two seasons with Northwestern Ohio (NAIA). The two-time NAIA All-American also has two goals and an assist.
Ma and Evi: A-SUN Legion of Doom?:
The question is "Why did I give Boilesen and Popadinova the name the A-SUN Legion of Doom?" The answer is because of their strong offense, I thought it would really describe the two of them.
Wecking Ball:
Even though she gave up the two goals against Alabama, junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (2-0) has made a name for herself. The defending A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year has five saves total, all from the game against Alabama.
As a result of her performance against Alabama, the defending A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year was named A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week, her second in her career.
Poll Ranking:
FGCU moved up two spots to #6 in this weeks United Soccer Coaches South Region poll. USF ( 2-1-0) remains #1 while SMU (2-1-1) sneaks up to #2. So far, he Eagles are the only A-SUN squad ranked in the poll.
Scouting Niagara:
This will be the first time FGCU and Niagara will play each other as another "Battle of the Eagles" game, FGCU's second "Battle of the Eagles" matchup this season (first vs Georgia Southern).
After falling 4-1 in their opening game against Bucknell, they bounced back with a 2-0 win over Cleveland State.
The Purple Eagles are recently coming off of a 3-2 overtime win against Robert Morris. All three of the Niagara's goals came from off the bench from the feet of junior Hailey Bicknell and sophomores Veda Hensel and Alexis Horwedel. Horwedel's goal was the game-winner for the Purple Eagles.
Sophomore Sabrina Locas has started all three games for the Purple Eagles as starting goalkeeper. The Quebecois has 10 saves this season, although she gave up six goals with four being in the opening game against Bucknell.
Freshman Annie Ibey leads the team in goals. The two goals she had were in the 2-0 win against Cleveland State where she played off the bench. In the game against Robert Morris, Ibey got her first start of the season where had one assist and took seven shots. The Niagara Falls, Ontario native is averaging 3.67 shots per game. Ibey was rewarded for her efforts by being named the MAAC Rookie of the Week.
Scouting the Blue and Maze:
Like Niagara, this will be FGCU's first time play Michigan.
The Wolverines began their first four games at home with a 3-1 record (3-1 win vs Boston, 2-0 win vs Western Michigan, 3-2 win vs Marquette and a 3-1 loss to Louisville).
In their first game on the road, the Wolverines fell 4-0 to Wake Forest prior to playing FGCU as part of their two-game road trip.
Michigan's offense has been potent through four games, scoring nine goals including four from sophomore Nicki Hernandez who beat the keeper in all four of the Wolverines contests to start the season. In the 3-1 loss to Louisville, the Naperville native had the lone goal in the game
Fellow sophomore Izzy Nino (3-2) leads the way as the starting goalkeeper. Nino has nine saves, but has allowed all 10 goals this season. In the loss to Louisville, the Northville, Michigan native had one save while giving up all three goals. In Nino's second loss against Wake Forest, she allowed all four goals had two saves
How to Stay Updated:
Both games will be available livestream on the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page (Niagara) and ESPN+ (Michigan).
Livestats will also be provided for people who are unable to attend the game and/or do not have access to social media or are unable to watch on ESPN+.
The game against Michigan will be aired on ESPN+. The app cost $4.99 a month to watch the game.
Fans can also keep themselves updated from teams' Twitter accounts:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Michigan: @UMichWSoccer
Niagara: @NiagaraWSOC
Promotions and Outings:
The game against Niagara will be a Greenout, so marketing is encouraging fans that show up to wear green to the game.
In addition, the following other promotions are also listed for the game with descriptions:
1. Schedule Poster Night: Free 2018 schedule posters will be given out.
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear.
3. Shirts For Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal.
4. Tour Guide Rec: FGCU campus tour guides will be recognized at halftime.
The game against Michigan will be dubbed as a Whiteout, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear white to the game.
The promotions for the Michigan game are as listed:
1. Bounce House: Bounce house and penalty kick inflatable for fans to enjoy until halftime.
2. OL Recognition: FGCU orientation leaders will be recognized at halftime.
3. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear.
4. Shirts For Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal.
5. Youth Day: Fans 12 & under get into the game for free & receive an FGCU tattoo.
6. Freeze Pops: First 300 fans get a free freeze pop.
7. Futbol Sunday: Anyone in futbol gear gets a chance to win prizes after goals.
8. Poster Signing: Stay after the game to have your poster signed by the players.
Links:
Link to watch livestream vs Niagara: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
Link to livestream vs Michigan: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/a280ee58-59d7-4850-a9f6-7d67fe5d657e/michigan-vs-florida-gulf-coast
Livestats vs. Niagara: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229953
Livestats vs. Michigan: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229954
Last Time Out:
The Eagles pulled off a big upset win as they defeated Power 5 Conference member Alabama by a score of 4-2. This was the 9th win that the Eagles had against a Power 5 Conference team. The last win was last season where they defeated Arizona (1-0).
Ma's Career Goals:
Since joining FGCU fall 2017 after spending her freshman year at NCAA DII West Florida, junior striker, Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen, has been quite a tear lately. Last season, the GSC Player and Freshman of the Year, in her sophomore campaign, locked in 11 goals in her first season.
In the game against Alabama, the Sao Palo native scored her 13th goal of her career where she passed Ali Rogers, FGCU's current women's soccer direct of operations, and Olivia Elias (12) for 8th all-time. She is now four goals away from passing Gina Petracco (16) for 7th all-time in career goals.
Boilesen currently has two goals and an assist this season.
Along with Boilesen, her "tag team" partner this season that has been a big impact on the offensive front is fellow junior Evdokia Popadinova.
Popadinova, a native of Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria, joined FGCU after spending her first two seasons with Northwestern Ohio (NAIA). The two-time NAIA All-American also has two goals and an assist.
Ma and Evi: A-SUN Legion of Doom?:
The question is "Why did I give Boilesen and Popadinova the name the A-SUN Legion of Doom?" The answer is because of their strong offense, I thought it would really describe the two of them.
Wecking Ball:
Even though she gave up the two goals against Alabama, junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (2-0) has made a name for herself. The defending A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year has five saves total, all from the game against Alabama.
As a result of her performance against Alabama, the defending A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year was named A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week, her second in her career.
Poll Ranking:
FGCU moved up two spots to #6 in this weeks United Soccer Coaches South Region poll. USF ( 2-1-0) remains #1 while SMU (2-1-1) sneaks up to #2. So far, he Eagles are the only A-SUN squad ranked in the poll.
Scouting Niagara:
This will be the first time FGCU and Niagara will play each other as another "Battle of the Eagles" game, FGCU's second "Battle of the Eagles" matchup this season (first vs Georgia Southern).
After falling 4-1 in their opening game against Bucknell, they bounced back with a 2-0 win over Cleveland State.
The Purple Eagles are recently coming off of a 3-2 overtime win against Robert Morris. All three of the Niagara's goals came from off the bench from the feet of junior Hailey Bicknell and sophomores Veda Hensel and Alexis Horwedel. Horwedel's goal was the game-winner for the Purple Eagles.
Sophomore Sabrina Locas has started all three games for the Purple Eagles as starting goalkeeper. The Quebecois has 10 saves this season, although she gave up six goals with four being in the opening game against Bucknell.
Freshman Annie Ibey leads the team in goals. The two goals she had were in the 2-0 win against Cleveland State where she played off the bench. In the game against Robert Morris, Ibey got her first start of the season where had one assist and took seven shots. The Niagara Falls, Ontario native is averaging 3.67 shots per game. Ibey was rewarded for her efforts by being named the MAAC Rookie of the Week.
Scouting the Blue and Maze:
Like Niagara, this will be FGCU's first time play Michigan.
The Wolverines began their first four games at home with a 3-1 record (3-1 win vs Boston, 2-0 win vs Western Michigan, 3-2 win vs Marquette and a 3-1 loss to Louisville).
In their first game on the road, the Wolverines fell 4-0 to Wake Forest prior to playing FGCU as part of their two-game road trip.
Michigan's offense has been potent through four games, scoring nine goals including four from sophomore Nicki Hernandez who beat the keeper in all four of the Wolverines contests to start the season. In the 3-1 loss to Louisville, the Naperville native had the lone goal in the game
Fellow sophomore Izzy Nino (3-2) leads the way as the starting goalkeeper. Nino has nine saves, but has allowed all 10 goals this season. In the loss to Louisville, the Northville, Michigan native had one save while giving up all three goals. In Nino's second loss against Wake Forest, she allowed all four goals had two saves
How to Stay Updated:
Both games will be available livestream on the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page (Niagara) and ESPN+ (Michigan).
Livestats will also be provided for people who are unable to attend the game and/or do not have access to social media or are unable to watch on ESPN+.
The game against Michigan will be aired on ESPN+. The app cost $4.99 a month to watch the game.
Fans can also keep themselves updated from teams' Twitter accounts:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Michigan: @UMichWSoccer
Niagara: @NiagaraWSOC
Promotions and Outings:
The game against Niagara will be a Greenout, so marketing is encouraging fans that show up to wear green to the game.
In addition, the following other promotions are also listed for the game with descriptions:
1. Schedule Poster Night: Free 2018 schedule posters will be given out.
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear.
3. Shirts For Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal.
4. Tour Guide Rec: FGCU campus tour guides will be recognized at halftime.
The game against Michigan will be dubbed as a Whiteout, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear white to the game.
1. Bounce House: Bounce house and penalty kick inflatable for fans to enjoy until halftime.
2. OL Recognition: FGCU orientation leaders will be recognized at halftime.
3. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear.
4. Shirts For Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal.
5. Youth Day: Fans 12 & under get into the game for free & receive an FGCU tattoo.
6. Freeze Pops: First 300 fans get a free freeze pop.
7. Futbol Sunday: Anyone in futbol gear gets a chance to win prizes after goals.
8. Poster Signing: Stay after the game to have your poster signed by the players.
Links:
Link to watch livestream vs Niagara: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
Link to livestream vs Michigan: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/a280ee58-59d7-4850-a9f6-7d67fe5d657e/michigan-vs-florida-gulf-coast
Livestats vs. Niagara: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229953
Livestats vs. Michigan: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229954
FGCU M. Soc @ Charlotte Recap
The FGCU men's soccer team (0-1) suffered a 1-0 loss Friday evening as Charlotte (1-0) connected on a header with three minutes remaining in regulation to walk away with the victory.
"Charlotte was deserving, they dictated the match," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "They're physical, competitive and know how to be successful at this level and at home. We fell into the trap of playing direct and struggled to find our identity as a team. We will learn to improve and be ready to get back after it against another NCAA level opponent in Presbyterian."
"I thought we played really, really well," said Charlotte head coach Kevin Langan. "We were knocking on the door all night long and had some great individual performances. I thought that our compactness as a team from front to back was better than it had been in the exhibition games. We are starting to come together nicely. The most pleasing thing was that we kept going and going. Their goalkeeper made countless great saves. We had a lot of near misses but our mindset to keep going was fantastic."
It was a busy night in net for redshirt sophomore keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos who faced a flurry of shots in the first half, as the Brazil native secured five saves in the first period as both teams headed into the intermission knotted at 0-0. Charlotte continued to pressure the Eagles in the second half and shortly after Vasconcelos recorded his 10th save of the evening, a cross in the box was headed in by Maclean Holbrook in the 87th minute for the game-winner.
The first save of the night for Vasconcelos arrived in the 25th tick to keep the first threat from the 49ers off the board. Just 10 minutes later, the Eagles would earn a pair of corner kicks but nothing would materialize. As the end of the first period loomed, Charlotte fired a span of three shots on frame, which all proved to be denied as both squads headed into the intermission in a deadlock 0-0 tie.
In the second period, the 49ers continued to dictate their play, while the FGCU offense saw its first shot of the night come off the foot of redshirt sophomore Noah Bushey in the 72nd.
"The defense did really well tonight," Langan said. "We know if we can keep clean sheets and limit our opponents to a few looks and be organized on set pieces then we just need one or two goals to win."
Vasconcelos added to the suspense grabbing his 10th save of the night in the 84th – the second-most saves in a single-season game (Glick-13 vs Campbell 07'), until the tie was broken three ticks later as a cross in the box was headed in by Holbrook for the game-winner.
The loss marks the first time since Sept. 3, 2017 (Central Connecticut State) in which the Eagles were shutout, also taking place on the road. FGCU will face a quick turnaround as it heads to Clinton, S.C. next to take on Presbyterian at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
On the side note, Bushey, senior Raheem Somersal, juniors Ivan Rosales and Ryan Medilah, sophomores Titouan Le Menec and Jomar Alvarez and freshmen O’Vonte Mullings and Ethan Dudley all made their Eagle debuts. Bushey (New Mexico), Somersal (Appalachian State), Rosales (NJCAA San Jancinto), Medilah (NJCAA San Jacinto/NJCAA Cloud County), Le Menec (NAIA Bluefield College) and Alvarez (UCF) came from different colleges and universities with Rosales and Medilah being JUCOs and Le Menec coming from NAIA.
Mullings joined FGCU from the FC Durham Academy while Dudley graduated from Bartram Trail High School.
"Charlotte was deserving, they dictated the match," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "They're physical, competitive and know how to be successful at this level and at home. We fell into the trap of playing direct and struggled to find our identity as a team. We will learn to improve and be ready to get back after it against another NCAA level opponent in Presbyterian."
"I thought we played really, really well," said Charlotte head coach Kevin Langan. "We were knocking on the door all night long and had some great individual performances. I thought that our compactness as a team from front to back was better than it had been in the exhibition games. We are starting to come together nicely. The most pleasing thing was that we kept going and going. Their goalkeeper made countless great saves. We had a lot of near misses but our mindset to keep going was fantastic."
It was a busy night in net for redshirt sophomore keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos who faced a flurry of shots in the first half, as the Brazil native secured five saves in the first period as both teams headed into the intermission knotted at 0-0. Charlotte continued to pressure the Eagles in the second half and shortly after Vasconcelos recorded his 10th save of the evening, a cross in the box was headed in by Maclean Holbrook in the 87th minute for the game-winner.
The first save of the night for Vasconcelos arrived in the 25th tick to keep the first threat from the 49ers off the board. Just 10 minutes later, the Eagles would earn a pair of corner kicks but nothing would materialize. As the end of the first period loomed, Charlotte fired a span of three shots on frame, which all proved to be denied as both squads headed into the intermission in a deadlock 0-0 tie.
In the second period, the 49ers continued to dictate their play, while the FGCU offense saw its first shot of the night come off the foot of redshirt sophomore Noah Bushey in the 72nd.
"The defense did really well tonight," Langan said. "We know if we can keep clean sheets and limit our opponents to a few looks and be organized on set pieces then we just need one or two goals to win."
Vasconcelos added to the suspense grabbing his 10th save of the night in the 84th – the second-most saves in a single-season game (Glick-13 vs Campbell 07'), until the tie was broken three ticks later as a cross in the box was headed in by Holbrook for the game-winner.
The loss marks the first time since Sept. 3, 2017 (Central Connecticut State) in which the Eagles were shutout, also taking place on the road. FGCU will face a quick turnaround as it heads to Clinton, S.C. next to take on Presbyterian at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
On the side note, Bushey, senior Raheem Somersal, juniors Ivan Rosales and Ryan Medilah, sophomores Titouan Le Menec and Jomar Alvarez and freshmen O’Vonte Mullings and Ethan Dudley all made their Eagle debuts. Bushey (New Mexico), Somersal (Appalachian State), Rosales (NJCAA San Jancinto), Medilah (NJCAA San Jacinto/NJCAA Cloud County), Le Menec (NAIA Bluefield College) and Alvarez (UCF) came from different colleges and universities with Rosales and Medilah being JUCOs and Le Menec coming from NAIA.
Mullings joined FGCU from the FC Durham Academy while Dudley graduated from Bartram Trail High School.
FGCU VB: Sunshine State Challenge Recap- Day Two
After splitting their first two matches with a 3-0 win over FAU and 1-3 loss to UCF, the FGCU volleyball team (2-1) wrapped up their portion of the Sunshine State Classic with a 3-0 shutout against host Miami (2-1) (25-20, 25-18, 25-22).
"From a team perspective, the first season I was here four years ago, our first match together was here against Miami, and there was quite a gap between the two teams at that point," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Each year, I feel we've taken steps to be more competitive against these Power 5 schools that we come up against."
With the win, the Eagles not only got their first win against the Hurricanes, but they also secured their second win against a Power 5 Conference school. Technically, it would be their third, but Rutgers was not a part of the Big Ten Conference until 2014.
"I think this win provides the girls a little bit of confidence and (allows them to) believe they can play just about anybody. They should believe that," said Botsford. "That's why we recruited them, and that's what we're trying to build. I'm just excited. We have a long way to go but it was nice to see that type of response after the match we lost against UCF."
"We played another tough team and I think they did a great job of scouting us," said Miami head coach Jose "Keno" Gandara. "It became an outside hitter battle and they did a good job and we need to do a better job of defending,"
It was once again the power of sophomore Cortney "What It Do" VanLiew that helped the Eagles. The Seymour, Indiana native finished with a career-high 20 kills. VanLiew was one dig shy of a double-double as she added nine digs, an assist and a block.
Senior Maggie Rick would finish with a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs while adding a kill to the mix. With the 19 assists, the Alpharetta native now has 3,759 career assists (2nd all-time) and is 650 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
Senior Amanda Carroll was also shy of a double-double as she finished with 10 kills, eight digs, two blocks, one assist, and one ace.
Carroll's 10 kills put her at 1,385 career kills. In addition, Carroll's ace was her 101st as she passed A-SUN Hall of Famer and beach volleyball Olympian Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (100) for 2nd all-time. The Albuquerque native is now 39 away from passing Ana Kokanovic (139) for most career aces.
Like VanLiew and Carroll, freshman Chelsea Lockey was also shy of a double-double as she finished with 14 assists and nine digs.
Along with Carroll, three of the member of the group also known as the Block Party, senior Sharonda Pickering, juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti had a combined 10 total blocks in the game (Pickering [3], Serrano [4], Borgiott [3]).
Pickering added two kills, Serrano added a kill and Borgiotti added six kills and a dig.
Other players that contributed were sophomores Snowy Burnam (five kills and two assists) and Alayna Ryan (three aces, one assist and two digs), freshman Dana Axner (four assists, an ace and eight digs), and senior Karissa Rhoades (one assist and one dig).
For the Hurricanes, senior Kolby Bird led the team with 11 kills, two blocks and two digs.
Redshirt freshman Elizaveta Lukianova finished with 10 kills and a block.
Redshirt senior Haley Templeton finished with 27 assists, two kills and two digs.
Freshman Emily Damon had 10 digs and one assist.
After the FGCU/Miami match, FAU (0-3) played UCF (2-1) in the 1:30 matchup. The Knights would sweep the Owls 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-20).
"We were very concerned about the FAU attack," said UCF head coach Todd Dagenais. "They have a very athletic team that has a lot of talent on the outsides. I was proud of how our defense came together to keep the kill rates down and force them into some errors. Our attack was much more balanced. We were able to spread out the swings to different players, which didn’t allow them to key on one of our weapons."
Once again, freshhman McKenna Melville led the Knights offensively with a double-double of 16 kills and 13 digs. She also added an assist, an ace and a block.
Sophomore Kristina Fisher finished with 11 kills, an assist, an ace and three digs.
Fellow freshman Briana Garcia finished with 10 kills, three digs and two blocks.
Junior Erin Olson finished with 17 assists and two aces.
For the Owls, no player reached double digits in kills. Juniors Massiel Matos and Sigourney Kame were the only Owls that were close to double digit kills as they finished six kills each. Matos added two aces, two blocks and four digs.
Senior Ivone Martinez 25 assists along with two kills, an ace and seven digs.
Junior Kori Varney had 12 digs, two assists and an ace.
In the final match between UCF and Miami, the Hurricanes would come out on top with a 3-0 shutout (25-22, 25-20, 25-20).
"It was another big win for us. FAU is another top team in C-USA," Dagenais said on the team's performance against FAU. "We have to turn our attention to Miami, which is another NCAA Tournament team. We get to play in a championship environment trying to win the Sunshine State Classic. That experience is something that is going to go a long way this season with our team."
Freshman Chloe Brown led the Canes for the second time this season in kills with 13 and finished the match with a .385 hitting percentage.
"She came out and responded well after this morning's match," Gandara said. "She took advantage of the opportunities, passed well and performed great."
Lukianova continued to be a dominant threat on the attack finishing the match with 12 kills. Lukianova matched a career-high in kills (17), which she also accomplished in the opening match of the season. She led the Canes in the second set with five kills and helped Miami take the controlling 2-0 lead after two sets.
"We have high expectations for her," Gandara said. "We see it every day and see that she can be one of the most dominant hitters in the country. We're trying to get her there and we have to pick the best situations for her to grow."
Templeton made her presence known early on the offensive side and recorded three kills to go along with nine assists and two service aces.
For the Knights, The majority of the offense went through Melville, who finished with 20 kills and a .444 attack percentage. The rookie became the first Knight to reach that mark in three sets since Jale Hervey totaled 20 kills against ECU on Oct. 29, 2016.
Erin Olson would finish with 18 assists and six digs while her freshman sister, Amber, finished with 17 assists and two digs.
"I thought this was a good step in the right direction for where we were coming into the weekend," Dagenais said on the performance against Miami. "Miami came out with a lot of intensity and fire after losing in the earlier match. We had a hard time of matching their fire and energy. It really came down to the serve pass and error game. With our block and attack, we played a pretty even match, but it was those miscues that stopped us from getting the job done. We just missed a serve here or a play there at a critical time, which gave them a break."
The Sunshine State Challenge All-Tournament Team was announced shortly after. I'm not sure who was named from FAU, but if I had to guess, it would be Matos.
For FGCU, it was VanLiew and Rick. VanLiew was also named as the Sunshine State Challenge MVP.
For UCF, I guess that it was Melville and/or one of the Olson sisters. For Miami, it was Brown and Templeton.
Tournament Overall Standings:
FGCU (2-1)
Miami (2-1)
UCF (2-1)
FAU (0-3)
Up Next:
The Eagles continue their season on the road as they compete in the Lobo Classic. Over the two-day event, they will battle New Mexico State, New Mexico and Eastern Kentucky.
"From a team perspective, the first season I was here four years ago, our first match together was here against Miami, and there was quite a gap between the two teams at that point," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Each year, I feel we've taken steps to be more competitive against these Power 5 schools that we come up against."
With the win, the Eagles not only got their first win against the Hurricanes, but they also secured their second win against a Power 5 Conference school. Technically, it would be their third, but Rutgers was not a part of the Big Ten Conference until 2014.
"I think this win provides the girls a little bit of confidence and (allows them to) believe they can play just about anybody. They should believe that," said Botsford. "That's why we recruited them, and that's what we're trying to build. I'm just excited. We have a long way to go but it was nice to see that type of response after the match we lost against UCF."
"We played another tough team and I think they did a great job of scouting us," said Miami head coach Jose "Keno" Gandara. "It became an outside hitter battle and they did a good job and we need to do a better job of defending,"
It was once again the power of sophomore Cortney "What It Do" VanLiew that helped the Eagles. The Seymour, Indiana native finished with a career-high 20 kills. VanLiew was one dig shy of a double-double as she added nine digs, an assist and a block.
Senior Maggie Rick would finish with a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs while adding a kill to the mix. With the 19 assists, the Alpharetta native now has 3,759 career assists (2nd all-time) and is 650 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
Senior Amanda Carroll was also shy of a double-double as she finished with 10 kills, eight digs, two blocks, one assist, and one ace.
Carroll's 10 kills put her at 1,385 career kills. In addition, Carroll's ace was her 101st as she passed A-SUN Hall of Famer and beach volleyball Olympian Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (100) for 2nd all-time. The Albuquerque native is now 39 away from passing Ana Kokanovic (139) for most career aces.
Like VanLiew and Carroll, freshman Chelsea Lockey was also shy of a double-double as she finished with 14 assists and nine digs.
Along with Carroll, three of the member of the group also known as the Block Party, senior Sharonda Pickering, juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti had a combined 10 total blocks in the game (Pickering [3], Serrano [4], Borgiott [3]).
Pickering added two kills, Serrano added a kill and Borgiotti added six kills and a dig.
Other players that contributed were sophomores Snowy Burnam (five kills and two assists) and Alayna Ryan (three aces, one assist and two digs), freshman Dana Axner (four assists, an ace and eight digs), and senior Karissa Rhoades (one assist and one dig).
For the Hurricanes, senior Kolby Bird led the team with 11 kills, two blocks and two digs.
Redshirt freshman Elizaveta Lukianova finished with 10 kills and a block.
Redshirt senior Haley Templeton finished with 27 assists, two kills and two digs.
Freshman Emily Damon had 10 digs and one assist.
After the FGCU/Miami match, FAU (0-3) played UCF (2-1) in the 1:30 matchup. The Knights would sweep the Owls 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-20).
"We were very concerned about the FAU attack," said UCF head coach Todd Dagenais. "They have a very athletic team that has a lot of talent on the outsides. I was proud of how our defense came together to keep the kill rates down and force them into some errors. Our attack was much more balanced. We were able to spread out the swings to different players, which didn’t allow them to key on one of our weapons."
Once again, freshhman McKenna Melville led the Knights offensively with a double-double of 16 kills and 13 digs. She also added an assist, an ace and a block.
Sophomore Kristina Fisher finished with 11 kills, an assist, an ace and three digs.
Fellow freshman Briana Garcia finished with 10 kills, three digs and two blocks.
Junior Erin Olson finished with 17 assists and two aces.
For the Owls, no player reached double digits in kills. Juniors Massiel Matos and Sigourney Kame were the only Owls that were close to double digit kills as they finished six kills each. Matos added two aces, two blocks and four digs.
Senior Ivone Martinez 25 assists along with two kills, an ace and seven digs.
Junior Kori Varney had 12 digs, two assists and an ace.
In the final match between UCF and Miami, the Hurricanes would come out on top with a 3-0 shutout (25-22, 25-20, 25-20).
"It was another big win for us. FAU is another top team in C-USA," Dagenais said on the team's performance against FAU. "We have to turn our attention to Miami, which is another NCAA Tournament team. We get to play in a championship environment trying to win the Sunshine State Classic. That experience is something that is going to go a long way this season with our team."
Freshman Chloe Brown led the Canes for the second time this season in kills with 13 and finished the match with a .385 hitting percentage.
"She came out and responded well after this morning's match," Gandara said. "She took advantage of the opportunities, passed well and performed great."
Lukianova continued to be a dominant threat on the attack finishing the match with 12 kills. Lukianova matched a career-high in kills (17), which she also accomplished in the opening match of the season. She led the Canes in the second set with five kills and helped Miami take the controlling 2-0 lead after two sets.
"We have high expectations for her," Gandara said. "We see it every day and see that she can be one of the most dominant hitters in the country. We're trying to get her there and we have to pick the best situations for her to grow."
Templeton made her presence known early on the offensive side and recorded three kills to go along with nine assists and two service aces.
For the Knights, The majority of the offense went through Melville, who finished with 20 kills and a .444 attack percentage. The rookie became the first Knight to reach that mark in three sets since Jale Hervey totaled 20 kills against ECU on Oct. 29, 2016.
Erin Olson would finish with 18 assists and six digs while her freshman sister, Amber, finished with 17 assists and two digs.
"I thought this was a good step in the right direction for where we were coming into the weekend," Dagenais said on the performance against Miami. "Miami came out with a lot of intensity and fire after losing in the earlier match. We had a hard time of matching their fire and energy. It really came down to the serve pass and error game. With our block and attack, we played a pretty even match, but it was those miscues that stopped us from getting the job done. We just missed a serve here or a play there at a critical time, which gave them a break."
The Sunshine State Challenge All-Tournament Team was announced shortly after. I'm not sure who was named from FAU, but if I had to guess, it would be Matos.
For FGCU, it was VanLiew and Rick. VanLiew was also named as the Sunshine State Challenge MVP.
For UCF, I guess that it was Melville and/or one of the Olson sisters. For Miami, it was Brown and Templeton.
Tournament Overall Standings:
FGCU (2-1)
Miami (2-1)
UCF (2-1)
FAU (0-3)
Up Next:
The Eagles continue their season on the road as they compete in the Lobo Classic. Over the two-day event, they will battle New Mexico State, New Mexico and Eastern Kentucky.
FGCU W. Soc @ Alabama Recap
The FGCU women's soccer team (2-0) tells you exactly how special their 4-2 win over Alabama (0-2-1) in Tuscaloosa Friday night was, as it marked the first road win over an SEC team in program history. With the win, the Eagles are now 1-1 against the Crimson Tide.
In addition, the Eagles win over the Crimson Tide is their 9th win against a Power 5 Conference team since September 2017 (1-0 vs Arizona). FGCU is now 9-21-1 against Power 5 Conference teams.
"I am very proud of how our young ladies played tonight" Jim Blankenship said. "That was a great soccer environment against an NCAA Tournament level team and we came out and played very well."
"I believe we are better than we showed tonight," Alabama head coach Wes Hart said. "We started the game off okay and we were connecting passes with some decent spells of possession. We kept fighting to the end tonight and got a couple goals back and that was a positive. Our goal is to peak as the season goes on and we're not going to panic. We still have a lot of season left to play."
In addition, the Eagles win over the Crimson Tide is their 9th win against a Power 5 Conference team since September 2017 (1-0 vs Arizona). FGCU is now 9-21-1 against Power 5 Conference teams.
"I am very proud of how our young ladies played tonight" Jim Blankenship said. "That was a great soccer environment against an NCAA Tournament level team and we came out and played very well."
"I believe we are better than we showed tonight," Alabama head coach Wes Hart said. "We started the game off okay and we were connecting passes with some decent spells of possession. We kept fighting to the end tonight and got a couple goals back and that was a positive. Our goal is to peak as the season goes on and we're not going to panic. We still have a lot of season left to play."
25 minutes into the first half, sophomore Cassidy Morgan would chip in the first Eagle goal for her first of the season.
Four minutes later, senior Holly Fritz would follow with her first goal of the season to make it 2-0 FGCU before the end of the first half.
Going into the second half, the A-SUN Legion of Doom made their marks. Juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova scored a goal each in the second half. This was both their second goals of the season.
Boilesen's goal was her 13th career as the Brazilian passed FGCU women's soccer direct of operations Ali Rogers, and Olivia Elias (12) for 8th all-time. She is now four goals away from passing Gina Petracco (16) for 7th all-time in career goals.
The Crimson Tide would score their two goals in the first half off the foot of sophomore Casey Wertz and after a Eagles own goal.
Despite giving up the two goals, junior Melissa Weck (2-0) would finish with five saves in the match.
Despite giving up the two goals, junior Melissa Weck (2-0) would finish with five saves in the match.
Up Next:
The Eagles return home for a wave of green as they face Niagara University on Friday, August 31 at 7 P.M.
FGCU VB: Sunshine State Challenge Recap- Day One
The FGCU volleyball team (1-1) opened the season with a split in the Sunshine State Challenge as they shutout FAU (0-2) 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 26-24) before falling to UCF (1-0) 1-3 (16-25, 25-14, 21-25, 16-25). With the win over the Owls, the Eagles are now 4-6 against the Owls and with the loss, they are 1-4 against the Knights.
"Ball control had a big impact in both matches," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "In the morning, it helped us kick off the offense with solid first contact, and this afternoon we struggled in that area and became very predictable. Our focus has to be on maintaining a higher level of consistency throughout the course of the match so we can manage point runs a bit better."
"We’re going to look back at this and realize this one of those big wins for us when talking about a tournament resume," said UCF head coach Todd Dagenais. "FGCU is going to be a top-50 RPI team with at least 25 wins. For us to come out and maintain composure against such a great defensive team was really impressive.
"We found ways to stay in games and outlasted them. Our blocking did a great job of slowing them down and forcing them to adjust their shots. Amber and Erin did a great job of running the offense from pin to pin. FGCU crowded the middle a lot, so we let the outsides take the majority of the swings. For their first real collegiate match, our freshmen showed a lot of composure and resilience. After starting tight in sets 1, 3 and 4, their attitude and energy helped us close out the match."
The story for the matchup against FAU was sophomore Cortney VanLiew or I would say to her "What it do VanLiew?" The Seymour, Indiana native came off the bench and went on a roll as she finished with a team-leading 17 kills with one assist and one dig.
In the starting lineup, junior Daniele "Dani" Serrano finished with 10 kills and four blocks. Serrano's four blocks put her in a tie for 4th all-time in career blocks with Kaitlin Holm. The Sanford native is 43 away from passing Ericka Fonseca (247) for third all-time.
Senior Amanda Carroll finished with eight kills, two assists, one ace, five digs, and three blocks. This was the first time that Carroll did not reach 10 or kills in the opening match since her sophomore year (8/26/16 vs. Villanova: nine kills).
Senior Maggie Rick finished with 23 assists, two aces, and eight digs.
The Block Party consists of Serrano, fellow junior Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaiti Krivdo and sophomore Snowy Burnam. But this season, the group has featured a new member to the squad: freshman Tori Morris. Morris, a middle blocker from Virginia Beach, had seven blocks in the game with a kill and an ace.
Two other players that made their debuts with Morris were freshmen Dana Axner and Chelsea Lockey. Axner, a libero from Dublin, Ohio, had 12 digs, three assists and one ace while Lockey, a setter from Eaton, Colorado under Rick's wing, finished with 12 assists and four digs.
Burnam also had a good game while being a part of the Block Party. The former A-SUN Freshman of the Year in indoor and beach volleyball finished with five kills, three blocks and three digs.
Pickering finished with one block while Krivdo finished with a kill.
Borgiotti finished with three kills and a block.
Senior Karissa Rhoades finished with an assist and a dig.
For the Owls, junior Cailea Gibbs led the team offensively with 11 kills.
Junior Sigourney Kame finished with nine kills.
Junior Massiel Matos made her debut for the Owls finishing with eight kills, two blocks and four digs. Matos joined FAU after spending her first two years at NJCAA Miami-Dade College.
Senior Ivone Martinez was one dig shy of a double-double as she finished with 42 assists and nine digs.
The match lasted a little over an hour. Honestly, I would’ve thought it would go a little longer than that because FAU put up a fight in the second and third set.
After a four-hour intermission, the Eagles returned to action and played UCF to a losing effort.
VanLiew once again led the team in the starting lineup with 16 kills, one ace, one block and eight digs. VanLiew now has a total of 33 kills for the season.
Carroll would also have a good match as she finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 15 digs with a block.
Carroll's 21 kills give her 1,375 career kills. In addition, Carroll's one ace against FAU put her in a tie with A-SUN Hall of Famer and beach volleyball Olympian Brooke Youngquist-Sweat for second most career aces (100). Last season, Carroll broke Youngquist-Sweat's all-time kills record.
Rick, Serrano, Burnam and Krivdo had two kills each.
Rick added 32 assists, two blocks and seven digs, Serrano added two assists, and Burnam added three assist, a block and 15 digs.
Rick's 55 assists put her at 3,740 career assists (2nd all-time). The Alpharetta native is 669 assists away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
Lockey added five assists and a dig, Axner added 20 digs and an ace, Pickering added four kills and three blocks while Morris added three blocks of her own. Rhoades added four digs and an ace and Borgiotti added a kill and a dig. Sophomore Alayna Ryan also entered the game.
For the Knights, freshman McKenna Melville led the way with a double-double of 19 kills and 16 digs with one ace.
"Mckenna took a lot of rips for us. That wasn’t the plan, and it won’t be how we run our offense normally, but that was how they were defending us. We’re going have a much more balanced offense. She did a great job, and 20 out of her 55 swings came from the back row. Her defense was exceptional," said Dagenais on Melville's performance
Sophomore Anne-Marie Watson had 16 kills, one assist, seven blocks and two digs.
They had a hard time adjusting to her. After they made an adjustment, Anne-Marie made her own adjustment, which is something she would not have done last year. We put her in a position to get a lot of blocks, and she did just that with some great positioning and technique," Dagenais said on Watson's performance.
Junior Erin Olson had 29 assists and nine digs.
Senior Jordan Pingel finished with 14 digs and two assists.
After FGCU's match with UCF, host Miami (1-0) defeated FAU 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 31-29). This was Miami head coach Jose "Keno" Gandara's 100th win with Miami.
"We played a great team, the expectations were there and I think the girls lived up to it and I'm happy about it," Gandara said. "It's a great feeling to get this win and it means a lot to have the staff and players I've been able to coach be a part of this win."
On a side note, it was also the debut of new assistant coach Stephanie Zielinski. Zielinski is entering her first season with FGCU after spending her last two seasons with Middle Tennessee State (MTSU).
Up next:
FGCU wraps up their portion of the tournament at 11 A.M. against host Miami. Afterwards, FAU will play UCF at 1:30 P.M. before Miami plays UCF at 7:30 P.M.
"Ball control had a big impact in both matches," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "In the morning, it helped us kick off the offense with solid first contact, and this afternoon we struggled in that area and became very predictable. Our focus has to be on maintaining a higher level of consistency throughout the course of the match so we can manage point runs a bit better."
"We’re going to look back at this and realize this one of those big wins for us when talking about a tournament resume," said UCF head coach Todd Dagenais. "FGCU is going to be a top-50 RPI team with at least 25 wins. For us to come out and maintain composure against such a great defensive team was really impressive.
"We found ways to stay in games and outlasted them. Our blocking did a great job of slowing them down and forcing them to adjust their shots. Amber and Erin did a great job of running the offense from pin to pin. FGCU crowded the middle a lot, so we let the outsides take the majority of the swings. For their first real collegiate match, our freshmen showed a lot of composure and resilience. After starting tight in sets 1, 3 and 4, their attitude and energy helped us close out the match."
The story for the matchup against FAU was sophomore Cortney VanLiew or I would say to her "What it do VanLiew?" The Seymour, Indiana native came off the bench and went on a roll as she finished with a team-leading 17 kills with one assist and one dig.
In the starting lineup, junior Daniele "Dani" Serrano finished with 10 kills and four blocks. Serrano's four blocks put her in a tie for 4th all-time in career blocks with Kaitlin Holm. The Sanford native is 43 away from passing Ericka Fonseca (247) for third all-time.
Senior Amanda Carroll finished with eight kills, two assists, one ace, five digs, and three blocks. This was the first time that Carroll did not reach 10 or kills in the opening match since her sophomore year (8/26/16 vs. Villanova: nine kills).
Senior Maggie Rick finished with 23 assists, two aces, and eight digs.
The Block Party consists of Serrano, fellow junior Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaiti Krivdo and sophomore Snowy Burnam. But this season, the group has featured a new member to the squad: freshman Tori Morris. Morris, a middle blocker from Virginia Beach, had seven blocks in the game with a kill and an ace.
Two other players that made their debuts with Morris were freshmen Dana Axner and Chelsea Lockey. Axner, a libero from Dublin, Ohio, had 12 digs, three assists and one ace while Lockey, a setter from Eaton, Colorado under Rick's wing, finished with 12 assists and four digs.
Burnam also had a good game while being a part of the Block Party. The former A-SUN Freshman of the Year in indoor and beach volleyball finished with five kills, three blocks and three digs.
Pickering finished with one block while Krivdo finished with a kill.
Borgiotti finished with three kills and a block.
Senior Karissa Rhoades finished with an assist and a dig.
For the Owls, junior Cailea Gibbs led the team offensively with 11 kills.
Junior Sigourney Kame finished with nine kills.
Junior Massiel Matos made her debut for the Owls finishing with eight kills, two blocks and four digs. Matos joined FAU after spending her first two years at NJCAA Miami-Dade College.
Senior Ivone Martinez was one dig shy of a double-double as she finished with 42 assists and nine digs.
The match lasted a little over an hour. Honestly, I would’ve thought it would go a little longer than that because FAU put up a fight in the second and third set.
After a four-hour intermission, the Eagles returned to action and played UCF to a losing effort.
VanLiew once again led the team in the starting lineup with 16 kills, one ace, one block and eight digs. VanLiew now has a total of 33 kills for the season.
Carroll would also have a good match as she finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 15 digs with a block.
Carroll's 21 kills give her 1,375 career kills. In addition, Carroll's one ace against FAU put her in a tie with A-SUN Hall of Famer and beach volleyball Olympian Brooke Youngquist-Sweat for second most career aces (100). Last season, Carroll broke Youngquist-Sweat's all-time kills record.
Rick, Serrano, Burnam and Krivdo had two kills each.
Rick added 32 assists, two blocks and seven digs, Serrano added two assists, and Burnam added three assist, a block and 15 digs.
Rick's 55 assists put her at 3,740 career assists (2nd all-time). The Alpharetta native is 669 assists away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
Lockey added five assists and a dig, Axner added 20 digs and an ace, Pickering added four kills and three blocks while Morris added three blocks of her own. Rhoades added four digs and an ace and Borgiotti added a kill and a dig. Sophomore Alayna Ryan also entered the game.
For the Knights, freshman McKenna Melville led the way with a double-double of 19 kills and 16 digs with one ace.
"Mckenna took a lot of rips for us. That wasn’t the plan, and it won’t be how we run our offense normally, but that was how they were defending us. We’re going have a much more balanced offense. She did a great job, and 20 out of her 55 swings came from the back row. Her defense was exceptional," said Dagenais on Melville's performance
Sophomore Anne-Marie Watson had 16 kills, one assist, seven blocks and two digs.
They had a hard time adjusting to her. After they made an adjustment, Anne-Marie made her own adjustment, which is something she would not have done last year. We put her in a position to get a lot of blocks, and she did just that with some great positioning and technique," Dagenais said on Watson's performance.
Junior Erin Olson had 29 assists and nine digs.
Senior Jordan Pingel finished with 14 digs and two assists.
After FGCU's match with UCF, host Miami (1-0) defeated FAU 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 31-29). This was Miami head coach Jose "Keno" Gandara's 100th win with Miami.
"We played a great team, the expectations were there and I think the girls lived up to it and I'm happy about it," Gandara said. "It's a great feeling to get this win and it means a lot to have the staff and players I've been able to coach be a part of this win."
On a side note, it was also the debut of new assistant coach Stephanie Zielinski. Zielinski is entering her first season with FGCU after spending her last two seasons with Middle Tennessee State (MTSU).
Up next:
FGCU wraps up their portion of the tournament at 11 A.M. against host Miami. Afterwards, FAU will play UCF at 1:30 P.M. before Miami plays UCF at 7:30 P.M.
FGCU M. Soc @ Charlotte Preview
The FGCU men's soccer team prepare for their opening game on the road as they face Charlotte on Friday to start the season. This will be one of two road games to start the season for the Eagles.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a 8-6-3 overall record with a 4-1-1 record in the A-SUN before falling to Lipscomb in the semifinals of A-SUN Conference Tournament.
The team is led by head coach Jesse Cormier. Cormier enters his second season as head coach after spending 13 with his alma mater, the University of Vermont.
Key returning players for the Eagles include seniors Preston Kilwein, Kamar Marriott, and Dennis Zapata, junior Shak Adams, and sophomores Chris Clement and Kareem Riley.
Kilwein, a defender from Pleasant Hill, California, logged in 1,510 minutes on the defensive side. Kilwein also added three goals and one assist to the stat sheet.
Marriott, a midfielder from Tampa, make his return to the field after sitting out the entire 2017 season due to an injury. Marriott has not played since the second round of the 2016 NCAA National Tournament against North Carolina.
Zapata, a midfielder from Orlando, is entering his senior year after claiming his first A-SUN postseason award as a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. Zapata started all 13 games and finished his junior year with five goals and five assists while logging in 896 minutes.
Adams, a striker from Antioch, Tennessee, led the team in goals (7) and had three assists while logging in 1223 minutes. Adam earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors as well as being named on the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team.
Prior to the season, Kilwein, Zapata and Adams were named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team. Kilwein was also named as the A-SUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Clement, a defender from Mallorca, Spain, is coming off of a successful freshman year. The trilingual sensation of American, French and Spanish decent, logged in 1,271 minutes while scoring one goal and dishing out four assists. Clement helped FGCU to seven shutouts, one more than any other league team and allowed 22 goals, which tied for the fewest in the league. As a result, Clement was named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.
Riley, a midfielder from Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, is also coming off of a successful freshman year. Riley had one goal and one assist while logging 968 minutes. Riley joined Clement on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and earned a spot as #3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays on Oct. 3, where his lone goal against Omaha last season went 40 yards out into the goal.
Goalkeeper Life:
After the departure of Jared Brown, FGCU has three returning goalkeepers: redshirt sophomores Gustavo Vasconcelos and Connor Gavigan and redshirt freshman Josh Morgan.
Vasconcelos, a native of Recife, Brazil, played in two games with a save in 55 minutes.
After transferring from Creighton, Gavigan, a native of Aurora, Colorado, would share starts with Brown. Gavigan logged in 1,111 minutes of play with 47 saves.
Morgan, a native of Atherton, California, redshirted the whole season to maintain all four years of eligibility.
It is not clear who will be the starting goalkeeper for the opening game.
Numerous Transfers:
Not only have the Eagles signed four freshman, but they also signed a plethora of transfers (10 to be exact): Jason Van Achteren, Noah Bushey, Joao Burti, Ivan Rosales, Raheem Somersall, Ryan Medilah, Jomar Alvarez, Titouan Le Menec, Owen Betz and Michael Luke.
Van Achteren, a midfielder from Antwerp, Belgium listed as a junior, joins FGCU as a double transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. Prior to FGCU, Van Achteren spent his freshman year at NCAA DII Embry-Riddle before transferring to NCAA DII Eastern New Mexico. Van Achteren sat out the entire 2017 season in accordance to the NCAA transfer rule.
Bushey, a midfielder from Spokane, joins FGCU as a redshirt sophomore after transferring from New Mexico. After utilizing a redshirt his freshman, Bushey played in nine games and logged in 179 minutes of play. Bushey will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Burti, a striker from Sao Paulo, Brazil, joins FGCU as a junior after spending his first two seasons with NJCAA Iowa Western. With the Reivers, Burti had 23 career goals and seven career assists. During his sophomore year, Burti had two hat tricks. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Rosales, a midfielder from Pasadena, Texas, joins FGCU as a junior after spending his first two years at NJCAA San Jacinto College. With the Ravens, Rosales had 10 career goals and 10 career assists. He joins FGCU with two years of eligibility remaining.
Somersall, a midfielder from Basseterre, St. Kitts, joins FGCU as a senior after spending three years with Appalachian State. Like Van Acheteren, he joined FGCU during the fall 2017 semester. Somersall appeared in 53 career games with Mountaineers he had one goal and one assist. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Like Rosales, Medilah, a midfielder from Paris, France, joins FGCU as a junior from NJCAA San Jacinto College. With the Ravens, Medilah had seven career goals and 11 career assists. Like Burti and Rosales, Medilah will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Alvarez, a midfielder from Fleming Island, Florida, joins FGCU as a sophomore after transferring from UCF prior to the spring 2018 semester, but Alvarez came as a student and did not play on UCF's team.
Alvarez will have all four years of eligibility remaining.
Le Menec, a defender from Guipavas, France, joins FGCU as a sophomore after spending his freshman year at NCCAA Bluefield College. With the Rams, he was named to the NCCAA Mid-East All-Region Team after helping lead Bluefield to a regional championship and third national tournament appearance in four years. Le Menec started 19 of 23 games, issuing three assists from his backline position and guiding Bluefield to a 16-8 overall record. Le Menec joins fellow Frenchmen, redshirt sophomore Thomas Delplace, junior Tom Denat, and Medilah with three years of eligibility remaining.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a 8-6-3 overall record with a 4-1-1 record in the A-SUN before falling to Lipscomb in the semifinals of A-SUN Conference Tournament.
The team is led by head coach Jesse Cormier. Cormier enters his second season as head coach after spending 13 with his alma mater, the University of Vermont.
Key returning players for the Eagles include seniors Preston Kilwein, Kamar Marriott, and Dennis Zapata, junior Shak Adams, and sophomores Chris Clement and Kareem Riley.
Kilwein, a defender from Pleasant Hill, California, logged in 1,510 minutes on the defensive side. Kilwein also added three goals and one assist to the stat sheet.
Marriott, a midfielder from Tampa, make his return to the field after sitting out the entire 2017 season due to an injury. Marriott has not played since the second round of the 2016 NCAA National Tournament against North Carolina.
Zapata, a midfielder from Orlando, is entering his senior year after claiming his first A-SUN postseason award as a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. Zapata started all 13 games and finished his junior year with five goals and five assists while logging in 896 minutes.
Adams, a striker from Antioch, Tennessee, led the team in goals (7) and had three assists while logging in 1223 minutes. Adam earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors as well as being named on the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team.
Prior to the season, Kilwein, Zapata and Adams were named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team. Kilwein was also named as the A-SUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Clement, a defender from Mallorca, Spain, is coming off of a successful freshman year. The trilingual sensation of American, French and Spanish decent, logged in 1,271 minutes while scoring one goal and dishing out four assists. Clement helped FGCU to seven shutouts, one more than any other league team and allowed 22 goals, which tied for the fewest in the league. As a result, Clement was named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.
Riley, a midfielder from Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, is also coming off of a successful freshman year. Riley had one goal and one assist while logging 968 minutes. Riley joined Clement on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and earned a spot as #3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays on Oct. 3, where his lone goal against Omaha last season went 40 yards out into the goal.
Goalkeeper Life:
After the departure of Jared Brown, FGCU has three returning goalkeepers: redshirt sophomores Gustavo Vasconcelos and Connor Gavigan and redshirt freshman Josh Morgan.
Vasconcelos, a native of Recife, Brazil, played in two games with a save in 55 minutes.
After transferring from Creighton, Gavigan, a native of Aurora, Colorado, would share starts with Brown. Gavigan logged in 1,111 minutes of play with 47 saves.
Morgan, a native of Atherton, California, redshirted the whole season to maintain all four years of eligibility.
It is not clear who will be the starting goalkeeper for the opening game.
Numerous Transfers:
Not only have the Eagles signed four freshman, but they also signed a plethora of transfers (10 to be exact): Jason Van Achteren, Noah Bushey, Joao Burti, Ivan Rosales, Raheem Somersall, Ryan Medilah, Jomar Alvarez, Titouan Le Menec, Owen Betz and Michael Luke.
Van Achteren, a midfielder from Antwerp, Belgium listed as a junior, joins FGCU as a double transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. Prior to FGCU, Van Achteren spent his freshman year at NCAA DII Embry-Riddle before transferring to NCAA DII Eastern New Mexico. Van Achteren sat out the entire 2017 season in accordance to the NCAA transfer rule.
Bushey, a midfielder from Spokane, joins FGCU as a redshirt sophomore after transferring from New Mexico. After utilizing a redshirt his freshman, Bushey played in nine games and logged in 179 minutes of play. Bushey will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Burti, a striker from Sao Paulo, Brazil, joins FGCU as a junior after spending his first two seasons with NJCAA Iowa Western. With the Reivers, Burti had 23 career goals and seven career assists. During his sophomore year, Burti had two hat tricks. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Rosales, a midfielder from Pasadena, Texas, joins FGCU as a junior after spending his first two years at NJCAA San Jacinto College. With the Ravens, Rosales had 10 career goals and 10 career assists. He joins FGCU with two years of eligibility remaining.
Somersall, a midfielder from Basseterre, St. Kitts, joins FGCU as a senior after spending three years with Appalachian State. Like Van Acheteren, he joined FGCU during the fall 2017 semester. Somersall appeared in 53 career games with Mountaineers he had one goal and one assist. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Like Rosales, Medilah, a midfielder from Paris, France, joins FGCU as a junior from NJCAA San Jacinto College. With the Ravens, Medilah had seven career goals and 11 career assists. Like Burti and Rosales, Medilah will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Alvarez, a midfielder from Fleming Island, Florida, joins FGCU as a sophomore after transferring from UCF prior to the spring 2018 semester, but Alvarez came as a student and did not play on UCF's team.
Alvarez will have all four years of eligibility remaining.
Le Menec, a defender from Guipavas, France, joins FGCU as a sophomore after spending his freshman year at NCCAA Bluefield College. With the Rams, he was named to the NCCAA Mid-East All-Region Team after helping lead Bluefield to a regional championship and third national tournament appearance in four years. Le Menec started 19 of 23 games, issuing three assists from his backline position and guiding Bluefield to a 16-8 overall record. Le Menec joins fellow Frenchmen, redshirt sophomore Thomas Delplace, junior Tom Denat, and Medilah with three years of eligibility remaining.
Like Van Achteren, Betz, a goalkeeper from Pass Christian, Mississippi, joins FGCU as a double transfer after spending his freshman year at former A-SUN Conference member, Northern Kentucky and his sophomore year at NJCAA Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
With the Norse, Betz started in all eight games he appeared in with a team-best 41 saves with a save percentage of 77.4 and posted a 1.46 goals against average. With the Bulldogs, Betz played and started all 17 games, posting a 1.34 goals against average and seven shutouts, and in eight conference matches, he secured five clean sheets, had a 0.51 goals against average and went a perfect 8-0. Betz will be listed as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
Luke, a midfielder from Parkland, Florida, joins FGCU as a sophomore after spending his freshman year at UNC Asheville.There, as a Bulldog, Luke played in 18 games with eight starts while attempting eight shots. Luke will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Scouting Charlotte:
The 49ers are coming off of a 8-5-6 overall record with a 2-1-5 record in Conference USA finishing as the runner-up in the conference tournament after losing to Old Dominion.
The 49ers are led by Kevin Langan. Langan enters his 7th season as head coach.
A C-USA favorite, Charlotte was picked to finish second in the coaches' preseason poll earlier this month along with three preseason honorees including the conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in Callum Montgomery.
Montgomery, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada was named on the CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Scholar, Conference USA All-Academic Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Second Team, and earned a spot on the All-Conference USA First Team and North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association’s All-State First Team.
Redshirt junior Elliott Panicco returns as starting goalkeeper for the 49ers. Panicco finished all 22 games with 53 saves.
Also returning is redshirt senior Daniel Bruce. A native of Northwich, Cheshire, England, the striker was the leaders in goals (6) and assists (5) and was named on the All-Conference USA First Team and the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association All-State First Team.
This will be the first time that both teams will play each other.
How to Watch/Stay Updated:
For this game, the game can be watched on livestream on the Conference USA website. You do have to pay to watch it (roughly $5.99 for a one-day pass).
Livestats will also be available for people that are unable to or don't want to watch the game livestream.
Livestream Link: http://conferenceusa.com/showcase/embed.aspx?Live=4919
Livestats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/charlotte/msoc/
Link to Riley's 40 yard goal: https://twitter.com/FGCU_MSoccer/status/915373928771551232
FGCU VB: Sunshine State Classic Preview
The FGCU volleyball team begins their season on the road as they participate in the Sunshine State Classic, hosted by the University of Miami. Miami also welcomes FAU and UCF to the tournament.
"I'm excited. It's opening weekend," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We're playing three really competitive teams with really solid programs, so we're going to be tested and will have to play really well. I think we're certainly capable of it."
Last Time Out:
Last season, the volleyball team went 22-10 overall with an 10-4 conference record in the A-SUN, and made it to the finals of the A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament as the No. 3 seed, but would fall to the new champions: Kennesaw State.
Last season, FGCU had 19 shutout wins, the most by FGCU in D1 history. Their previous amount of shutouts was 17.
Coaching Staff:
The team is led by head coach Matt Botsford. Botsford will be entering his fifth season as head coach for FGCU.
Botsford is joined by long-time assistant coach Daniel Mahy. Mahy enters his 13th season as assistant coach for the Eagles.
In addition, joining FGCU on the coaching staff is Stephanie Zielinski. Zilenski is replacing former Villanova libero and All-American Kim Maroon. The Fort Lauderdale native and former Rutgers star spent the 2017 season with Middle Tennessee and brings coaching experience from her times with MTSU, Davidson and Wake Forest.
At Rutgers, Zilenski was a four-year starter as a setter. There, she finished her career with 4,255 assists, including 1,342 as a senior in 2012, both of which are second all-time in Rutgers' program history. She also ended her career with 1,129 digs, which is fifth all-time at Rutgers, and with a mark of 11.28 assists per set, good for second all-time in Big East history (when Rutgers was a part of the Big East Conference).
Zilenski then played professionally with Volley Toggenburg in Wattwil, Switzerland. As the starting setter for the team, she was named the best player of the match eight times during the 2013-14 season. Zilenski will make her FGCU coaching debut.
Lost Players:
FGCU lost three players: defensive specialist Courney Stephens, outside hitter Ciara "Ci" DeBell and middle blocker Morgan Waller.
Stephens has graduated from FGCU and DeBell has transferred to Marshall University to continue playing collegiately. It is not clear whether Waller quit and if she transferred from FGCU.
New Blood:
FGCU did manage to sign four newcomers, including Kirstine Garder and Tori Morris to play this upcoming season.
Prior to her arrival at FGCU, Garder, an outside hitter from Halden, Norway, is a three-time junior national champion, a two-team team MVP and was once named the team's best outside hitter.
She was selected for the junior national team at 13 years old and became a team captain before being elevated to the senior national team at 17 years old, thus becoming the youngest player to participate in a tournament in Luxembourg where her team faced Luxembourg and Albania.
Garder competed in the North European Volleyball Zonal Association (NEVZA) tournament three times and has competed all over Europe on both the junior and senior national teams and was named the best outside hitter in the Champions International Youth Tournament in Paris.
Garder will also be playing beach volleyball for FGCU.
Morris, a native of Virginia Beach, plays as a middle blocker. The true freshman comes from Floyd E. Kellam High School helped lead her team to a Group 6A state championship in 2016. As a senior, she was named her conference's player of the year. She was also named to the Tournament of Champions all-tournament team.
Key FGCU Returners:
Some of the key returners for FGCU include five seniors, outside hitter Amanda Carroll, right side hitter Kaitlan "Kaiti" Krivdo and setter Maggie Rick, juniors, middle blocker Danielle "Dani" Serrano and outside hitter Giovanna "GioGio" Borgiotti, and sophomore outside hitter Snowy Burnam.
After coming off a third successful year, Carroll has been a force to be reckoned with. A former A-SUN Freshman of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member, the Albuquerque native has made her mark strongly for FGCU.
Last season, Carroll led the team with 454 total kills and 31 aces, hence earning the nickname I called her: "Mrs. Aces". Carroll was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team selection for the second straight year and was named on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. In addition, Carroll was named A-SUN Co-Player of the Year and A-SUN Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. She shared the titles with Lipscomb's rising senior Carlyle Nusbaum (A-SUN Co-Player) and former Kennesaw State member Kristi Piedimonte (Co-Scholar Athlete)
Carroll has also broken several FGCU program records. Last season, Carrolll passed Olympian, former FGCU volleyball player and A-SUN Hall of Famer, Brooke Youngquist-Sweat, for most career total kills (1,354). Carroll was also tabbed as an A-SUN representative to the Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (NSAACs), selected to the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Indianapolis program and earned the AVCA All-Southeast Region Honorable Mention. Carroll was recently named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Amanda has been such a reliable player for us over the years," Botsford said on Carroll. "I can't wait to see what she does to cap off her career. I think from the outside looking in, people tend to focus on her impact within our offense, which is certainly a huge weapon, but her ability to impact each phase of the game is what makes her so special. She can anchor our serve receive, manage her net responsibilities as good as anyone we have, serve effectively and be a great floor defender with incredible instincts."
Krivdo increased her playing time with flying colors since last season. The Hope Mills, North Carolina native started 24 of her 30 matches played and finished with 104 kills and 76 blocks.
Rick also comes off another successful season herself. Although she did not retain her title as A-SUN Setter of the Year, the setter and native of Alpharetta, Georgia tallied 1,227 assists (11.36 assists per match). Rick's assist per set ratio was ranked #18 in the nation. Rick was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team for the second time in her career. In addition, Rick has 3,685 career assists and is only 724 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
"Maggie is a phenomenal setter, and the growth and development we have seen throughout her career has been astounding," Botsford said on Rick. "Her ability to put our hitters in good spots and her decision making has been a big factor in our program's success over the past four years. We have had a great tradition of setters in this program, and Maggie has now set the bar even higher relative to the position."
Earlier, prior to the season, Rick was named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team as well as being named A-SUN Preseason Setter of the Year.
After starting all 32 matches, Serrano set strides through each match last season including a career-high 14 kills against Jacksonville. Serrano led FGCU with 94 total blocks last season to go with her 236 kills she provided. Serrano joined Carroll on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team. Serrano was also named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Dani is such a talented and efficient player, and it is amazing to think that she is only going into her junior season," Botsford said on Serrano. "As good as she is, I really believe that there is another level that she can reach, and I think that evolution is right around the corner. As she continues along in her development, we continue to rely on her more and more. Her ability to read the game and her instincts at the net, along with her court vision, provides us a great offensive option within the interior."
Burnam, a native of Jensen Beach, Florida, is coming off of a remarkable season as she finished her freshman year with 187 kills. As a result, Burnam was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and A-SUN All-Tournament Team to go along with being the A-SUN Freshman of the Year.
In addition, Burnam made history not just in indoor volleyball, but in beach too as she became the first player in the history of the A-SUN to be named the A-SUN Conference Freshman of the Year in both indoor and beach volleyball, and the second player in NCAA history to do so since Stanford's Kathryn Plummer in 2016. Burnam joined Carroll, Serrano and Rick on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Snowy had such a great freshman season and the way it unfolded was really impressive," Botsford said. "She progressed match-to-match in a way that I have not seen from a freshman before. By the second half of the season, she was one of our most consistent players, which is something you tend not to expect from a newcomer. She is a multidimensional player, both offensively and defensively, who provides us with a lot of options. She is a great volleyball player in general and that helps our gym culture a lot."
Block Party:
Although the Eagles finished second in total blocks (244), three of FGCU's players have me big impacts with blocks, hence the nickname "Block Party": Serrano, Krivdo, and senior Sharonda Pickering.
Preseason Serve:
As noted, Carroll, Serrano, Rick and Burnam were named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team. This was the first time in program history that the FGCU women's volleyball team placed four student-athletes on the A-SUN's Preseason All-Conference Team.
"To have any player represented among the preseason all-conference team is always an honor," Botsford said. "To have four of the seven is really remarkable. I think it speaks to the depth of our roster and the fact that we have been able to attract some very talented, coachable and motivated players."
Scouting UCF:
The Knights are coming off of a 20-14 record with a 12-8 record in the AAC last season. Their conference record put them in 5th place and since they is no conference tournament for volleyball in the AAC, they did not make it to the national tournament, but they did make it to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) where they defeated UNC-Greensboro 3-0 in the first round before falling to Georgia 0-3 in the second round. UCF is led by Todd Dagenais, who enters into his 11th season as head coach.
The Knights will lose outside hitter Kia Bright, setter Miranda Watkins, and middle blocker Taylor Wickey as they graduated.
Key returning players will include senior Jordan Pingel, juniors Ali Sabol and Erin Olsen and sophomore Kristina Fisher.
Pingel, the libero from Colorado Springs, Colorado, led the team with 541 digs last season. During the past season, Pingel averaged 4.27 digs per set ranking number one on team for the season.
Sabol, a right side hitter from Dublin, Ohio, was third on the team with 258 kills and one of the team leaders for blocks (58).
Olsen, a setter from Cary, Illinois, led the team with 734 total assists and 15 aces and averaged 5.78 assists per set.
Fisher, an outside hitter from Austin, Texas, was second on the team with total kills (367) and had 239 digs.
The Knights signed six upcoming freshman including Paulina Perez Rosas and Amber Olson (sister of Erin).
Perez Rosas comes from Guanica, Puerto Rico and brings a breadth of experience from the international level. A member of the Puerto Rican National Team since she was 14, Perez was named the captain of the U15 and U18 national squads. Perez Rosas' international experience spanned several North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Pan American Championships.Perez guided Puerto Rico to a fourth-place finish at the NORCECA U20 Pan American Cup in 2017, in which she tied for 25th in scoring for the tournament.
Amber, the younger sister of Erin Olson, is also a setter from Cary, Illinois. A three-year letterwinner for Cary-Grove High School, Olson tallied a career-high 645 assists as a junior to earn All-Area and All-Fox Valley honors.
The Olson-Olson setting tandem guided the Trojans to a third-place finish at state in 2015 when the younger Olson was a sophomore.
In the series between UCF and FGCU, UCF leads 3-1 overall. The lone win FGCU had against the Knights was in 2008 at UCF.
In the AAC Preseason Poll, the Knights are currently ranked 5th behind Southern Methodist.
Scouting Miami:
Miami was 26-6 overall with a 15-5 record in the ACC. Miami finished in third place and like the ACC, there was no conference tournament, however, the Hurricanes made it to the national tournament thanks to an at-large bid from their RPI ranking (32). They would beat College of Charleston 3-1 in the first round before falling 1-3 to #2 Florida in the second round.
Miami is led by Jose "Keno" Gandara, who enters his fifth year as head coach.
The Hurricanes will lose outside hitters Olga Strantzali and Brooke McDermott, middle blocker Sakile Simmons and defensive specialist Sylvia Hernandez,
but they have signed upcoming freshman including: outside hitter Taylor Burrell. Burrell comes from West Boca High School. A four-year letter winner, Burrell helped the Bulls win three consecutive district titles
Key returning players to look out for are redshirt sophomore Elizaveta Lukianova, senior Kolby Bird, redshirt senior Haley Templeton and junior Lucia Pampana.
Lukianova, a 6-6 outside hitter from Omsk, Russia, made her debut against the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Lukiano finished with 154 kills, including 23 in the national tournament.
Bird, an outside hitter from San Diego, was second on the team with 281 kills.
Templeton, a setter from Alpharetta, Georgia, led the team with 1,172 and was third on the team with 31 aces and 272 digs. Templeton was named a member of the All-ACC Volleyball Academic Team and All-ACC Volleyball First Team.
Pampana, an outside hitter from Modena, Italy, lead the team with 102 blocks and was fourth on the team in kills (150).
The Hurricanes have signed six upcoming freshman including Taylor Burrell and Maya Sullivan.
Burrell, an outside hitter from Boca Raton that enrolled early from West Boca High School, helped the Bulls win three consecutive district titles, named first team all-county in 2016 and 2017 by the Palm Beach Post, district player of the year, and a two-time MVP. Burrell finished with 522 career kills.
Sullivan, a middle blocker from Naperville, Illinois, played three years at Rosary High School. There she helped the Royals win back-to-back-to-back regional titles along with a conference title. Sullivan went from the Most Improved Player in 2016 to an All-Star Game selection and All-Star Game MVP in just one year along with being a three-time Scholar-Athlete.
In the series between the Hurricanes and the Eagles, FGCU is 0-3 against Miami.
In the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hurricanes are tied for 7th with NC State. In addition, Templeton was named a member of the Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team.
Currently, the Hurricanes are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll (8).
Scouting FAU:
The Owls are coming off of a 19-9 record with a 9-5 record in Conference USA (C-USA). They would fall in the C-USA Quarterfinals.
The Owls are lead by Fernanda Nelson, who enters her fifth season as head coach.
The Owls will lose outside hitter Kristi Tekavec and right side hitter Gabrielle Dixon as they graduated.
Key players for the Owls include seniors Abbi Reid and Ivone Martinez and junior Sigourney Kame.
Reid, an outside hitter from Denver, led the team with 78 blocks to go with her 305 kills. Reid was a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team.
Martinez, a setter from Mexicali, Mexico, led the team with 1,153 assists and had 49 kills on the year. Along with earning All-Tournament Team MVP of the Stetson Invitational, Martinez joined Reid as a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team. In addition, Martinez was ranked #1 in the nation in assists per set (12.81).
Kame, an outside hitter from Paramaribo, Suriname, led the team in kills (375) and kills per set (3.87). Kame not only joined Martinez on the Stetson Invitational All-Tournament Team, but was also named a member of the C-USA All-Conference First Team and C-USA All-Academic Team.
The Owls have signed only junior Massiel Matos so far. The outside hitter from Higuey, Dominican Republic spent the last two seasons with NJCAA Region 8 Miami-Dade College.
Matos was named a two-time NJCAA All-American, AVCA National Player of the Year and NJCAA Tournament MVP while leading the Sharks to back-to-back NJCAA national championships. She will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Owls.
In the series between FGCU and FAU, the Eagles are 3-6 against the Owls. The Owls defeated FGCU 3-1 in the Homewood Suites Sunshine State Classic last season. Last time FGCU beat FAU was in the FAU Invitational in 2016 where the Eagles won 3-2.
Prior to the season, FAU was listed in 3rd on the C-USA Volleyball Preseason Poll. They also have two first votes in the poll. In addition, Martinez and Kame were named on the C-USA Volleyball Preseason Team.
"I'm excited. It's opening weekend," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We're playing three really competitive teams with really solid programs, so we're going to be tested and will have to play really well. I think we're certainly capable of it."
Last Time Out:
Last season, the volleyball team went 22-10 overall with an 10-4 conference record in the A-SUN, and made it to the finals of the A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament as the No. 3 seed, but would fall to the new champions: Kennesaw State.
Last season, FGCU had 19 shutout wins, the most by FGCU in D1 history. Their previous amount of shutouts was 17.
Coaching Staff:
The team is led by head coach Matt Botsford. Botsford will be entering his fifth season as head coach for FGCU.
Botsford is joined by long-time assistant coach Daniel Mahy. Mahy enters his 13th season as assistant coach for the Eagles.
In addition, joining FGCU on the coaching staff is Stephanie Zielinski. Zilenski is replacing former Villanova libero and All-American Kim Maroon. The Fort Lauderdale native and former Rutgers star spent the 2017 season with Middle Tennessee and brings coaching experience from her times with MTSU, Davidson and Wake Forest.
At Rutgers, Zilenski was a four-year starter as a setter. There, she finished her career with 4,255 assists, including 1,342 as a senior in 2012, both of which are second all-time in Rutgers' program history. She also ended her career with 1,129 digs, which is fifth all-time at Rutgers, and with a mark of 11.28 assists per set, good for second all-time in Big East history (when Rutgers was a part of the Big East Conference).
Zilenski then played professionally with Volley Toggenburg in Wattwil, Switzerland. As the starting setter for the team, she was named the best player of the match eight times during the 2013-14 season. Zilenski will make her FGCU coaching debut.
FGCU lost three players: defensive specialist Courney Stephens, outside hitter Ciara "Ci" DeBell and middle blocker Morgan Waller.
Stephens has graduated from FGCU and DeBell has transferred to Marshall University to continue playing collegiately. It is not clear whether Waller quit and if she transferred from FGCU.
New Blood:
FGCU did manage to sign four newcomers, including Kirstine Garder and Tori Morris to play this upcoming season.
Prior to her arrival at FGCU, Garder, an outside hitter from Halden, Norway, is a three-time junior national champion, a two-team team MVP and was once named the team's best outside hitter.
She was selected for the junior national team at 13 years old and became a team captain before being elevated to the senior national team at 17 years old, thus becoming the youngest player to participate in a tournament in Luxembourg where her team faced Luxembourg and Albania.
Garder competed in the North European Volleyball Zonal Association (NEVZA) tournament three times and has competed all over Europe on both the junior and senior national teams and was named the best outside hitter in the Champions International Youth Tournament in Paris.
Garder will also be playing beach volleyball for FGCU.
Morris, a native of Virginia Beach, plays as a middle blocker. The true freshman comes from Floyd E. Kellam High School helped lead her team to a Group 6A state championship in 2016. As a senior, she was named her conference's player of the year. She was also named to the Tournament of Champions all-tournament team.
Key FGCU Returners:
Some of the key returners for FGCU include five seniors, outside hitter Amanda Carroll, right side hitter Kaitlan "Kaiti" Krivdo and setter Maggie Rick, juniors, middle blocker Danielle "Dani" Serrano and outside hitter Giovanna "GioGio" Borgiotti, and sophomore outside hitter Snowy Burnam.
After coming off a third successful year, Carroll has been a force to be reckoned with. A former A-SUN Freshman of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member, the Albuquerque native has made her mark strongly for FGCU.
Last season, Carroll led the team with 454 total kills and 31 aces, hence earning the nickname I called her: "Mrs. Aces". Carroll was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team selection for the second straight year and was named on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. In addition, Carroll was named A-SUN Co-Player of the Year and A-SUN Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. She shared the titles with Lipscomb's rising senior Carlyle Nusbaum (A-SUN Co-Player) and former Kennesaw State member Kristi Piedimonte (Co-Scholar Athlete)
Carroll has also broken several FGCU program records. Last season, Carrolll passed Olympian, former FGCU volleyball player and A-SUN Hall of Famer, Brooke Youngquist-Sweat, for most career total kills (1,354). Carroll was also tabbed as an A-SUN representative to the Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (NSAACs), selected to the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Indianapolis program and earned the AVCA All-Southeast Region Honorable Mention. Carroll was recently named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Amanda has been such a reliable player for us over the years," Botsford said on Carroll. "I can't wait to see what she does to cap off her career. I think from the outside looking in, people tend to focus on her impact within our offense, which is certainly a huge weapon, but her ability to impact each phase of the game is what makes her so special. She can anchor our serve receive, manage her net responsibilities as good as anyone we have, serve effectively and be a great floor defender with incredible instincts."
Krivdo increased her playing time with flying colors since last season. The Hope Mills, North Carolina native started 24 of her 30 matches played and finished with 104 kills and 76 blocks.
Rick also comes off another successful season herself. Although she did not retain her title as A-SUN Setter of the Year, the setter and native of Alpharetta, Georgia tallied 1,227 assists (11.36 assists per match). Rick's assist per set ratio was ranked #18 in the nation. Rick was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team for the second time in her career. In addition, Rick has 3,685 career assists and is only 724 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
"Maggie is a phenomenal setter, and the growth and development we have seen throughout her career has been astounding," Botsford said on Rick. "Her ability to put our hitters in good spots and her decision making has been a big factor in our program's success over the past four years. We have had a great tradition of setters in this program, and Maggie has now set the bar even higher relative to the position."
Earlier, prior to the season, Rick was named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team as well as being named A-SUN Preseason Setter of the Year.
After starting all 32 matches, Serrano set strides through each match last season including a career-high 14 kills against Jacksonville. Serrano led FGCU with 94 total blocks last season to go with her 236 kills she provided. Serrano joined Carroll on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team. Serrano was also named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Dani is such a talented and efficient player, and it is amazing to think that she is only going into her junior season," Botsford said on Serrano. "As good as she is, I really believe that there is another level that she can reach, and I think that evolution is right around the corner. As she continues along in her development, we continue to rely on her more and more. Her ability to read the game and her instincts at the net, along with her court vision, provides us a great offensive option within the interior."
In addition, Burnam made history not just in indoor volleyball, but in beach too as she became the first player in the history of the A-SUN to be named the A-SUN Conference Freshman of the Year in both indoor and beach volleyball, and the second player in NCAA history to do so since Stanford's Kathryn Plummer in 2016. Burnam joined Carroll, Serrano and Rick on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Snowy had such a great freshman season and the way it unfolded was really impressive," Botsford said. "She progressed match-to-match in a way that I have not seen from a freshman before. By the second half of the season, she was one of our most consistent players, which is something you tend not to expect from a newcomer. She is a multidimensional player, both offensively and defensively, who provides us with a lot of options. She is a great volleyball player in general and that helps our gym culture a lot."
Block Party:
Although the Eagles finished second in total blocks (244), three of FGCU's players have me big impacts with blocks, hence the nickname "Block Party": Serrano, Krivdo, and senior Sharonda Pickering.
Preseason Serve:
As noted, Carroll, Serrano, Rick and Burnam were named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team. This was the first time in program history that the FGCU women's volleyball team placed four student-athletes on the A-SUN's Preseason All-Conference Team.
"To have any player represented among the preseason all-conference team is always an honor," Botsford said. "To have four of the seven is really remarkable. I think it speaks to the depth of our roster and the fact that we have been able to attract some very talented, coachable and motivated players."
Scouting UCF:
The Knights are coming off of a 20-14 record with a 12-8 record in the AAC last season. Their conference record put them in 5th place and since they is no conference tournament for volleyball in the AAC, they did not make it to the national tournament, but they did make it to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) where they defeated UNC-Greensboro 3-0 in the first round before falling to Georgia 0-3 in the second round. UCF is led by Todd Dagenais, who enters into his 11th season as head coach.
The Knights will lose outside hitter Kia Bright, setter Miranda Watkins, and middle blocker Taylor Wickey as they graduated.
Key returning players will include senior Jordan Pingel, juniors Ali Sabol and Erin Olsen and sophomore Kristina Fisher.
Pingel, the libero from Colorado Springs, Colorado, led the team with 541 digs last season. During the past season, Pingel averaged 4.27 digs per set ranking number one on team for the season.
Sabol, a right side hitter from Dublin, Ohio, was third on the team with 258 kills and one of the team leaders for blocks (58).
Olsen, a setter from Cary, Illinois, led the team with 734 total assists and 15 aces and averaged 5.78 assists per set.
Fisher, an outside hitter from Austin, Texas, was second on the team with total kills (367) and had 239 digs.
The Knights signed six upcoming freshman including Paulina Perez Rosas and Amber Olson (sister of Erin).
Perez Rosas comes from Guanica, Puerto Rico and brings a breadth of experience from the international level. A member of the Puerto Rican National Team since she was 14, Perez was named the captain of the U15 and U18 national squads. Perez Rosas' international experience spanned several North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Pan American Championships.Perez guided Puerto Rico to a fourth-place finish at the NORCECA U20 Pan American Cup in 2017, in which she tied for 25th in scoring for the tournament.
Amber, the younger sister of Erin Olson, is also a setter from Cary, Illinois. A three-year letterwinner for Cary-Grove High School, Olson tallied a career-high 645 assists as a junior to earn All-Area and All-Fox Valley honors.
The Olson-Olson setting tandem guided the Trojans to a third-place finish at state in 2015 when the younger Olson was a sophomore.
In the series between UCF and FGCU, UCF leads 3-1 overall. The lone win FGCU had against the Knights was in 2008 at UCF.
In the AAC Preseason Poll, the Knights are currently ranked 5th behind Southern Methodist.
Scouting Miami:
Miami was 26-6 overall with a 15-5 record in the ACC. Miami finished in third place and like the ACC, there was no conference tournament, however, the Hurricanes made it to the national tournament thanks to an at-large bid from their RPI ranking (32). They would beat College of Charleston 3-1 in the first round before falling 1-3 to #2 Florida in the second round.
Miami is led by Jose "Keno" Gandara, who enters his fifth year as head coach.
The Hurricanes will lose outside hitters Olga Strantzali and Brooke McDermott, middle blocker Sakile Simmons and defensive specialist Sylvia Hernandez,
but they have signed upcoming freshman including: outside hitter Taylor Burrell. Burrell comes from West Boca High School. A four-year letter winner, Burrell helped the Bulls win three consecutive district titles
Key returning players to look out for are redshirt sophomore Elizaveta Lukianova, senior Kolby Bird, redshirt senior Haley Templeton and junior Lucia Pampana.
Lukianova, a 6-6 outside hitter from Omsk, Russia, made her debut against the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Lukiano finished with 154 kills, including 23 in the national tournament.
Bird, an outside hitter from San Diego, was second on the team with 281 kills.
Templeton, a setter from Alpharetta, Georgia, led the team with 1,172 and was third on the team with 31 aces and 272 digs. Templeton was named a member of the All-ACC Volleyball Academic Team and All-ACC Volleyball First Team.
Pampana, an outside hitter from Modena, Italy, lead the team with 102 blocks and was fourth on the team in kills (150).
The Hurricanes have signed six upcoming freshman including Taylor Burrell and Maya Sullivan.
Burrell, an outside hitter from Boca Raton that enrolled early from West Boca High School, helped the Bulls win three consecutive district titles, named first team all-county in 2016 and 2017 by the Palm Beach Post, district player of the year, and a two-time MVP. Burrell finished with 522 career kills.
Sullivan, a middle blocker from Naperville, Illinois, played three years at Rosary High School. There she helped the Royals win back-to-back-to-back regional titles along with a conference title. Sullivan went from the Most Improved Player in 2016 to an All-Star Game selection and All-Star Game MVP in just one year along with being a three-time Scholar-Athlete.
In the series between the Hurricanes and the Eagles, FGCU is 0-3 against Miami.
In the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hurricanes are tied for 7th with NC State. In addition, Templeton was named a member of the Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team.
Currently, the Hurricanes are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll (8).
Scouting FAU:
The Owls are coming off of a 19-9 record with a 9-5 record in Conference USA (C-USA). They would fall in the C-USA Quarterfinals.
The Owls are lead by Fernanda Nelson, who enters her fifth season as head coach.
The Owls will lose outside hitter Kristi Tekavec and right side hitter Gabrielle Dixon as they graduated.
Key players for the Owls include seniors Abbi Reid and Ivone Martinez and junior Sigourney Kame.
Reid, an outside hitter from Denver, led the team with 78 blocks to go with her 305 kills. Reid was a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team.
Martinez, a setter from Mexicali, Mexico, led the team with 1,153 assists and had 49 kills on the year. Along with earning All-Tournament Team MVP of the Stetson Invitational, Martinez joined Reid as a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team. In addition, Martinez was ranked #1 in the nation in assists per set (12.81).
Kame, an outside hitter from Paramaribo, Suriname, led the team in kills (375) and kills per set (3.87). Kame not only joined Martinez on the Stetson Invitational All-Tournament Team, but was also named a member of the C-USA All-Conference First Team and C-USA All-Academic Team.
The Owls have signed only junior Massiel Matos so far. The outside hitter from Higuey, Dominican Republic spent the last two seasons with NJCAA Region 8 Miami-Dade College.
Matos was named a two-time NJCAA All-American, AVCA National Player of the Year and NJCAA Tournament MVP while leading the Sharks to back-to-back NJCAA national championships. She will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Owls.
In the series between FGCU and FAU, the Eagles are 3-6 against the Owls. The Owls defeated FGCU 3-1 in the Homewood Suites Sunshine State Classic last season. Last time FGCU beat FAU was in the FAU Invitational in 2016 where the Eagles won 3-2.
Prior to the season, FAU was listed in 3rd on the C-USA Volleyball Preseason Poll. They also have two first votes in the poll. In addition, Martinez and Kame were named on the C-USA Volleyball Preseason Team.
Tournament Breakdown:
The tournament will be from Friday, August 24 to Saturday August 25.
On August 24, FGCU will open the tournament at 10 A.M. against FAU and then UCF at 4:30 P.M. before Miami plays FAU at 7 P.M.
On August 25, FGCU will close their part of the tournament against host Miami at 11 A.M., UCF will then play FAU at 1:30 P.M. before Miami closes out the tournament against UCF at 7:30 P.M.
How to Watch:
Three of the matches will be aired on the ESPN+ app. The app cost $4.99 a month to watch all six games.
It is not clear if livestats will be available.
Link for Livestream:
FGCU vs. FAU: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
FGCU vs. Miami: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3425461/florida-gulf-coast-vs-miami-w-volleyball
FGCU vs. UCF: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
The tournament will be from Friday, August 24 to Saturday August 25.
On August 24, FGCU will open the tournament at 10 A.M. against FAU and then UCF at 4:30 P.M. before Miami plays FAU at 7 P.M.
On August 25, FGCU will close their part of the tournament against host Miami at 11 A.M., UCF will then play FAU at 1:30 P.M. before Miami closes out the tournament against UCF at 7:30 P.M.
How to Watch:
Three of the matches will be aired on the ESPN+ app. The app cost $4.99 a month to watch all six games.
It is not clear if livestats will be available.
Link for Livestream:
FGCU vs. FAU: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
FGCU vs. Miami: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3425461/florida-gulf-coast-vs-miami-w-volleyball
FGCU vs. UCF: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
FGCU W. Soc @ Alabama Preview
The FGCU women's soccer team (1-0) prepare for their first official road game as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Power 5 Conference team Alabama (0-1-1).
Last Time Out:
The Eagles began their season with a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern at home in the "Battle of the Eagles".
In a wave of white from the whiteout at home, the Eagles had goals shot by sophomore Hope Van Wagner and juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova.
This past Sunday, FGCU was initially scheduled to #16 UCF for their first of two road games, however, due to Mother Nature taking place in Orlando, the game was cancelled and no makeup game would be made.
Big Debuts:
Popadinova was one of seven players that made their official debuts for FGCU. Popadinova transferred from NAIA Northwestern Ohio.
In addition, Popadinova was one of three newcomers to be in the starting lineup. Joining her was fellow junior Opall Curless and freshman Ashlee Brentlinger.
Curless spent her first two years at Syracuse before joining FGCU with two years of eligibility remaining while Brentlinger graduated from Padua Academy.
Freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo, Kara Kyramarios, Brianna Hatfield and Logan Oldani also made their debuts off the bench.
Returns:
Redshirt sophomores Megan Young and Tori Dorr made their returns to the field. Both sat out the entire 2017 season due to injury. Young was in the starting lineup against Georgia Southern.
Although she made her official debut against Georgia Southern, redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes made her return after sitting out the entire 2017 season due to injury.
Polls List:
FGCU found themselves ranked in the first United Soccer Coaches regional rankings this week. The Eagles are at #8 in the South Region while USF and Cincinnati are at 1-2 in the poll after each went 1-1 in the opening week.
Scouting Roll Tide:
Alabama opened their season in Texas as they faced fellow Power 5 Conference member Texas Christian University (TCU) and the University of North Texas.
In the game against the Horned Frogs, the Crimson Tide fell 0-1 to open the season in Ft. Worth before travelling to Denton, Texas for 1-1 draw against the Mean Green.
Senior Abbie Boswell leads the Roll Tide at the moment with the lone goal that she had in the 1-1 draw against North Texas while playing off the bench.
In the opening game against TCU, the Ball State transfer that won the MAC Freshman of the Year started that game.
Boswell has logged in 98 minutes so far.
For goalkeepers, sophomore Alex Plavin started the game against TCU, but was issued a red card and ejected from the game. Plavin finished the game with four saves in 54 minutes. Plavin will start against the Eagles after serving a one-game suspension
The backup goalkeeper for Plavin is redshirt freshman Kaylee Hammer. Hammer logged in 145 minutes and leads the team in saves (9).
Hammer subbed in for Plavin following the red card and gave up both goals in the loss to TCU and the draw against North Texas.
Series History:
This will be the second time FGCU and Alabama play each other. The first time was on September 8, 2016 where the Eagles lost 1-0 at home, so this will be a rematch.
How to Watch:
The game will be available livestream on SECN+ via Watch ESPN (ESPN+).
Livestats will also be available for those that can't watch the game livestream.
Links for livestream: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3422201/florida-gulf-coast-vs-alabama-w-soccer
Link for Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/wsoc/
Last Time Out:
The Eagles began their season with a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern at home in the "Battle of the Eagles".
In a wave of white from the whiteout at home, the Eagles had goals shot by sophomore Hope Van Wagner and juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova.
This past Sunday, FGCU was initially scheduled to #16 UCF for their first of two road games, however, due to Mother Nature taking place in Orlando, the game was cancelled and no makeup game would be made.
Big Debuts:
Popadinova was one of seven players that made their official debuts for FGCU. Popadinova transferred from NAIA Northwestern Ohio.
In addition, Popadinova was one of three newcomers to be in the starting lineup. Joining her was fellow junior Opall Curless and freshman Ashlee Brentlinger.
Curless spent her first two years at Syracuse before joining FGCU with two years of eligibility remaining while Brentlinger graduated from Padua Academy.
Freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo, Kara Kyramarios, Brianna Hatfield and Logan Oldani also made their debuts off the bench.
Returns:
Redshirt sophomores Megan Young and Tori Dorr made their returns to the field. Both sat out the entire 2017 season due to injury. Young was in the starting lineup against Georgia Southern.
Although she made her official debut against Georgia Southern, redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes made her return after sitting out the entire 2017 season due to injury.
Polls List:
FGCU found themselves ranked in the first United Soccer Coaches regional rankings this week. The Eagles are at #8 in the South Region while USF and Cincinnati are at 1-2 in the poll after each went 1-1 in the opening week.
Scouting Roll Tide:
Alabama opened their season in Texas as they faced fellow Power 5 Conference member Texas Christian University (TCU) and the University of North Texas.
In the game against the Horned Frogs, the Crimson Tide fell 0-1 to open the season in Ft. Worth before travelling to Denton, Texas for 1-1 draw against the Mean Green.
Senior Abbie Boswell leads the Roll Tide at the moment with the lone goal that she had in the 1-1 draw against North Texas while playing off the bench.
In the opening game against TCU, the Ball State transfer that won the MAC Freshman of the Year started that game.
Boswell has logged in 98 minutes so far.
For goalkeepers, sophomore Alex Plavin started the game against TCU, but was issued a red card and ejected from the game. Plavin finished the game with four saves in 54 minutes. Plavin will start against the Eagles after serving a one-game suspension
The backup goalkeeper for Plavin is redshirt freshman Kaylee Hammer. Hammer logged in 145 minutes and leads the team in saves (9).
Hammer subbed in for Plavin following the red card and gave up both goals in the loss to TCU and the draw against North Texas.
Series History:
This will be the second time FGCU and Alabama play each other. The first time was on September 8, 2016 where the Eagles lost 1-0 at home, so this will be a rematch.
How to Watch:
The game will be available livestream on SECN+ via Watch ESPN (ESPN+).
Livestats will also be available for those that can't watch the game livestream.
Links for livestream: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3422201/florida-gulf-coast-vs-alabama-w-soccer
Link for Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/wsoc/
FGCU M. Soccer 2018 Schedule Released
With the FGCU volleyball team releasing their schedule first, the FGCU men's soccer team released their schedule and this year is gonna be the toughest that I have ever came encounter in seeing.
FGCU will be led by Jessie Cormier. Cormier enters his second season as head and his resume speaks loudly about him. Prior to FGCU, Cormier was head coach for the University of Vermont for seven years.
"Our goal once again is to win the A-SUN Championship, and our non-conference schedule has been put together to help prepare us for that goal," said Cormier. "We have several quality opponents coming to The Nest this fall. It should be some high-quality, top-level soccer, and I know our guys and our staff are all looking forward to getting going and returning to play in front of our great fans and Dirty Birds."
FGCU is coming off of a 8-6-3 overall with a 4-1-1 record in conference. The Eagles would fall in the semifinals of the conference tournament to Lipscomb.
The Eagles will lose seven players as seniors: Eli Roubos, Nicolas Samayoa, Jiro Barriga Toyama, Robert Ferrer, Dylan Sacramento, Miguel Jaime, Caleb George and Albert Ruiz.
Ruiz was one of the best players not just for FGCU and the A-SUN Conference, but also in the nation. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Ruiz's resume with FGCU speaks for itself. Ruiz was a A-SUN Player of the Year, two-time A-SUN All-Tournament Team member, A-SUN All-Tournament Team MVP and three-time A-SUN Conference First Team member.
During the 2016 season, Ruiz extended further than that. His 22 goals were not only lead as the most for FGCU and the A-SUN, but in the nation too.
As a result of his success, Ruiz was also named a NSCAA All-Southeast Region First Team memeber, NSCAA First Team All-American and one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy. Ruiz will be one of nine seniors playing their last season.
This year, FGCU will play five teams that have been to last year's NCAA National Tournament, and teams I have never seen us face before or that haven't faced in a long time or not at all: The University of Omaha, Charlotte, Wake Forest, Presbyterian, Georgia Southern and Cal State Fullerton.
Wake Forest is coming off of a 19-2-2 overall record with a 7-0-1 record in the ACC. They would defeat Virginia Tech 3-0 in the quarterfinals and Clemson 2-1 in the semifinals before defeating Virginia in the final 4-3 in penalty kicks to become the ACC champs and punch their ticket to the national tournament. After earning a first round bye, they would defeat Columbia in the second round and Butler in the third round before falling to Stanford in the quarterfinals.
The last time FGCU played Wake Forest was on September 20, 2015 where the Deacons defeated the Eagles 1-0. At that time, FGCU was ranked 19th in the nation while Wake Forest was 20th. Wake Forest is the only Power 5 Conference team on the FGCU's Schedule, and are currently ranked #6 in the nation.
The game against Omaha will be FGCU's fifth non-league opponent. The Mavericks are coming off of a 10-6-3 overall record with a 2-1-2 record in the Summit League. They would become the Summit League champs and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, which they lost to FIU in the first round. This was their first postseason appearance last year.
The Mavericks, who fielded their first team in 2011, have quickly ascended on the Division-I landscape with now four-straight winning seasons and double-figure victories in three of those (nine in the other).
Last year, FGCU played the University of Omaha last season and defeated the Mavericks 3-2 at home. Omaha was ranked 24th in the nation at the time.
The teams that FGCU never played are Charlotte, Presbyterian, Georgia Southern and Cal State Fullerton.
The first team FGCU will play to start the season off is against Charlotte. The 49ers were 8-5-6 overall with a 2-1-5 record in Conference USA. They would defeat New Mexico in the quarterfinals (1-0) and FIU in the semifinals (3-1) before falling to Old Dominion in the championship (0-1) thus being named C-USA Runner-Up.
FGCU will be meeting Presbyterian for the first time in program history. The Blue Hose last season went 6-9-5 overall with a 3-3-2 record in the Big South. They would win the Big South Championship and punch their ticket to the national tournament before falling in the first round to .
Georgia Southern is coming off of a 9-8-1 overall record with a 3-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. They would beat Appalachian State in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks before falling to Georgia State in the semis. This game will be the "Battle of the Eagles" since Georgia Southern's mascot is the Eagles.
Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a 10-8-4 overall record with a 4-4-2 record in the Big West Conference (BWC). The Titans would defeat UC Riverside in the semifinals before defeating UC Davis in the championship on penalty kicks thus punching their ticket to the national tournament where they fell to the University of the Pacific in the first round. The Titans are currently receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (6).
The teams that FGCU played traditionally include USF, UCF, FAU, and FIU.
The Bulls, now led by former FGCU head coach Bob Butehorn, were 6-6-4 overall with a 3-2-2 record in the AAC. They failed to make the postseason.
Overall FGCU is 3-4-4 against USF. Last time out, FGCU and USF ended up in a tie in double overtime. The Eagles last against the Bulls was in the first round of the 2016 NCAA National Tournament where the Eagles, who were ranked #18 at the time, won 3-0 in penalty kicks. USF's last win was on Sept. 19, 2015 where they won 2-1 in Tampa. USF is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (8).
The Knights are coming off of a 10-6-2 record with a 6-0-1 record in the AAC. They would defeat U-Conn in the quarterfinals of the AAC Conference Tournament before falling to Southern Methodist in the semis.
Overall, the Eagles are 3-1-2 against the Knights. Last time out, the Eagles won 1-0 at home, the same match where I thought I had a concussion before the game even started. The Golden Knights lone win was on Nov. 17, 2011 in the first round of the 2011 NCAA National Tournament. This was the Eagles' first national tournament appearance. Like Cal State Fullerton and USF, UCF is also receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (11).
FAU is coming off of a 2-14 overall record with a 2-6 record in Conference USA. They would fail to make it to the postseason.
Overall, the Eagles are 5-4-1 against the Owls. FGCU's last win against the Owls was on Halloween 2017 where the Eagles won 3-0. FAU's last win against FGCU was on Sept. 11, 2013 where the Owls won 3-2 at FAU in double overtime.
FIU is currently ranked #20 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, and are coming off of a 12-2-4 overall record with a 6-0-2 record in Conference USA. Although they fell in the conference finals to Charlotte, the Panthers RPI ranking was strong enough to punch their ticket to the 2017 NCAA National Tournament. They would defeat Omaha 2-0 in the first round before falling 1-2 to then #14 Duke in the second round.
Overall, FGCU is 3-7 against FIU. Last time out, FIU defeated FGCU 4-3 in double overtime at FGCU. The Eagles last win against the Panthers was on Oct 4, 2016 where the Eagles won 4-1 and were ranked #12 in the nation.
Conference Level:
Heading into conference, FGCU will play the usual conference members: NJIT, Lipscomb, Stetson, UNF, and JU.
The Highlanders are coming off of a 8-7-4 overall with a 3-2-1 record in conference finishing as the #3 seed before falling to Lipscomb in the quarterfinals in penalty kicks.
Overall, FGCU is currently 2-0 against the Highlanders. Last time out, FGCU won 5-0 on their senior day at home.
Lipscomb is coming off of an 11-8-2 overall record with a 2-4 record in conference finishing as the #6 seed. They would defeat NJIT, FGCU and Jacksonville in the A-SUN Conference Tournament and punch their ticket to the national tournament before falling to Butler in the first round. The Bison were the lowest seed in the tournament and upset the #3 and #2 seeds (NJIT and FGCU).
Overall, FGCU is 9-4-1 against the Bison. The Eagles last win against the Bison was on October 17, 2017 where the Eagles won 2-0.
The Hatters are coming off of a 7-7-2 overall with a 4-0-2 in conference, finishing as the #1 seed before falling to Jacksonville in the conference tournament semifinals.
Overall FGCU is 5-4-1 overall against Stetson. Last time out, both teams played to a 1-1 tie in double overtime. FGCU's last win against Stetson was on Oct. 14, 2016 where they won 6-0 while Stetson's last win was on Oct. 26, 2013 where the Hatters won 2-1.
The Osprey are coming off of a 3-10-2 overall record with a 2-3-1 record in conference, finishing as the #4 seed before falling to crosstown rival JU.
Overall, the Eagles are 8-2-2 against the Osprey. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Osprey 2-0 at UNF. UNF's last win against FGCU was on Oct. 13, 2016 where the Osprey won 3-2, in which the Eagles were ranked #11 in the nation.
The Dolphins are coming off of a 6-10-1 overall record with a 2-3-1 record in conference. Despite tying their conference record with UNF, the Dolphins were named the #5 seed. They would defeat their crosstown rival UNF in the quarterfinals and Stetson in double overtime in the semifinals before falling in the championship game to Lipscomb, the lowest seed in the tournament.
Overall, FGCU is 9-3 against JU. Last season, FGCU defeated JU 2-1. JU's last win was on Oct 4, 2009 where the Dolphins won 4-1.
New A-SUN Blood:
There were also some changes to the conference as USC Upstate has left the A-SUN and joined the Big South Conference, so two new members have joined the A-SUN: North Alabama and Liberty.
The University of North Alabama is joining the A-SUN after transferring from NCAA DII Gulf South Conference does not have a men's soccer team, but Liberty does.
Liberty joins the A-SUN after being in the Big South since 1991, but I guess you could say it was a trade since Upstate has joined the Big South.
The Flames are coming off of a 10-6-1 overall record with a 5-3 record in the Big South before falling in the Big South semifinals to High Point University.
FGCU opens the first two games of their season on the road. They will start in North Carolina where they will play Charlotte at 7 P.M. on Aug. 24, and then travel two hours south to Clinton, South Carolina to face Presbyterian Aug. 26 at 1 P.M. before opening their first home match against #6 Wake Forest on Sep. 1 at 7 P.M.
After traveling to Statesboro to face Georgia Southern in the "Battle of the Eagles" on Sept. 7 at 7 P.M., FGCU will return to action at home and face USF on Sept. 15 and Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 19 at 7 P.M. before beginning conference on the road against NJIT on Sept. 22 at 3 P.M.
FGCU will then return home to face FAU on Tuesday Sept. 25 at 7 P.M. before returning on the road to face Lipscomb Saturday Sept 29 at 8 P.M. and then FIU on Wednesday Oct. 3 at 7 P.M.
The Eagles will then return home for conference play as they prepare for Stetson on Oct 6 at 7 P.M. and new A-SUN member Liberty on Tuesday Oct. 9 at 7 P.M.
FGCU will then return for their final two non-conference as they play UCF on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7 P.M. and Omaha on Saturday Oct. 20 at 2 P.M. before closing the conference season with a game at home on Wednesday Oct. 24 at 7 P.M. and on the road against Jacksonville on Saturday Oct. 27 at 7 P.M.
FGCU will be led by Jessie Cormier. Cormier enters his second season as head and his resume speaks loudly about him. Prior to FGCU, Cormier was head coach for the University of Vermont for seven years.
"Our goal once again is to win the A-SUN Championship, and our non-conference schedule has been put together to help prepare us for that goal," said Cormier. "We have several quality opponents coming to The Nest this fall. It should be some high-quality, top-level soccer, and I know our guys and our staff are all looking forward to getting going and returning to play in front of our great fans and Dirty Birds."
FGCU is coming off of a 8-6-3 overall with a 4-1-1 record in conference. The Eagles would fall in the semifinals of the conference tournament to Lipscomb.
The Eagles will lose seven players as seniors: Eli Roubos, Nicolas Samayoa, Jiro Barriga Toyama, Robert Ferrer, Dylan Sacramento, Miguel Jaime, Caleb George and Albert Ruiz.
Ruiz was one of the best players not just for FGCU and the A-SUN Conference, but also in the nation. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Ruiz's resume with FGCU speaks for itself. Ruiz was a A-SUN Player of the Year, two-time A-SUN All-Tournament Team member, A-SUN All-Tournament Team MVP and three-time A-SUN Conference First Team member.
During the 2016 season, Ruiz extended further than that. His 22 goals were not only lead as the most for FGCU and the A-SUN, but in the nation too.
As a result of his success, Ruiz was also named a NSCAA All-Southeast Region First Team memeber, NSCAA First Team All-American and one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy. Ruiz will be one of nine seniors playing their last season.
This year, FGCU will play five teams that have been to last year's NCAA National Tournament, and teams I have never seen us face before or that haven't faced in a long time or not at all: The University of Omaha, Charlotte, Wake Forest, Presbyterian, Georgia Southern and Cal State Fullerton.
Wake Forest is coming off of a 19-2-2 overall record with a 7-0-1 record in the ACC. They would defeat Virginia Tech 3-0 in the quarterfinals and Clemson 2-1 in the semifinals before defeating Virginia in the final 4-3 in penalty kicks to become the ACC champs and punch their ticket to the national tournament. After earning a first round bye, they would defeat Columbia in the second round and Butler in the third round before falling to Stanford in the quarterfinals.
The last time FGCU played Wake Forest was on September 20, 2015 where the Deacons defeated the Eagles 1-0. At that time, FGCU was ranked 19th in the nation while Wake Forest was 20th. Wake Forest is the only Power 5 Conference team on the FGCU's Schedule, and are currently ranked #6 in the nation.
The game against Omaha will be FGCU's fifth non-league opponent. The Mavericks are coming off of a 10-6-3 overall record with a 2-1-2 record in the Summit League. They would become the Summit League champs and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, which they lost to FIU in the first round. This was their first postseason appearance last year.
The Mavericks, who fielded their first team in 2011, have quickly ascended on the Division-I landscape with now four-straight winning seasons and double-figure victories in three of those (nine in the other).
Last year, FGCU played the University of Omaha last season and defeated the Mavericks 3-2 at home. Omaha was ranked 24th in the nation at the time.
The teams that FGCU never played are Charlotte, Presbyterian, Georgia Southern and Cal State Fullerton.
The first team FGCU will play to start the season off is against Charlotte. The 49ers were 8-5-6 overall with a 2-1-5 record in Conference USA. They would defeat New Mexico in the quarterfinals (1-0) and FIU in the semifinals (3-1) before falling to Old Dominion in the championship (0-1) thus being named C-USA Runner-Up.
FGCU will be meeting Presbyterian for the first time in program history. The Blue Hose last season went 6-9-5 overall with a 3-3-2 record in the Big South. They would win the Big South Championship and punch their ticket to the national tournament before falling in the first round to .
Georgia Southern is coming off of a 9-8-1 overall record with a 3-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. They would beat Appalachian State in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks before falling to Georgia State in the semis. This game will be the "Battle of the Eagles" since Georgia Southern's mascot is the Eagles.
Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a 10-8-4 overall record with a 4-4-2 record in the Big West Conference (BWC). The Titans would defeat UC Riverside in the semifinals before defeating UC Davis in the championship on penalty kicks thus punching their ticket to the national tournament where they fell to the University of the Pacific in the first round. The Titans are currently receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (6).
The teams that FGCU played traditionally include USF, UCF, FAU, and FIU.
The Bulls, now led by former FGCU head coach Bob Butehorn, were 6-6-4 overall with a 3-2-2 record in the AAC. They failed to make the postseason.
Overall FGCU is 3-4-4 against USF. Last time out, FGCU and USF ended up in a tie in double overtime. The Eagles last against the Bulls was in the first round of the 2016 NCAA National Tournament where the Eagles, who were ranked #18 at the time, won 3-0 in penalty kicks. USF's last win was on Sept. 19, 2015 where they won 2-1 in Tampa. USF is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (8).
The Knights are coming off of a 10-6-2 record with a 6-0-1 record in the AAC. They would defeat U-Conn in the quarterfinals of the AAC Conference Tournament before falling to Southern Methodist in the semis.
Overall, the Eagles are 3-1-2 against the Knights. Last time out, the Eagles won 1-0 at home, the same match where I thought I had a concussion before the game even started. The Golden Knights lone win was on Nov. 17, 2011 in the first round of the 2011 NCAA National Tournament. This was the Eagles' first national tournament appearance. Like Cal State Fullerton and USF, UCF is also receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (11).
FAU is coming off of a 2-14 overall record with a 2-6 record in Conference USA. They would fail to make it to the postseason.
Overall, the Eagles are 5-4-1 against the Owls. FGCU's last win against the Owls was on Halloween 2017 where the Eagles won 3-0. FAU's last win against FGCU was on Sept. 11, 2013 where the Owls won 3-2 at FAU in double overtime.
FIU is currently ranked #20 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, and are coming off of a 12-2-4 overall record with a 6-0-2 record in Conference USA. Although they fell in the conference finals to Charlotte, the Panthers RPI ranking was strong enough to punch their ticket to the 2017 NCAA National Tournament. They would defeat Omaha 2-0 in the first round before falling 1-2 to then #14 Duke in the second round.
Overall, FGCU is 3-7 against FIU. Last time out, FIU defeated FGCU 4-3 in double overtime at FGCU. The Eagles last win against the Panthers was on Oct 4, 2016 where the Eagles won 4-1 and were ranked #12 in the nation.
Conference Level:
Heading into conference, FGCU will play the usual conference members: NJIT, Lipscomb, Stetson, UNF, and JU.
The Highlanders are coming off of a 8-7-4 overall with a 3-2-1 record in conference finishing as the #3 seed before falling to Lipscomb in the quarterfinals in penalty kicks.
Overall, FGCU is currently 2-0 against the Highlanders. Last time out, FGCU won 5-0 on their senior day at home.
Lipscomb is coming off of an 11-8-2 overall record with a 2-4 record in conference finishing as the #6 seed. They would defeat NJIT, FGCU and Jacksonville in the A-SUN Conference Tournament and punch their ticket to the national tournament before falling to Butler in the first round. The Bison were the lowest seed in the tournament and upset the #3 and #2 seeds (NJIT and FGCU).
Overall, FGCU is 9-4-1 against the Bison. The Eagles last win against the Bison was on October 17, 2017 where the Eagles won 2-0.
The Hatters are coming off of a 7-7-2 overall with a 4-0-2 in conference, finishing as the #1 seed before falling to Jacksonville in the conference tournament semifinals.
Overall FGCU is 5-4-1 overall against Stetson. Last time out, both teams played to a 1-1 tie in double overtime. FGCU's last win against Stetson was on Oct. 14, 2016 where they won 6-0 while Stetson's last win was on Oct. 26, 2013 where the Hatters won 2-1.
The Osprey are coming off of a 3-10-2 overall record with a 2-3-1 record in conference, finishing as the #4 seed before falling to crosstown rival JU.
Overall, the Eagles are 8-2-2 against the Osprey. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Osprey 2-0 at UNF. UNF's last win against FGCU was on Oct. 13, 2016 where the Osprey won 3-2, in which the Eagles were ranked #11 in the nation.
The Dolphins are coming off of a 6-10-1 overall record with a 2-3-1 record in conference. Despite tying their conference record with UNF, the Dolphins were named the #5 seed. They would defeat their crosstown rival UNF in the quarterfinals and Stetson in double overtime in the semifinals before falling in the championship game to Lipscomb, the lowest seed in the tournament.
Overall, FGCU is 9-3 against JU. Last season, FGCU defeated JU 2-1. JU's last win was on Oct 4, 2009 where the Dolphins won 4-1.
New A-SUN Blood:
There were also some changes to the conference as USC Upstate has left the A-SUN and joined the Big South Conference, so two new members have joined the A-SUN: North Alabama and Liberty.
The University of North Alabama is joining the A-SUN after transferring from NCAA DII Gulf South Conference does not have a men's soccer team, but Liberty does.
Liberty joins the A-SUN after being in the Big South since 1991, but I guess you could say it was a trade since Upstate has joined the Big South.
The Flames are coming off of a 10-6-1 overall record with a 5-3 record in the Big South before falling in the Big South semifinals to High Point University.
FGCU opens the first two games of their season on the road. They will start in North Carolina where they will play Charlotte at 7 P.M. on Aug. 24, and then travel two hours south to Clinton, South Carolina to face Presbyterian Aug. 26 at 1 P.M. before opening their first home match against #6 Wake Forest on Sep. 1 at 7 P.M.
After traveling to Statesboro to face Georgia Southern in the "Battle of the Eagles" on Sept. 7 at 7 P.M., FGCU will return to action at home and face USF on Sept. 15 and Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 19 at 7 P.M. before beginning conference on the road against NJIT on Sept. 22 at 3 P.M.
FGCU will then return home to face FAU on Tuesday Sept. 25 at 7 P.M. before returning on the road to face Lipscomb Saturday Sept 29 at 8 P.M. and then FIU on Wednesday Oct. 3 at 7 P.M.
The Eagles will then return home for conference play as they prepare for Stetson on Oct 6 at 7 P.M. and new A-SUN member Liberty on Tuesday Oct. 9 at 7 P.M.
FGCU will then return for their final two non-conference as they play UCF on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7 P.M. and Omaha on Saturday Oct. 20 at 2 P.M. before closing the conference season with a game at home on Wednesday Oct. 24 at 7 P.M. and on the road against Jacksonville on Saturday Oct. 27 at 7 P.M.
FGCU W. Soc @ UCF Preview
After opening their season at home, the FGCU women's soccer team (1-0) prepare for the first of their two road games of the season as they travel to Orlando to face #16 UCF.
Last Time Out:
After playing two exhibition games against FAU and Florida, the Eagles opened their season at home against Georgia Southern in the "Battle of the Eagles". FGCU would defeat Georgia Southern 3-0 to open the season. FGCU outshot Georgia Southern 22-1.
During the game, 10 of FGCU's players made their debuts/returns.
Freshmen Ashlee Brentlinger, Kara Kyramarios, Brianna Hatfield and Logan Oldani and junior transfers Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova, Opall Curless made their official FGCU debuts. Brentlinger, Popadinova and Curless were in the starting lineup.
Redshirt sophomores Megan Young and Tori Dorr made their returns to the lineup after missing the entire 2017 season due to injuries. Young was in the starting lineup.
Redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes also made her debut after sitting out the entire 2017 season due to injury.
The Eagles' three goals came off the foots of sophomore Hope Van Wagner, Popadinova and junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen.
Popadinova's goal was her first as an Eagle and in the NCAA. Popadinova spent her first two years at NAIA Northwestern Ohio.
Boilesen's goal was her 12th career goal at FGCU. The 2018 A-SUN Preseason Player of the Year on the MAC Hermann Watch List, tied for 8th place with current director of operations Ali Rogers and Olivia Elias in the school's all-time record book.
As I mentioned about Popadinova and Boilesen, I referred to them as the A-SUN Legion of Doom.
Scouting UCF:
The Knights are coming off of a 16-2-3 overall record and a 6-0-2 record in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) play to climb all the way to #8 in the NCAA rankings by years end.
Unfortunately, UCF was stunned at home 1-0 by Washington State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier, the Knights played in two exhibition matches where they defeated Wyoming 2-0 and A-SUN conference member UNF 3-0.
This season, the Knights open up the year ranked 16th by the United Soccer Coaches Poll and are picked by the AAC coaches to repeat as champions in 2018.
They return a wealth of talent including AAC preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Vera Varis who allowed just five goals last season and 2017 AAC Rookie of the Year Dina Orschmann who finished her freshman year as the Knights shots leader while collecting six goals and eight assists in the process.
FGCU and UCF have met five times on the pitch with the Knights holding a 4-0-1 series advantage. The Eagles lone result in the series came in 2011 in a 0-0 tie in Orlando.
The game will start at 6 P.M. on Sunday.
Livestats is available as well as livestream on UCFKnights.TV, however, in order to watch live, the game will cost $5.99 for a one-day pass.
Last Time Out:
After playing two exhibition games against FAU and Florida, the Eagles opened their season at home against Georgia Southern in the "Battle of the Eagles". FGCU would defeat Georgia Southern 3-0 to open the season. FGCU outshot Georgia Southern 22-1.
During the game, 10 of FGCU's players made their debuts/returns.
Freshmen Ashlee Brentlinger, Kara Kyramarios, Brianna Hatfield and Logan Oldani and junior transfers Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova, Opall Curless made their official FGCU debuts. Brentlinger, Popadinova and Curless were in the starting lineup.
Redshirt sophomores Megan Young and Tori Dorr made their returns to the lineup after missing the entire 2017 season due to injuries. Young was in the starting lineup.
Redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes also made her debut after sitting out the entire 2017 season due to injury.
The Eagles' three goals came off the foots of sophomore Hope Van Wagner, Popadinova and junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen.
Popadinova's goal was her first as an Eagle and in the NCAA. Popadinova spent her first two years at NAIA Northwestern Ohio.
Boilesen's goal was her 12th career goal at FGCU. The 2018 A-SUN Preseason Player of the Year on the MAC Hermann Watch List, tied for 8th place with current director of operations Ali Rogers and Olivia Elias in the school's all-time record book.
As I mentioned about Popadinova and Boilesen, I referred to them as the A-SUN Legion of Doom.
Scouting UCF:
The Knights are coming off of a 16-2-3 overall record and a 6-0-2 record in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) play to climb all the way to #8 in the NCAA rankings by years end.
Unfortunately, UCF was stunned at home 1-0 by Washington State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier, the Knights played in two exhibition matches where they defeated Wyoming 2-0 and A-SUN conference member UNF 3-0.
This season, the Knights open up the year ranked 16th by the United Soccer Coaches Poll and are picked by the AAC coaches to repeat as champions in 2018.
They return a wealth of talent including AAC preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Vera Varis who allowed just five goals last season and 2017 AAC Rookie of the Year Dina Orschmann who finished her freshman year as the Knights shots leader while collecting six goals and eight assists in the process.
FGCU and UCF have met five times on the pitch with the Knights holding a 4-0-1 series advantage. The Eagles lone result in the series came in 2011 in a 0-0 tie in Orlando.
The game will start at 6 P.M. on Sunday.
Livestats is available as well as livestream on UCFKnights.TV, however, in order to watch live, the game will cost $5.99 for a one-day pass.
FGCU W. Soc vs Georgia Southern Recap
To begin the post, I want to clarify something about two of the FGCU women's soccer players. I referred to these two players, junior forwards Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen, as a team known as the A-SUN Legion of Doom.
Although a legendary WWE tag team, the Road Warriors, used the term "Legion of Doom" as well and the DC Comic uses the name "Legion of Doom", I am not using the term "Legion of Doom" in any references to copyright in any way. It's just for fun and no finance, so I don't want to stir any pots whatsoever and cause any legal problem of sorts.
To get back on track, in the "Battle of the Eagles" on Friday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex, the FGCU women's soccer team (1-0) opened the 2018 campaign with a bang, getting goals from three different players while outshooting the visiting Georgia Southern Eagles (0-1) 22-1 on the night to come away with a clean 3-0 win to start the year.
With the win, FGCU is now 2-0 against Georgia Southern and oddly, it was the same 3-0 score as last season.
For goalkeepers, FGCU head coach Jim Blankenship had junior and defending A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year Melissa Weck start while Georgia Southern head coach Brian Dunleavy sent redshirt senior Jocelyn Springer to counter.
One minute into the match, sophomore Hope Van Wagner attempted a shot, but Springer was quick to save.
Five minutes later after back-to-back fouls from Georgia Southern and a foul from FGCU, senior Holly Fritz attempted a shot that went wide. Three GSU fouls and two Fritz corner kicks later, Boilesen attempted a header that would be block.
After another Fritz corner kick, junior Lindsey Patton would attempt a shot, but Springer was once again quick to get the save.
17 minutes in, and after two FGCU offside calls, Boilesen would give FGCU a start to the lead with a chipper for the first goal of the 2018 season. This was Boilesen's 12th career goal with FGCU and moved into a tie for 8th place with Ali Rogers, FGCU current women's soccer direct of operations, and Olivia Elias. The Brazil native is five goals away from passing Gina Petracco (16) for 7th all-time in career goals.
GSU would make the first substitution of the match as sophomore Juveina Hylton would come in for redshirt sophomore Marcela Montoya.
FGCU would attempt two more shots from Fritz and Van Wagner, but to no avail.
20 minutes in, GSU would make two more substitutions as sophomore Maddie Klintworth subbed in for senior Asha Vilaythong and senior Hannah Smith subbed in for junior Elsa Borjesson.
FGCU would also make a substitution as junior Silvana Gordon checked in and immediately got a good look at goal but narrowly missed.
Popadinova would then attempt a shot, but was also unsuccessful. The Bulgarian native made her debut for FGCU after spending her first two seasons with NAIA Northwestern Ohio.
26 minutes in, redshirt junior Halle Huff would sub in for Hylton. FGCU continued to put pressure on GSU after corner kicks from Fritz and shots from Patton, but once again to no avail.
After senior Tyler Gordon checked in for freshman Brooke Barrett and redshirt freshman Kristin Sandifer subbed in for freshman Alanna Lutchmansingh for GSU, senior Shay Jackson would sub in for Boilesen.
After another GSU foul, Popadinova would attempt a shot that hit the crossbar before GSU made another substitution by sending freshman Vala Kristin Theodorsdottir to sub in for fellow freshman Megan Przybysz.
After three straight unsuccessful shots from Jackson, Popadinova and senior Camille Knudstrup, a GSU foul and junior Courtney Johnson subbing in for fellow junior Frida Brattum, Huff would take GSU's first shot of the game, but unfortunately the shot was blocked.
FGCU would make one final substitution as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo subbed in for Popadinova before the first half ended. Abbondandolo was making her debut after graduating from Oasis High School.
Four minutes into the second half, FGCU would get their second goal of the game as Van Wagner would get a header with assists from redshirt sophomore Megan Young and freshman Ashlee Brentlinger.
Brentlinger made her debut after graduating from Padua Academy.
Young made her return to the starting lineup after sitting out the entire 2017 season with a knee injury.
After the goal, Borjesson would come back in for senior Junique Rodriguez.
GSU would cause four straight fouls before Popadinova would give FGCU the lead with her first goal of the season with FGCU and in the NCAA.
"I'm very excited that I scored my first goal with FGCU," Popadinova said. "Obviously, I had some good chances as well, and I felt down when I missed, but I got myself up and scored on the next opportunity, so I'm really happy."
After the goal, FGCU would make substitutions as Jackson reentered the game and subbed in for sophomore Cassidy Morgan before being subbed out by sophomore Kavina Ganeshan, juniors Emilie Olsen and Petra Smetkova would sub in for Boilesen and Knudstrup, and freshmen Kara Kyramarios, Brianna Hatfield and Logan Oldani would sub in for Fritz, Brentlinger and Young.
Redshirt sophomore Tori Dorr subbed in for Gordon. Dorr joined Young in making her return after sitting out the whole 2017 season with a leg injury.
Redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes would round the rotation as she subbed in for Olsen. Hawes made her official debut after sitting out the entire season due to injury
Junior Opall Curless made her FGCU debut in the starting lineup. Curless is debuting after spending her first two years with Syracuse.
Kyramarios, Hatfield, Oldani, Abbondandolo and Hawes all joined Popadinova, Curless and Brentlinger in making their debuts.
Weck would earn the shutout despite not getting any saves.
Popadinova took five shots in the game.
Fritz, Van Wagner, Patton and Boilesen took three shots each.
Gordon took two shots.
Knudstrup, Jackson, and Olsen took one shot each.
Springer gave up all three goals and had five saves.
"It was fantastic," Blankenship said. "We got off to a great start and playing at home in front of a great crowd you could see the energy and excitement in our kids."
"We played a very impressive team, FGCU was outstanding. It was a tough atmosphere to play in as well, their fans were excellent," said Dunleavy. "The first half was a barrage, and although we conceded two 2nd half goals. We were a much better team after halftime, and were able to adjust to the pace of the game and put some pressure on them. Tough result, but we learned a lot about ourselves tonight, and we can move forward to our home opener on Sunday."
759 students and fans were in attendance, including the men's soccer team, the volleyball team and men's and women's cross country team.
"It was amazing," Popadinova said on the attendance. "In my old school (Northwestern Ohio), we couldn't get such a big crowd, and it's always exciting to play in front of so many people, so I really want to thank them, and I hope they will come support us for the next game.
"I thought we connected really well together, said Van Wagner. "Obviously it's a brand new team, so there's a bunch of new girls. We did really well keeping it positive, and working together as a team.
Dejavu?:
There were a number of similarities in Friday's victory and last year's season opening win at Georgia Southern. Both contests finished in 3-0 FGCU wins. Boilesen and Van Wagner were the first two players to score for the Eagles for the second straight year. FGCU allowed just one shot on the night and none on goal, just as they did last year against the Eagles.
Up Next:
After starting the year 1-0 for the second straight season, FGCU will now face one of their toughest tasks of the season as they head to Orlando Sunday to take on the 16th ranked UCF Knights in a 6 PM start from the UCF Soccer Complex.
"I''m thinking the things that we can carry over into the UCF game is our energy on the field. It was great having so many fans out there tonight that kept the energy high, but bringing that over into the UCF game will definitely help us out to prepare for that match," said Van Wagner.
Although a legendary WWE tag team, the Road Warriors, used the term "Legion of Doom" as well and the DC Comic uses the name "Legion of Doom", I am not using the term "Legion of Doom" in any references to copyright in any way. It's just for fun and no finance, so I don't want to stir any pots whatsoever and cause any legal problem of sorts.
With the win, FGCU is now 2-0 against Georgia Southern and oddly, it was the same 3-0 score as last season.
For goalkeepers, FGCU head coach Jim Blankenship had junior and defending A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year Melissa Weck start while Georgia Southern head coach Brian Dunleavy sent redshirt senior Jocelyn Springer to counter.
One minute into the match, sophomore Hope Van Wagner attempted a shot, but Springer was quick to save.
Five minutes later after back-to-back fouls from Georgia Southern and a foul from FGCU, senior Holly Fritz attempted a shot that went wide. Three GSU fouls and two Fritz corner kicks later, Boilesen attempted a header that would be block.
After another Fritz corner kick, junior Lindsey Patton would attempt a shot, but Springer was once again quick to get the save.
17 minutes in, and after two FGCU offside calls, Boilesen would give FGCU a start to the lead with a chipper for the first goal of the 2018 season. This was Boilesen's 12th career goal with FGCU and moved into a tie for 8th place with Ali Rogers, FGCU current women's soccer direct of operations, and Olivia Elias. The Brazil native is five goals away from passing Gina Petracco (16) for 7th all-time in career goals.
GSU would make the first substitution of the match as sophomore Juveina Hylton would come in for redshirt sophomore Marcela Montoya.
FGCU would attempt two more shots from Fritz and Van Wagner, but to no avail.
20 minutes in, GSU would make two more substitutions as sophomore Maddie Klintworth subbed in for senior Asha Vilaythong and senior Hannah Smith subbed in for junior Elsa Borjesson.
FGCU would also make a substitution as junior Silvana Gordon checked in and immediately got a good look at goal but narrowly missed.
Popadinova would then attempt a shot, but was also unsuccessful. The Bulgarian native made her debut for FGCU after spending her first two seasons with NAIA Northwestern Ohio.
26 minutes in, redshirt junior Halle Huff would sub in for Hylton. FGCU continued to put pressure on GSU after corner kicks from Fritz and shots from Patton, but once again to no avail.
After senior Tyler Gordon checked in for freshman Brooke Barrett and redshirt freshman Kristin Sandifer subbed in for freshman Alanna Lutchmansingh for GSU, senior Shay Jackson would sub in for Boilesen.
After another GSU foul, Popadinova would attempt a shot that hit the crossbar before GSU made another substitution by sending freshman Vala Kristin Theodorsdottir to sub in for fellow freshman Megan Przybysz.
After three straight unsuccessful shots from Jackson, Popadinova and senior Camille Knudstrup, a GSU foul and junior Courtney Johnson subbing in for fellow junior Frida Brattum, Huff would take GSU's first shot of the game, but unfortunately the shot was blocked.
FGCU would make one final substitution as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo subbed in for Popadinova before the first half ended. Abbondandolo was making her debut after graduating from Oasis High School.
Four minutes into the second half, FGCU would get their second goal of the game as Van Wagner would get a header with assists from redshirt sophomore Megan Young and freshman Ashlee Brentlinger.
Brentlinger made her debut after graduating from Padua Academy.
Young made her return to the starting lineup after sitting out the entire 2017 season with a knee injury.
After the goal, Borjesson would come back in for senior Junique Rodriguez.
GSU would cause four straight fouls before Popadinova would give FGCU the lead with her first goal of the season with FGCU and in the NCAA.
"I'm very excited that I scored my first goal with FGCU," Popadinova said. "Obviously, I had some good chances as well, and I felt down when I missed, but I got myself up and scored on the next opportunity, so I'm really happy."
After the goal, FGCU would make substitutions as Jackson reentered the game and subbed in for sophomore Cassidy Morgan before being subbed out by sophomore Kavina Ganeshan, juniors Emilie Olsen and Petra Smetkova would sub in for Boilesen and Knudstrup, and freshmen Kara Kyramarios, Brianna Hatfield and Logan Oldani would sub in for Fritz, Brentlinger and Young.
Redshirt sophomore Tori Dorr subbed in for Gordon. Dorr joined Young in making her return after sitting out the whole 2017 season with a leg injury.
Junior Opall Curless made her FGCU debut in the starting lineup. Curless is debuting after spending her first two years with Syracuse.
Kyramarios, Hatfield, Oldani, Abbondandolo and Hawes all joined Popadinova, Curless and Brentlinger in making their debuts.
Weck would earn the shutout despite not getting any saves.
Popadinova took five shots in the game.
Fritz, Van Wagner, Patton and Boilesen took three shots each.
Gordon took two shots.
Knudstrup, Jackson, and Olsen took one shot each.
Springer gave up all three goals and had five saves.
"It was fantastic," Blankenship said. "We got off to a great start and playing at home in front of a great crowd you could see the energy and excitement in our kids."
"We played a very impressive team, FGCU was outstanding. It was a tough atmosphere to play in as well, their fans were excellent," said Dunleavy. "The first half was a barrage, and although we conceded two 2nd half goals. We were a much better team after halftime, and were able to adjust to the pace of the game and put some pressure on them. Tough result, but we learned a lot about ourselves tonight, and we can move forward to our home opener on Sunday."
759 students and fans were in attendance, including the men's soccer team, the volleyball team and men's and women's cross country team.
"It was amazing," Popadinova said on the attendance. "In my old school (Northwestern Ohio), we couldn't get such a big crowd, and it's always exciting to play in front of so many people, so I really want to thank them, and I hope they will come support us for the next game.
"I thought we connected really well together, said Van Wagner. "Obviously it's a brand new team, so there's a bunch of new girls. We did really well keeping it positive, and working together as a team.
There were a number of similarities in Friday's victory and last year's season opening win at Georgia Southern. Both contests finished in 3-0 FGCU wins. Boilesen and Van Wagner were the first two players to score for the Eagles for the second straight year. FGCU allowed just one shot on the night and none on goal, just as they did last year against the Eagles.
Up Next:
After starting the year 1-0 for the second straight season, FGCU will now face one of their toughest tasks of the season as they head to Orlando Sunday to take on the 16th ranked UCF Knights in a 6 PM start from the UCF Soccer Complex.
"I''m thinking the things that we can carry over into the UCF game is our energy on the field. It was great having so many fans out there tonight that kept the energy high, but bringing that over into the UCF game will definitely help us out to prepare for that match," said Van Wagner.
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