FGCU WSOC @ Stetson Preview

With the regular season champion title on the line, the FGCU women's soccer team (10-4-1, 5-1-1 A-SUN) will head to Stetson (2-11-2, 0-5-1 A-SUN) for the final match of A-SUN conference play on Sunday, Oct. 27. The match between the first-place Eagles and the Hatters is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at the Athletic Training Center and will be streamed on Hatter Vision.

FGCU is currently in a tie with Lipscomb for the top spot in the conference standings. With a win this weekend, the Eagles would clinch at least a share of the regular season title, which would be the ninth in program history. In the event of a tie in the final rankings, the A-SUN uses RPI to decide seeding for the postseason tournament. FGCU is currently ranked 66th, while the Bisons check in at 138.

FGCU, Lipscomb and Liberty are the only teams that have clinched spots in the 2019 A-SUN Championship, which is set to begin with quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 1. The tournament format dictates that the higher seed will host each matchup.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off splitting this past week after shutting out UNF 1-0 in double overtime at home before falling 1-0 to Liberty on the road. Despite the loss to Liberty, the Eagles still have a spot in the A-SUN Conference Tournament, a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship and being one of the top two seeds in the tournament.

Senior Evdokia Popadinova leads the team with eight goals with five of them being game-winners, while freshman Louise Lillback follows with seven goals and four assists and senior Marjorie Boilesen with five goals and four assists.

Senior Melissa Weck (10-4-1) has 51 saves with a 0.78 GAA.

Scouting Steston:
Sunday's match will be the 14th in the history between FGCU and Stetson, which the Eagles currently lead 10-1-2. The Green and Blue dropped the first-ever meeting against the Hatters in 2007 and have not lost since. Last season, FGCU claimed a 3-0 victory over the Hatters at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

The Hatters are currently on a four-match losing streak and have yet to pick up a win in conference play. The team earned a 0-0 draw against Jacksonville (Oct. 3), marking the team's only point in the A-SUN rankings.

Overall, Stetson is 1-3-2 on its home field at the Athletic Training Center. The Hatters have been outscored 14-7 on their pitch and the team has not found the back of the net since a 3-2 loss against Illinois State (Sept. 22). 

Freshman Maggie Struble leads the team with 12 points, which she has tallied from six goals. Sophomore Kate Carter has added four, which includes one game-winner.

Freshman Lara Bates has started between the pipes in 13 of Stetson's 16 matches this season. The rookie has been scored on 33 times and has picked up one shutout. Her 69 saves are the fourth-most of all A-SUN keepers and she currently owns a 0-10-2 record.

A-SUN Standings
T-1. FGCU * (16 points, 10-4-1, 5-1-1 A-SUN)
T-1. Lipscomb * (16 points, 11-5-1, 5-1-1 A-SUN)
3. Liberty * (15 points, 9-6-2, 5-2-0 A-SUN)
4. Kennesaw State (12 points, 9-7-0, 4-3-0 A-SUN)
5. UNF (10 points, 9-5-2, 3-2-1 A-SUN)
6. NJIT (7 points, 5-6-3, 2-3-1 A-SUN)
7. North Alabama (6 points, 6-9-0, 2-4-0 A-SUN)
T-8. Stetson (1 point, 2-11-2, 0-5-1 A-SUN)
T-8. Jacksonville (1 point, 0-11-3, 0-5-1 A-SUN)
* - Denotes a clinched spot in 2019 A-SUN Championship

Livestats will be available and will air on the Stetson's Hatter Vision

Livestats Link: https://gohatters.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary

Livestream Link: https://gohatters.com/watch/?Live=359&type=Live