FGCU M. Soc: A-SUN Conference Tournament Semifinals Preview

With the seeds set in stone, the FGCU men's soccer team (9-5-1, 5-1 A-SUN) ready themselves for the next task at hand: the A-SUN Conference Men's Soccer Championship.

Last Time Out:

The Eagles wrapped up their regular season with a 4-1 win against Jacksonville in Jacksonville.

As a result, the Eagles claimed a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship with Lipscomb, and will be listed as the #2 seed in the conference tournament, while Lipscomb is the #1 seed.

Seedings:

The final seeds are as listed prior to the tournament:

#1 Lipscomb (7-9, 5-1 A-SUN)

#2 FGCU (9-5-1, 5-1 A-SUN) 

#3 UNF (4-10, 3-3 A-SUN)

#4 JU (4-12, 3-3 A-SUN)

# 5 Liberty (7-6-1, 2-3-1 A-SUN)

#6 Stetson (6-9-1, 1-4-1 A-SUN)

NJIT (6-11, 1-5 A-SUN) were eliminated from the playoff picture due to their conference record, so their season has ended.

Last Weekly Award:
Junior Miguel Perez was named the A-SUN's Player of the Week for the first time in his career, the league office announced Monday afternoon. In FGCU's two wins over UNF and Jacksonville this past week, Perez netted a pair of goals to help lead the Eagles to a share of the A-SUN crown.

"Miguel has grown a lot this past year as a person and a player," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "He is hitting very good form in our attack at the right time of the year. His talent and skill have always been obvious since he stepped foot on campus but he's also spent a lot of time working on his pressing and training his understanding of his role as we press and defend as a team. I'm extremely proud of him and his progress to becoming a complete player."

Regular End of Season Awards:
Four Eagles were named on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team: Redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos, junior Shak Adams, senior Preston Kilwien and freshman O'Vonte Mullings.

"We look at these individual honors as team awards," said Cormier. "If the team does well, most of the squad gets recognized. But in many cases, the guys who aren't recognized are the ones who deserve much of the credit by their excellent support during games and increasing the challenge in training."

Vasconcelos (8-3-1) led the team and tied for first in the A-SUN in saves (56). The Brazilian led the A-SUN in save percentage (.778) and goals allowed average (1.32). In the final game against Jacksonville Vasconcelos had two saves and gave up the lone Dolphins goal. As a result of his goalkeeping, Vasconcelos was named the A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year.

"Gustavo is a great example for all young soccer players and athletes in general," stated Cormier. "He is one of the hardest working players I've seen. He rarely takes a day off, always searching to improve aspects of his life, and his art (goalkeeping). He listens, reads, and is a sponge in the relentless process of self-improvement. Gustavo is an example for anyone looking on what to do to become an exceptional person and player. I couldn't be more excited for him, his position coach Ian Spooner and our team (defense) to have him as an award winner."

Adams finished the regular season with eight goals and a conference-lead eight assists. Against Jacksonville, the Antioch, Tennessee native had a goal and an assist.

Kilwien helped the defensive anchor in which the Eagles allowed only 21 goals (fewest allowed in A-SUN). Along with his first team Accolade, Kilwien was named the A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year.

"Preston has improved immeasurably since I arrived a year and a half ago," said Cormier on Kilwien. "He's focused on his academics, becoming a much more consistent player and most importantly, has developed as a fine leader. He now demands excellence from the guys around him, always starting with himself. So happy to see his personal reflections make a difference for him in his life and the support he gives and receives from his fellow defenders and teammates." 

Mullings was second on the team with seven goals and four assists. In addition, not only was the Toronto native named a unanimous member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team, but he was named the A-SUN Freshman of the Year. Mullings is the first player to earn Freshman of the Year honors since Isaiah Madrid (2013) and the fourth Eagle overall in program history.

"O'Vonte is young, but he exhibits a maturity beyond his years," said Cormier. "He knows how to work, press and do the less glamorous things for our team to be successful. He's off to a great start here at FGCU but there is much more potential for him to realize and work towards as a member of our attack and team."

Redshirt senior Kamar Marriott was the only Eagle named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. Playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, Marriott helped Kilwien, senior Raheem Somersall and junior Ryan Medilah allow only 21 goals this season.

Along with Mullings, fellow freshman defender Ethan Dudley joined Mullings on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team. Dudley helped anchor the defensive front with Kilwein, Somersall, Marriott and Medilah.

While the Eagles did not win the A-SUN Regular Season Championship, they did gain a share of it. In the tournament, they are listed as the #2 seed in the tournament with a first round bye and will face #6 seed Stetson (7-9-1).

Scouting Stetson:
The 6th-seeded Hatters came away with the first upset of the A-SUN Championship Friday evening as they took down the 3rd-seeded UNF Ospreys 3-1. In that quarterfinal contest, A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Lewis Scattergood netted two goals for Stetson as he now has five goals this year while sophomore A-SUN All-Conference First Team member Erwan Colas leads the squad with seven goals.

Redshirt senior Braeden Luna played all 90 minutes in the quarterfinal affair, moving to 5-7-1 on the year. He's secured 42 saves so far and boasts a .618 save percentage along with a 1.94 GAA.

Along with Scattergood and Colas, the Hatters had five other names earn accolades: senior Julien Coulomb (A-SUN All-Conference Second Team), junior Gabriel Diniz (A-SUN All-Conference Second Team), freshman Sebastian Chalbaud (A-SUN All-Freshman Team), junior David Bergstrom (A-SUN All-Academic Team) and senior Chris Degance (A-SUN All-Academic Team).

Meanwhile in Nashville, #4 Jacksonville (5-12) defeated #5 Liberty (7-7-1) 2-0.

With that being said, #2 FGCU will face #6 seed Stetson and #1 Lipscomb faces #4 Jacksonville, while UNF, Liberty and NJIT are out.

The highest seed in the semifinals will host the conference tournament finals and winner will punch their ticket to the 2018 NCAA National Men's Soccer Tournament.

FGCU M. Soc vs JU Recap

Wrapping up their final regular season, the FGCU men's soccer team (9-5-1, 5-1 A-SUN) pulled off a final victory as they defeated Jacksonville (4-11, 3-3 A-SUN) 4-1. With the win, the Eagles are now 10-3 against the Dolphins.

"First of all, we have the utmost respect for the JU program how they compete and play," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "So to come here, and concede early, the guys did a great job battling back to take the game back and re-establish our identity and dominate long stretches."

"I'm disappointed that we missed an opportunity to secure a first-round bye, but I'm very pleased with our performance. The result is the farthest indicative of how we played," stated head coach Mauricio Ruiz following the game. "It was a really good game against a really good Florida Gulf Coast team and we played toe to toe. When we pushed toward the end, we gave up two late goals but I'm really proud of the way the guys played. We're a really difficult team to beat, and right now we just have to find that range."

For starting goalkeepers, Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos while Ruiz sent freshman Matt Levy to counter.

Not even two minutes in the first half, the Dolphins scored the first goal of the game as redshirt junior Igor Ferreira gave the Dolphins a 1-0 lead with an assist from senior Selemani Baruani. This was Ferreira's fourth goal and Baurani's second assist of the season.

23 minutes later, the Eagles would stop the Dolphins' lead as junior Shak Adams tied up the game at 1-1 with an assist from senior Raheem Somersall before the end of the first. This was Adam's eighth goal of the season and Somersall's first assist of the season.

Going into the second half, the Eagles went on a high scoring overdrive.

23 minutes into the second half, the Eagles would take the lead as senior Jason Van Achteren would rebound his own shot with an assist from Adams. This was Van Achteren's first goal of the season and first in an Eagle uniform since transferring from NCAA DII Embry-Riddle and Eastern New Mexico. In fact, it was This was the Belgian's first ever collegiate goal in his career.

For Adams, it was his eighth assist of the season.

The Onslaught of scoring from the Eagles continued with 10 minutes left as junior Miguel Perez would make it 3-1 FGCU after rebounding his own shot for his second goal of the season.

With 1:30 left on the clock, junior Ryan Medilah would seal the deal with his second goal of the season to make it 4-1 final for FGCU.

Vasconcelos would earn his ninth win after giving up the lone Dolphins goal, but finishing with two saves, and putting his overall record at 9-5-1.

"To also have three goals from guys coming off the bench made a huge difference in many ways with second-half performances from Van Achteren, Perez, Medilah and Chris Clement, combined with fantastic leadership from Gustavo, Preston, Jordan, and Kamar in the back. We have the recipe for success going into the playoffs next weekend."

Levy would end going 4-12 after the loss and finished with eight saves.

As a result of the win, the Eagles have won at least a share of the A-SUN Regular Season title for the first time since 2015. They will be listed as the #2 seed in the tournament.

With the loss to the Eagles, the Dolphins were officially the #4 seed in the A-SUN Conference tournament.

"Our conference is tight; it's anybody's game," added Ruiz. "We've been in this situation before where we've played the quarterfinal game and we know what's at stake. We're peaking at the right time and we're at our best right now so we're really comfortable facing anybody in the conference."

In the other A-SUN matchups, Lipscomb (7-9, 5-1 A-SUN) won their game against Stetson (6-9-1, 1-4-1 A-SUN) at home as they won 2-1. With the win, Lipscomb also won a share of the A-SUN Regular Season title.

UNF (4-10, 3-3 A-SUN) officially claimed the #3 seed in the A-SUN Conference tournament as they defeated NJIT 4-1.

So as it sits, the official bracket has been confirmed:
#1 Lipscomb
#2 FGCU (9-5-1, 5-1 A-SUN)
#3 UNF (4-10, 3-3 A-SUN)
#4 Jacksonville (4-11, 3-3 A-SUN)
#5 Liberty (7-6-1, 2-3-1 A-SUN)
#6 Stetson (6-9-1, 1-4-1 A-SUN)

With the loss to UNF, NJIT will not be competing the conference tournament this year and their season ends at 6-11 overall with a 1-5 record in the A-SUN.

Up Next:
The Eagles will await the winner between #3 UNF and #6 Stetson at the FGCU Soccer Complex

FGCU M. Soc @ JU Preview

The FGCU men's soccer team (8-5-1, 4-1 A-SUN) prepare to wrap up the regular season as they face Jacksonville (4-11, 3-2 A-SUN) on the road on Saturday, October 27 at 7 P.M. at Southern Oak Stadium.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles played their last home game of the season as they defeated UNF 5-0 on Senior Night for six seniors, Jason Van Achteren, Raheem Somersall, Jordan Lue, Dennis Zapata, Preston Kilwien and Kamar Marriott, in which all six played in the game.

Offensively, freshman O'Vonte Mullings and junior Shak Adams lead the Eagles with seven goals each. Mullings had one assist against UNF while Adams did not play.

Another player on the offensive front is junior Joao Burti. Burti has four goals and an assist in his name. The Brazilian had one goal against UNF.

Defensively, redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos (7-3-1) was tested by UNF, but managed to get his fourth clean sheet of the season with two saves. Vasconcelos has a conference-leading 54 saves with a .841 save percentage.

The defense was held profoundly by Kilwien, Marriott, Lue, and Somersall as they allowed only 15 goals (1.35 GAA) this season.

Playoff Picture:
After Wednesday's win, the Eagle are tied for first with Lipscomb, but they have already clinched a spot in the A-SUN Championship along with Lipscomb, Liberty and JU.

Scouting Jacksonville:
The Dolphins are coming off of a 3-1 win against FAU for their last non-conference game. In their most recent loss in conference play, the Dolphins dropped a heat-breaking 3-2 double overtime game on the road against Liberty.

Offensively, freshman Reed Davis leads the team with five goals. He had both goals in the loss against Liberty and none in the win against FAU.

Not far behind is senior Selemani Baruani. Baruani is second on the team with four goals. He had a goal and an assist in the game against FAU.

Goalkeeper-wise, the Dolphins have rotated with freshman Matt Levy (3-5) and senior Patrick Harding (1-5).

Levy leads the team with 48 saves and has given up 19 goals. In his last game, Levy played in the loss against Liberty where he finished with 10 saves.

Harding started in the game against FAU as he earned his first win of the season after giving up one goal with nine saves.

It is not clear whether Levy or Harding will start, but if I were to guess, it would be Levy since he has a better record than Harding.

This will be the Dolphins' senior for the following seniors: Harding, Baruani, Juan Sebastian Ramirez, Ignazio Muccilli, and Stephan Spicer.

Series History:
The Eagles are 9-3 overall against the Dolphins. Last season, the Eagles defeated JU 1-0 at home.

The Dolphins last win against FGCU was on October 4, 2009 where they defeated the Eagles 4-1.

What's at Stake:
A win for FGCU could push them closer to the season championship and the #1 seed in the conference tournament. They have already clinched a spot in the A-SUN Championship guaranteed and currently sit in first place.

The Bison (6-9, 4-1 A-SUN) are tied with the Eagles in first place in conference, but sit in second based on their overall record. The Bison will play Stetson (6-8-1, 1-3-1 A-SUN) the same time as FGCU.

Lipscomb, Jacksonville and Liberty (7-6-1, 2-3-1 A-SUN) have also clinched a spot in the A-SUN Championship.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for the game and will air livestream on the ESPN+ app. The app costs $4.99 a month to watch all livestream games available.

Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_MSoccer

Jacksonville: @JAX_MSOC

Livestats link: http://judolphins.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/boxscores/20181027_c2ce.xml

Livestream link: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3438739/florida-gulf-coast-vs-jacksonville-m-soccer

FGCU M. Soc vs UNF Recap

The FGCU men's soccer team (8-5-1, 4-1 A-SUN) finished their last home game of the season as they clipped UNF (3-10, 2-3 A-SUN) 5-0 at the FGCU Soccer Complex. With the win, the Eagles are now 10-2-2 overall against the Ospreys.

"We really wanted to get things on track as we get into the final games of the conference, so I thought today was a great step," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "It was one of the games where we finally seemed to compete for 90 minutes and attack. I thought the guys comprehensively and cohesively defended. When these guys come together and are complete, we're tough to beat and we haven't really been able to put that together until now, so we're hopeful we can continue that form going into the weekend."

"FGCU is a good team and very athletic, and we knew that coming into tonight's match," said head coach Derek Marinatos. "I thought we started poorly and dug ourselves into a hole with the 2-0 deficit, and it was unfortunate with our own goal to start the match. Once we were down 2-0, we showed spurts of good soccer and Bryson Smith was great on the right side for us. I really thought we could've had a goal there late in the first half to cut in lead in half. In the second half, we came out feeling like we had to scored and didn't hold onto the ball, and FGCU took advantage by capitalizing on us."

"At the end of the day, we need a point or a win on Saturday at home to keep our season alive and advance to the A-SUN Tournament, but we just got outplayed tonight."

Prior to the start of the match, six seniors were recognized from the Eagles: Jason Van Achteren, Raheem Somersall, Jordan Lue, Dennis Zapata, Preston Kilwien and Kamar Marriott.

Lue, Zapata, Kilwien and Marriott have been on the team since their freshman year. Lue joined FGCU after transferring from UCF.

Van Achteren and Somersall joined FGCU this season. Van Achteren came as an NCAA DII double-transfer after playing his freshman year at Embry-Riddle before transferring to Eastern New Mexico for his sophomore year while Somersall joined FGCU after spending his freshman to junior year at Appalachian State.

Although with Van Achteren, he was listed as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining, so the question I'm trying to figure out is did he forfeit his final year of eligibility or is he going to use it?

Moving on, Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos between the post while Marinatos sent freshman Ryan Stevens to counter. This was Steven's on-field debut for the Ospreys

The Eagles had Somersall, Lue, Zapata, Kilwien and Marriott in the starting lineup.

Stevens would suffer an injury and was replaced by junior Philip D'Amico. Not even five minutes into the first half and the Eagles were ahead 1-0 after D'Amico caused a own goal off a cross in the box. That's something I don't really see often for men's soccer.

10 minutes in, D'Amico would earn a yellow card after a hard foul on Zapata. To be honest, in all the FGCU soccer games I've seen, I never thought a goalkeeper from the opposing team would get a yellow card. Well it happened and that sent Zapata to kick a successful penalty shot to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead before the end of the first half. This was Zapata's second goal of the season.

Stevens would return at the start of the second half. 20 minutes in, junior Ryan Medilah would get issued a yellow card for the Eagles setting up a free kick for freshman Bryson Smith, but to no avail as it was blocked.

After an unsuccessful corner kick from sophomore Collin Scott, junior Miguel Perez would increase the Eagles lead to 3-0 with assists from Vasconcelos and freshman O'Vonte Mullings. This was Perez's first goal of the season.

For Vasconcelos and Mullings, it was their first (Vasconcelos) and fourth (Mullings) assist of the season. Although I never seen a goalkeeper get an assist. It feels like it's quite rare to see.

Two minutes later, after two UNF fouls, Mullings would increase the Eagles' lead to 4-0 with his seventh goal of the season with an cross assist from sophomore Titouan "Tito" Le Menec. This was Le Menec's second assist of the season.

After another UNF yellow card issued to redshirt sophomore Adam Everett, Van Achteren would come in for Lue. Lue finished after 56 minutes of play.

Three minutes later, junior Ivan Rosales would enter in for Zapata. Zapata exited after 70 minutes of play.

After Van Achteren was issued a yellow card, redshirt sophomore Noah Bushey would sub in for Somerall, who exited after 71 minutes of play. Van Achteren would finish with 24 minutes of play.

After a yellow card was issued to junior Tom Denat, redshirt freshman Parker Holland would come in for Kilwien. The native of Pleasant Hill, California exited after 80 minutes of play.

Redshirt sophomore Thomas Delplace would sub for Marriott while fellow redshirt sophomore TC Anderson subbed in for Le Menec. Marriott would exit after 82 minutes of play.

Vasconcelos would also be subbed out after 83 minutes as redshirt freshman Josh Morgan came in. Morgan made his on-field debut after sitting out his freshman year.

With five minutes left, junior Joao Burti would hit a solo shot from inside the 18 box for his fourth goal of the season to give the Eagles a 5-0 before the end of the match.

Vasconcelos would earn his seventh win of the season and his fourth clean slate of the season, putting his record to 7-3-1. The Brazilian also added two saves to the mix.

Morgan finished with 6 minutes of play in his debut.

Despite giving up four goals, Steven did not get the loss, but did have four saves.

D'Amico would earn his seventh loss of the season, putting his record to 3-7 after giving up the first goal of the game.

The Eagles have already clinched a spot in the A-SUN Championship and are tied for first with Lipscomb. Jacksonville and Liberty have also clinched a spot in the championship.

Up Next:
The Eagles wrap up the regular as they head five hours to take on Jacksonville (4-11, 3-2 A-SUN) on Saturday, October 27 at 7 P.M.

FGCU M. Soc vs UCF Recap

The FGCU men's soccer team (7-4-1) suffered a 5-1 loss, going up against #19 UCF (9-2-2) Tuesday evening at the UCF Soccer Complex.

With the loss, the Eagles are now 3-2-2 against the Knihts

"We squandered a massive opportunity to make a national statement as a program," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "UCF was the more clinical team in and around the box and they took their chances and capitalized off our numerous mistakes. We are humbled but we'll regroup, be highly analytical and look to make the necessary corrections in our training and preparation as we look to improve our overall performance before we finish this season."   

The Eagles fell behind 25 seconds into the match after Cal Jennings – entered tonight's game with the second-most goals in the country – netted his 15th tally of the year getting through the Eagles' backline and finishing around redshirt sophomore keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos.

FGCU recorded two shots on goal in the first period as freshman O'Vonte Mullings would be denied on each strike from inside the penalty box. In the 26th minute, Jennings scored the Knight's second goal as UCF headed into the locker room with a 2-0 advantage.

During the first 45 minutes, FGCU produced six shots and held a 4-1 advantage in corners.

UCF extended its margin to 4-0 within the first 15 minutes of the second period. Louis Perez scored in the 51st with a strike from 20-yards out while Jennings collected his hat trick, finishing on an errant clearance from the Eagles.

Junior Joao Burti got rid of the shutout in the 84th minute with his third goal of the season off a cross of fellow junior Jahan Rajaee inside the five-yard box. UCF's Yoni Sorokin would counter four minutes later to give the Knights the final score of 5-1.

FGCU matched its shot production in the first half with six, finishing with 12 as five came on target. The Eagles registered five more corners in the second half for a total of nine compared to UCF's two.

It's the first time in over two years FGCU has conceded five goals to an opponent. The last time it happened was in a 6-5 win over Rutgers in September of 2016.

Up Next:
FGCU will look to put this loss behind them quickly with its next match coming on the road this Saturday against Omaha at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. CST).

FGCU M. Soc vs Liberty Recap

After a scoreless first half, the FGCU men's soccer team (7-3-1, 3-1-0 A-SUN) tallied two goals in a little over 20 minutes in the second frame to shut out Liberty (5-5-1, 1-2-2 A-SUN), 2-0, Tuesday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex. With the win, the Eagles now hold sole possession of first place in the A-SUN.

"I was a little surprised because they sat pretty deep and we didn't really have any answers, we weren't really dangerous and they did a great job of taking away space in the first half," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "The guys did a very good job coming out early in the second half and getting behind them. The goal was to get a clean sheet because defensively we've conceded five in the last three games. We were successful in doing that and I thought the guys defended pretty well."

Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos between the post while Liberty Jeff Alder sent redshirt freshman Brogan Engbers to counter.

FGCU controlled the majority of the possession in the first half, racking up five shots after the first 25 minutes, with three being denied Engbers. The next closest opportunity would arrive just four minutes before the half as a ball inside the five-yard box settled by redshirt senior Kamar Marriott was secured.

Heading into the second period, FGCU ramped up the offense, firing four shots over an eight-minute period until finally getting on the board in the 54th. Pressuring the Flame's backline, freshman O'Vonte Mullings broke through with a steal 20-yards from the goal, alluding the keeper with a pass to his right to junior Ivan Rosales for the score. This was Rosales' second goal of the year.

In the 69th minute, it was Rosales creating the attack, leading to FGCU's second goal. Playing with space, the Texas native roped a shot that was blocked from about 10-yards out. The rebound fell right in front of Mullings who finished with ease, making it his sixth goal of the year.

Liberty's closest threat came off a set piece in the 83rd minute. Junior Isidoro Garcia sent a curling shot to ' right but a diving Vasconcelos stopped the ball just at the right time and preserved the 2-0 triumph. 

Vasconcelos (5-2-1) would earn his fifth win of the season while collecting his third clean sheet of the season with fives saves.

Engbers (4-4) would earn the loss after giving up both goals with seven saves.

Up Next:

FGCU will hit the road and travel to Orlando, FL to face #19 UCF (8-2-1, 2-1-0 AAC) on Tuesday, October 16 at 7 p.m.

FGCU M. Soc vs Liberty Preview

With a win , the FGCU men's soccer team (6-3-1, 2-1 A-SUN) can claim sole possession of first place in the conference, moving the squad atop the standings with nine points as they go against A-SUN newcomer Liberty (5-4, 1-1-1 A-SUN) to continue conference play at the FGCU Soccer Complex on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 P.M.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a 3-1 win over Stetson on Saturday night. It was junior Shak Adams and freshman O'Vonte Mullings that continue to fuel the Eagles offense.

Adams has seven goals and seven assists, which are a team-best. Adams had two goals and an assist in the win vs Stetson.

Mullings is not too far behind as he has five goals and two assists. Mullings had a goal against Stetson.

All said, the Eagles boasts nine different scorers with goals from juniors Joao Burti (2), Ivan Rosales and Ryan Mediah, sophomore Chris Clement and seniors Dennis Zapata, Kamar Marriott and Jordan Lue

Between the posts, redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos (5-2-1) leads the A-SUN in saves (46), save percentage (.821) and goals against average (GAA) (1.22). Vasconcelos had four saves in the win vs Stetson.

Over the last three seasons at home, the Eagles hold an overall 18-6-4 mark, going 8-1 in A-SUN regular-season games

Scouting the Flames:
Tuesday evening's matinee between the Eagles and the Flames will mark the first meeting between both sides. Liberty, who is new to the league this season is riding a two-game win streak, outscoring its opponents 7-1 during that stretch.

After a 2-1 win over NJIT Saturday for their first conference, senior Kevin Mendoza and redshirt freshman Brogan Engbers were named the A-SUN Player (Mendoza) and Defensive Player of the Week (Engbers) Monday afternoon, respectively.

Senior Tresor Mbuyu has tallied a team-best nine goals for the Flames with three assists, while Mendoza his on his heels with eight goals and also a trio of assists.

In net, Engbers (4-3) has logged 700 minutes, securing 24 saves, a save percentage at .686 and a 1.41 GAA.

Senior James Knoebel (1-1-1) is the Flames' second keeper in line with four matches in the book with 227 minutes played and three saves.


How to Keep Up to Date:
The game will be on Facebook Live from the FGCU men's soccer Facebook page, and Livestats will also be available.

Fans can also keep up to date on Twitter from both teams:
FGCU: @FGCU_MSoccer

Liberty: @libertyflames

Promotions:
The following promotions will be for the theme: A-Fun Night:
1. Cups for Corners: Every FGCU corner kick- cups are thrown into the student section
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
3. A-Fun Trivia: A-Sun trivia game at halftime
4. Pink Sales: 2018-19 pink shirts will be on sale.

Link to Livestats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=231005

Link to Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUMSoccer/

FGCU M. Soc vs Stetson Recap

The FGCU men's soccer team (6-3-1, 2-1 A-SUN) jumped into a three-way tie atop the A-SUN standings after taking down Stetson (4-6-1, 0-1-1 A-SUN) Saturday night at the FGCU Soccer complex, 3-1. With the win, the Eagles are now 7-4-1 overall against the Hatters.

"We started off a little flat emotionally," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "I give the guys credit, we found a way to get the points, found a way to score goals and create. I thought we had some opportunities throughout the game and we finished it. We're going to need guys to step up in big roles Tuesday night against Liberty and we expect to perform at home for the fans. They came out tonight for a great cause in the Pink Out and hopefully, they'll be coming out Tuesday and supporting us."

Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos to the box while first year head coach Christian Neagu sent senior Braeden Luna to counter.

Not wasting any time, freshman O'Vonte Mullings scored the first goal of the night 11 minutes into the match. Playing off a long volley from the Eagle's backline from sophomore Kareem Riley, Adam's settled with a few touches inside the 15-yard box and crossed a shot to his right to find Mullings for the left-footed finish in the corner. It was Mullings fifth goal of the season.

Two minutes would go by as the Eagles struck again, this time by way of a penalty kick. After receiving a pass from junior Ivan Rosales, fellow junior Shak Adams made his way inside the 18-yard box where he would be clipped from behind. Taking the kick, Adams was first denied but the rebound came right back towards him as he would fire it past the keeper for the 2-0 margin. It was Adams' sixth goal of the season.

After the Hatters cut the deficit down to 2-1 in the 24th minute, after a goal from freshman Lewis Scattergood, FGCU made it a 3-1 contest with Adams' second goal of the night. Five minutes before halftime, junior Jason Van Achteren launched a pass from beyond midfield to Adams. The Cane Ridge HS product then beat between two Stetson defenders, cutting inside, where he would finish near post, giving the Eagles a 3-1 lead for his seventh goal of the season. At the half, FGCU led in shots 8-7, with three coming on goal.

In the second half, Vasconcelos and his back line anchored by seniors Preston Kilwien and Kamar Marriott and Riley locked in on defense to suffocate the Hatter's offense. The Eagles yielded just four shots all period and two corners as Vasconcelos (5-2-1) secured two saves with the last threat coming in the final minute. The Brazil native finished with four saves.

"This was a huge win after the loss to Lipscomb and bounced back against FIU," said senior Raheem Somersall. "Getting the three goals against Stetson was huge for us before we face Liberty on Tuesday.

"You never underestimate anyone, so showing respect and treating just like anyone like we did with Wake Forest. We're here to play to win," Somersall added.

Luna (2-4-1) would get the loss after giving up all three goals and finished with three saves.

In total, FGCU finished the night with 10 shots as six came on goal.

UP NEXT
FGCU will once again have a quick turnaround as the Eagles welcome A-SUN newcomer Liberty (5-4-1, 1-1-1 A-SUN) to the Nest this Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

FGCU M. Soc @ FIU Recap

After splitting in conference play, the FGCU men's soccer team (5-3-1, 1-1 A-SUN) took a little break as they defeated FIU (4-6, 3-0 CUSA) in non-conference play by a score of 2-1. With the win, the Eagles are now 4-7 against the Panthers.

"I thought our guys responded very well, they showed some mental toughness and grit," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "Playing a team who went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, who in many ways we suffered our worst loss to last year at home. The guys responded in such a resilient way. It shows that when we provide the energy and they stick together, and work as a team, we can beat anybody."

Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos as starting goalkeeper while FIU head coach Kevin Nylen sent junior Hugo Fauroux to counter.

Possession through the first 20 minutes of the match seemed equal for both teams until FIU broke through with a penalty kick for the first tally of the contest after 27 minutes compliments of junior Santiago Patino,

With four minutes left in the first period, junior Miguel Perez nearly tallied the equalizer as his left-footed shot went just wide of the far post. At the half, the Eagles trailed 13-8 in shots, with just one coming on goal.

Coming out of the break, the FGCU offense started to find its form, producing four shots and a corner within the first 20 minutes. It didn't take long for them to capitalize as freshman O'Vonte Mullings netted the elusive equalizer in the 66th minute. Playing off junior Shak Adams inside the penalty area, Mullings tucked it past the keeper's near-post for the tie – it was Mullings first score since Sept. 1 against #1 Wake Forest and fourth of the year.

Just minutes later, FGCU struck again for the 2-1 advantage. Adams was once again in the mix, feeding a pass to junior Ryan Medilah from midfield, who then volleyed it over Fauroux from outside the 18-yard box for the score. The eventual game-winning goal was Medilah's first while dawning the Eagles since transferring from NJCAA San Jacinto College.

As the second half wound down, the FGCU backline were tasked with preserving the 2-1 margin and they rose to the occasion. After Medilah's goal, the Panthers were limited to five shots, with just two coming on frame.

FGCU tied a season-high with 17 shots Wednesday night as five were on goal while edging FIU 6-5 in corners. The Panthers, who scored a combined nine goals in their last two outings, recorded 20 shots as only six came on goal.

Vasconcelos (3-2-1) ended the night with five saves en route to his third win of the year.

Fauroux (1-6) would end up with his sixth loss of the season as he finished with three saves.

Wednesday night's matchup was the fourth non-conference 2017 NCAA Tournament team FGCU has faced this season as the Eagles are now 2-1-1 this year in those contests.

Up Next, the Eagles return home and back on track for conference play as they welcome big time A-SUN Conference rival Stetson on Saturday, Oct 6 at 7 P.M.

FGCU M. Soc @ Lipscomb Recap

The FGCU men's soccer team (4-3-1, 1-1 ASUN) four-game unbeaten streak came to close Saturday night as the Eagles fell to Lipscomb (2-7-0, 1-1 ASUN), 3-2. With the loss, the Eagles are now 9-5-1 against the Bison.

"Credit to Lipscomb, they had a deserved lead, then lost momentum in the game, but came back and finished stronger than we did," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We're disappointed in our ability to get a complete performance in a key conference game. We'll learn from it provide more early energy and quality while maintaining the high standards we expect from ourselves in all phases of the game."

Trailing 1-0, junior Shak Adams  showed off his speed taking his defender one on one down the left side of the pitch as his cross into the box found sophomore Chris Clement on the far post for the one-time strike in the 35th minute. It was the Eagles first shot on goal and despite trailing 7-3 in shots at the half, they would strike just under 20 minutes into the second period.

Following a foul, Clement sailed a ball into the five-yard box from about 30 yards. As the Lipscomb keeper came off his line, the ball was mishandled and found the foot of junior Joao Burti for the score in the 63rd minute – his second of the year.

As the Eagles held a 2-1 edge, the Bisons continued to press and found an equalizer of their own in the 77th minute off the right foot of senior Ryan Birchfield from inside the penalty area. It would take just five minutes before Lipscomb struck again, as freshman Daniel Zapata gave the home side the lead and the game-winner.

It’s really exciting for us to get this victory,” sophomore Ben Locke said, who scored the opening goal. “We’ve been working hard for a long time and a lot of things this season have not gone our way, so it was important for us to get a result where we felt we deserved it.

“Most of the losses we’ve had this season, we came away from it feeling like we should have won. It was just a big win for us.”

Redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos produced six saves in the losing effort.

FGCU M. Soc @ Lipscomb Preview

 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/

FGCU M. Soc @ NJIT Recap

The FGCU men's soccer team (4-2-1, 1-0 A-SUN) opened their portion of A-SUN Conference play on the road in Newark, New Jersey as they defeated NJIT (5-3, 0-1 A-SUN). With the win, the Eagles are now 3-0 against the Highlanders.

"Another very good team win today," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We had 20 plus guys involved today against a very competitive, mature NJIT squad who were 5-2 and the guys came together, stretched themselves and put the team first. Shak is in great form, the backline and Gustavo resisted everything that was thrown our way, including the penalty. Very proud of our collective effort."

"We had a lot of chances to score today -- a missed a pk and unfortunately we were unable to put one away," said NJIT head coach Fernando Barboto. "I thought we dominated most of the game and possession."

For goalkeepers, Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos to start while Barboto sent junior Victor Pujades to counter.


After FGCU fired a pair of shots on goal through the first six minutes, the Highlanders nearly took an early advantage in the 15th minute. NJIT was awarded a penalty kick but the Brazilian made a diving save to the far right post to keep the contest knotted at zero.

Playing off junior Joao Burti, who checked into the game three minutes before, junior Shak Adams beat two defenders and the keeper to the far side to give the Green and Blue the 1-0 margin. Adams has now scored in each of the past three games with his fifth goal of the season.

Following the intermission, Vasconcelos secured his second save of the afternoon in the 56th minute to keep NJIT from scratching the board. The Brazil native would come up big once again, this time off a direct kick. In the 69th minute, Pablo Jimenez nearly tallied the equalizer as it took a diving save from Vasconcelos to keep the Eagles ahead.

As the FGCU defense continued to stand tall, the insurance for the Eagles came in the 86th minute. Playing off a corner, Adam's shot ricocheted off a defender inside the box, but redshit senior Jordan Lue was there for the tap-in, his first goal of the season and with the Eagles.

In total, NJIT recorded three shots the entire half, all secured by Vasconcelos (2-1-1) who finished the match with seven saves.

Pujades (5-3) gave up both goals and had six saves

The Eagles outshot the Highlanders 15-8 and produced six corners in the second half compared to NJIT's two.

A total of 21 members of the Eagles all saw action in the team's 2-0 triumph.

UP NEXT
FGCU will welcome cross-state foe FAU to The Nest Tuesday afternoon at 7 p.m. The Eagles lead the all-time series 5-4-1, taking the last three of four matches while outscoring the Owls 9-1 during that stretch.

FGCU M. Soc vs USF Recap

Despite former FGCU head coach Bob Butehorn's return to the FGCU Soccer Complex, the FGCU men's soccer team (3-2) pulled away with a 5-3 victory over USF (2-5). With the win, the Eagles are now 4-4-4 against the Bulls.

"Great mentality from the get-go, I thought the attack was dynamic, dangerous and we got a lot done what we wanted to do," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We gave up some opportunities but overall happy with the attitude and energy we gave tonight. I was a little disappointed that we conceded at the end, that was a sloppy defensive play and we got a lot to work on for sure. We're happy, we beat a very good team and to score five at home always makes for an exciting night."

"Give the credit to FGCU, they played with a lot of emotion and passion and there was a great crowd here," Butehorn said. "We put ourselves in a hole, made some mistakes and it was tough to dig ourselves out. It was unfortunate that we did not have a chance to equalize. Overall it was not our best effort but we will pick ourselves up and prepare for our next match."

Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos as starting goalkeeper while Butehorn sent junior Harrison Devenish-Meares to counter.

The goal frenzy started in the 16th minute off a cross from sophomore Kareem Riley. Off to the right side, he sailed a pass into the box finding junior Shak Adams for the header, beating the USF keeper who was off his line.

One minute later, Riley was once again in the mix as he fired a sliding shot into the five-yard box which was deflected off the keeper's hands as senior Dennis Zapata was there for the tap in for his first goal of the year.

At the 30 minute mark, Adams pushed the Eagle's margin to 3-0 after a through ball pass from redshirt senior Jordan Lue beyond midfield, who found Adams' timing his run behind the Bull's backline and would finish with two touches, collecting his second goal of the night.

USF converted one minute before the half off the foot of sophomore Kori Cupid as FGCU headed into the intermission up 3-1. At the break, the Eagles edged the Bulls 10-8 in shots while both squads each had two corners.

Before the second half, Butehorn would make a change and send freshman Kazuna Takase to replace Devenish-Meares as goalkeeper.

The Bulls made it a one-goal game in the 63rd minute, capitalizing on a penalty kick from junior Alex Zis, but the Eagles quickly responded three minutes later.

Sophomore Titouan Le Menec maneuvered around a defender inside the five-yard box, as he dished it to Adams for the near post finish, giving the junior the hat trick. This was the Eagle's first hat trick since Albert Ruiz's performance against Rutgers in 2016 and the program's fifth overall.

From there, junior Ivan Rosales put the finishing touches on FGCU's five-goal performance in the 75th minute. With a set up by freshman O'Vonte Mullings, Rosales settled the pass and fired a blistering shot into the upper 90.

USF would score their third goal from junior Stephen Rudderham seconds before the half as the Eagles claim the 5-3 win in front of nearly 1,400 fans.

Vasconcelos (3-1) played all 90 minutes in net finishing with four saves in his second consecutive start for his third win of the season.

Devenish-Meares (2-5) would earn the loss after giving up three of the Eagles' five goals and finished with three saves.

Takase gave up the final two goals and had one save.

At the end of the night, FGCU led 17-16 in shots (nine on goal) and 5-2 in corners.

Up next, FGCU remains at home and welcome Cal St. Fullerton to The Nest on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.  The Titans are currently 2-1-3 and rank 49th in the RPI.

FGCU M. Soc @ Georgia Southern Recap: Battle of the Eagles

In the "Battle of the the Eagles", the FGCU men's soccer team (2-2-0) picked up a huge road victory over RV Georgia Southern (2-1-1) Friday evening scoring late in the first period, followed by a strike nearly 20 minutes into the second half to seal the match at Eagle Field. FGCU would win 2-0.

"Great win tonight!" said head coach Jesse Cormier. "To knock off an undefeated team at their home and play the way we did in the first half was a significant improvement. Getting contribution from the entire squad tonight was also encouraging and this was a credit to the entire team and I'm very proud of them."

"The game was won and lost in both penalty boxes," said GSU head coach John Murphy. "I thought we started brightly, we created some good chances from our pressure, which I thought was quite good. They settled in, they moved the ball well; they're very athletic and mobile. I thought we just lacked that cutting edge. Jokull [Blaengsson] made a fantastic save to keep it nil-nil, and unfortunately there was an error that lead to the first goal. That's going to happen, throughout a season, but I don't expect it to happen too often. If you take the mistake out of it, the first half was even.

For the "Battle of the Eagles", Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos as starting goalkeeper while Murphy sent freshman Jokull Blaengsson to counter.

It was a back and forth battle for possession as it seemed equal for both teams until the Eagles took advantage of a GS communication issue with 10 minutes left before the half.

After a corner kick from sophomore Kareem Riley, Blaengsson looked to have the ball in mid-air but it slipped right through his hands as redshirt senior Marriot was there for the rebound and finish. His first of the year, put the Eagles up 1-0 going into the intermission.

Following the break, Vasconcelos was quickly tested by the home side.

In the 47th minute, GS fired off three shots in attempt to find the equalizer but the Brazil native was there for all three saves.

Shortly after, FGCU tacked on the insurance goal on a play from the left side of the 18-yard box set up by junior Shak Adams. Settling with pace, Adams crossed in a right-footed shot and found junior Joao Burti, who buried a jump inside the five-yard box near post for the 2-0 lead. His first with the Green and Blue and of the 2018 campaign.

Up with a 2-0 cushion, the Green and Blue zoned in on defense, conceding just one corner to Georgia Southern and one shot on goal that came in the 69th tick which was secured in the hands of Vasconcelos.

"In the second half, now we're pushing on, looking for the equalizer and we're vulnerable," Murphy added. "They go and score the second. They're built for it, I think they're very well coached. and it was a very good performance from them. But that's as fragmented as I've ever seen us at home. We have lots to work on, and not a lot of time since we're going to be going to [#1-ranked] Wake Forest on Tuesday."

Despite being outshot by GS, the Eagles made their opportunities count with four shots on goal as both teams each tallied four corners apiece.

Vasconcelos (1-1) earns his first win of the year and also of his Eagle career with the clean road sheet, snagging five saves at the end of the night.

Junior Jason Van Acheteren and sophomore Michael Luke made their debuts for the Eagles. Van Acheteren joined FGCU spring 2018 after spending his freshman year at NCAA DII Embry-Riddle and sophomore year at NCAA DII Eastern New Mexico while Luke joined FGCU after spending his freshman year at UNC Asheville.

Up Next:
The I-75 rivalry renews at home as former FGCU head coach and founding father Bob Butehorn will be making his first return to campus on Sept. 15 since taking over the reins of the USF program following the 2016 season. USF began the 2018 season receiving votes in the national poll after finishing in the top 50 of the RPI last year with a 6-6-4 record. The Bulls are currently 1-4 and have faced three teams in the top-25 to begin the season.

FGCU M. Soc @ Georgia Southern Preview

In the "Battle of the Eagles", the FGCU men's soccer team will hit the road for the second time this season as the squad travels to face the Georgia Southern Eagles.

Friday's clash will mark the first meeting between both teams. FGCU will be looking to bounce back after going toe-to-toe with top-ranked Wake Forest last weekend, while GS has yet to lose a match and are coming off a 3-0 win over A-SUN foe UNF.

Right now leading the offensive charge is freshman O'Vonte Mullings. The Toronto native has accounted for all of the Eagle's goals, netting two in the opening weekend and scored the lone goal against #1 Wake Forest last Saturday.

Sophomore Chris Clement leads the squad with a pair of assists – connecting twice with Mullings against Presbyterian.

Redshirt sophomore Connor Gavigan (1-1) is coming off back-to-back starts in net for the Eagles.

A-SUN Look:
FGCU was narrowly picked 2nd in the ASUN preseason coaches' poll earlier this month, making it the first time since 2012 the Eagles were not selected as the preseason league favorite. Senior Preston Kilwien was installed as league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while junior Shak Adams and senior Dennis Zapata joined Kilwien on the preseason all-conference team as FGCU's three selections were the most of any team in the league.

Scouting Georgia Southern:

GS is coming off a 9-8-1 overall 2017 season and went 3-2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). At season's end, the Eagles reached the SBC semifinals championship game. Currently 2-0-1, Georgia Southern kicked off the season blanking VCU 2-0, tied with Old Dominion in double overtime 2-2 and picked up a 3-0 victory over UNF last Friday.  

Javier Carbonell, the reigning SBC Player of the Week, spearheads the offensive attack as he's racked up four goals this season with two assists. Carbonell has taken a team-high 12 shots with six coming on frame.

Right behind him is Adam Davie who has scored a trio of goals, recording a total of nine shots, five on goal.

In three games, starting keeper Jokull Blaengsson has conceded two goals to go along with 11 saves in 290 minutes.

The match is slated for a 7 p.m. kick and will be broadcasted on ESPN 3.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 Men's Soccer: Schedule Released

With the FGCU volleyball team releasing their schedule first, I just found out that 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 is ranked No. 20 in the nation in men's soccer as of the end of last season going 14-4-3 overall with a 4-1-1 record in conference. After winning the conference championship and an automatic bid in the national tournament last season, they beat USF in the first round by penalty kicks before falling to UNC in double OT.

The Eagles did lose three players as seniors: goalkeeper Jack Blatchford III, defender Santiago "Santi" Ortiz and midfielder Justin Gavin. Blatchford was a graduate student from Bentley University.

With head coach Bob Butehorn parting ways after 10 seasons and now becoming head coach for USF, FGCU will be led by Jessie Cormier. Cormier enters his first 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.

Key returners for FGCU include senior forward 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 two time A-SUN Conference First team member.

During last 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 teams I have never seen us face or that haven't faced in a long time or not at all: The University of Omaha, Air Force, VCU, Vermont, Central Connecticut State, Loyola Marymount and the University of Denver.

FGCU has faced VCU and Loyola Marymount in the past. They split the overall series with VCU (2010: W 2-1 (2OT) and 2012: L 1-2) and lost to LMU 1-2 last season, but they have never played Omaha, AF, Vermont, CCS, or Denver.

The first team FGCU will play to start the season off is against the University of Denver, who was also ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation. The Pioneers were 19-1-3 overall with a 4-0-1 record in the Summit League. They won their conference tournament and an automatic bid in the national tournament. Although even if they lost in the championship, they could still get an at-large bid for their RPI rank. The Pioneers received a first round bye and won against UNLV in the second round (3-0), won against No. 12 Washington in the round of 16 (2-1) and beat No. 5 Clemson in the quarterfinals (1-0) before falling to No. 2 Wake Forest in the semifinals (1-2).

FGCU will be meeting Air Force for the first time in program history. The Falcons last season went 14-7-1 with a 6-3-1 record in the Mountain West Conference (MWC). They made it to the conference championship game, but ultimately fall to UNLV and did not qualify for the national tournament.

The University of Omaha went 10-5-4 overall with 5-0-1 record in the Summit League. They made it to the conference semifinals before falling to eventual winner Denver.

Of all of the teams FGCU will face, Vermont will likely be an awkward home coming for Cormier since FGCU will face the Catamounts and Vermont is Cormier's alma mater. The Catamounts went 14-7-1 overall last season with a 4-3 record in the America East Conference. Although they lost in the conference tournament finals, they still qualified for the national tournament due to a high RPI rank. They beat Rider University 4-1 in the first round before falling to Virginia 2-1 in double overtime in the second round.

Central Connecticut State University would be more of the easiest non-conference team to face. Last season, the Blue Devils went 2-12-3 overall with a 1-5-1 record in the Northeast Conference. They did not qualify for the conference tournament or national tournament.

FGCU opens the first four games of their season on the road. They will start in Colorado from August 25-27 where they will play No. 3 Denver in Denver and Air Force in Colorado Springs before finishing their first road trip heading to Burlington, Vermont to take on Vermont and CCS in the Peter Baldwin Memorial Classic from September 1st- September 3rd.

FGCU will have their home opener against VCU on Sunday, September 10th. They will then have two more non-conference home games against Loyola Marymount and UCF before conference.

The first conference game for FGCU will be against JU on September 23rd before going to UNF on September 30th.

There will be four more non-conference while conference is going on: Omaha (October 3rd), FIU (October 10th), @USF (October 24th) and FAU (October 31st). After the home game against Omaha, FGCU will play Lipscomb on October 7th at and have two away games against Stetson on October 14th and Upstate on October 21st, before concluding conference with a game at home against NJIT, which would also be senior night for the nine seniors.

Aside from Ruiz, the other eight seniors that will be playing their last season are defender Elias Roubos, defender Nicolas "Nico" Samayoa, midfielder Jiro Barigga Toyama, midfielder Robert Ferrer, midfielder Dylan Sacramento, midfielder Miguel Jaime, defender Caleb George and midfielder Kamar Marriott.

Also redshirt freshman players, defender T.C. Anderson and goalkeeper Gustavo Vasconcelos will make their season debuts.

Defender Thomas Delplace will also be returning after suffering a broken leg that ended his season.

With Cormier make his season debut with FGCU, the Eagles will be dominant.

Below are some pics with some of the soccer players from last season:

With Albert Ruiz

With Miguel Jaime

With Thomas Delplace

With Albert Ruiz

From left to right: Fernanado Ramirez, Gustavo Vasconcelos, Santiago Ortiz, Robert Ferrer and Nico Samayoa

With Shak Adams, Dante Longo, Jared Brown and tennis player Ezequiel Cerrini

With Kamar Marriott