After being rained out Tuesday night, the FGCU men's soccer team (4-2-1, 1-0 A-SUN) will focus on Lipscomb (1-7, 1-0 A-SUN) as the Eagles look to avenge last year's A-SUN Championship Semifinals loss by hitting the road for a Saturday night clash with the Bisons.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles opened up conference play in Newark as they shutout NJIT 2-0. The Eagles are currently tied for first with Lipscomb with three points each.
Series History:
While FGCU holds a dominant 9-4-1 edge in the all-time series, nine of 13 matches have been decided by one goal. The only tie in the series came in the 2016 regular-season finale in Nashville, 1-1.
After Lipscomb won the first meeting in 2007, 2-0, FGCU claimed four-straight 2-1 victories. While the contests between the two sides have been close, they have also produced plenty of offense as there have only been four total shutouts in the 14 meetings. The aforementioned Lipscomb clean sheet in 2007, and then FGCU wins in 2013 (1-0), 2015 (4-0) and 2017 (2-0).
Earlier this week, redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos was named the A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week of the second time this month. Between two games against Cal State Fullerton and NJIT, the Brazil native secured 12 saves while conceding just one goal in 200 minutes of action. Vasconcelos 0.96 goals against average (GAA) currently sits atop the A-SUN as he also leads the conference with 31 saves.
Inside FGCU's Lineup:
Junior Shak Adams spearheads the FGCU offense with five goals, pairing that with three assists for a team-best 13 points thus far – third in the A-SUN.
Freshman O'Vonte Mullings is right behind him tallying three goals along with a pair of assists. Through seven matches, the Eagles boast seven different scorers on their roster.
Redshirt senior Jordan Lue is the most recent player to join that list as the senior netted his first goal with the Eagles last Saturday afternoon against NJIT in the 86th minute to put the game out of reach.
The Eagles are currently ranked 32nd in the RPI standings.
Scouting Lipscomb:
It's been a rough start for the A-SUN preseason favorites. The Bisons opened their 2018 slate with a 2-0 win over Belmont, but have dropped their last six matches since. In those six losses, five matches have been decided by one goal, with three going into overtime.
Redshirt senior Logan Paynter leads the squad with three goals while dishing out one assist.
Behind him, senior Ryan Birchfield and redshirt sophomore Javier Lieja each have a pair of goals.
In between the posts, it's been a rotation with two keepers. Redshirt senior Chris Zappia (1-4) so far has started five matches, logging in 25 saves for a 1.59 GAA in over 450 minutes.
Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Luke Wilson (0-3) will enter the weekend having started three contests for the Bison, recording 15 saves, a 2.65 GAA in just over 305 minutes of play.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and livestream will be presented on Lipscomb's Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_MSoccer
Lipscomb: @LipscombMSOC
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=223776
Livestream link: https://www.facebook.com/Lipscomb-University-Mens-Soccer-Team-135921109830290/
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