FGCU WSOC vs Northeastern Recap

Goals from senior Evdokia Popadinova and sophomore Ashlee Brentlinger boosted the FGCU women's soccer team (2-2-0) to a 2-0 victory over Northeastern (2-3-0) at the FGCU Soccer Complex on Sunday evening.

"We knew we had to show up to this game because Northeastern is a really good team," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "I was thrilled to see our team put together a full 90 minutes of hard work. We were able to keep the pressure on them throughout the game and we got a lot of second balls, which helped us get the win."

Both sides kept each other in check in the opening minutes of play as the Eagles and the Huskies were limited to one shot apiece through the 15-minute mark. Popadinova broke open the scoring for the Green and Blue after connecting with a pass from senior Marjorie Boilesenin the 20th minute that put the home team up 1-0 and snapped a four-match drought for the All-American.

Minutes later, the Huskies' Alexis Legowski fired one into the box but senior Melissa Weck dove on the ball to keep the visitors off the board. The Eagles' back line continued to stifle Northeastern's offense as the team took its 1-0 edge into the break.

FGCU continued to keep the pressure on the Huskies in the second stanza. Senior Silvana Gordon provided some pop off the bench for the Eagles and immediately tested the visiting keeper twice within two minutes of entering the match.

With just under 10 minutes left on the game clock, a free kick within the 20-yard line provided FGCU with a scoring opportunity. Senior Opal Curlessdrilled the free kick off the Huskies' keeper and Brentlinger tapped the second ball into the back of the net for her second career goal.

"I was really excited for Evi, I mean she's just a world class athlete and she has taken a lot of responsibility for our results so far," Blankenship said. "I was happy that she scored and I know she feels relieved. It was also really exciting to see Ashlee score. We have been talking a lot about getting to the second ball and she was able to do that and score on it, which was great."

Though Northeastern attempted to respond with an on-frame shot of their own, Weck held on for her second shutout of the season. She finished the night with four saves and is just under two career shutouts away from claiming second in the FGCU record book.

Gordon led the Eagles' offense with four shots, while Popadinova added three and both Brentlinger and redshirt-junior Megan Young contributed a pair each. With tonight's win, FGCU now improves to .500 on the season.

Up Next:
FGCU will hit the road to take on the Florida Gators up in Gainesville at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. The Gators received four votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll and were tabbed ninth in the Southeast Region Poll. The only time the Eagles have defeated Florida was a 1-0 victory in a 2015 exhibition match.