All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately for the FGCU Eagles (13-4-2) that came true on Sunday afternoon as they dropped their A-SUN Semifinal contest to Lipscomb (13-4-2) 1-0 to bring their 2018 season to an end.
"It was a difficult day and a tough way to have the season come to an end" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "I thought we played well and created plenty of opportunities, but credit to Lipscomb, they made the play when they needed to."
FGCU and Lipscomb met for the fourth straight season with the loser's season on the line Sunday. The Eagles came out ready to go, playing with the wind in the first half on a blustery day in Nashville. They put two shots on net in the first six minutes, quickly testing the A-SUN Goalkeeper of the Year Kate Mason for the Lady Bison.
The Eagles continued to attack, playing nearly the entire first 20 minutes in the Lipscomb end, but couldn't break through as the game remained scoreless at the midway point of the first half.
It was a stalemate from there into the half as neither team got a single shot off for the final 24 minutes of the period as they went to the break scoreless.
FGCU got off all five shots taken in the first half and took both corners given in the first 45 minutes.
Playing with the wind in the second half, Lipscomb finally showed some life as the second half got underway. The Lady Bison got their first shot off in the 48th minute and had their first real scoring chance in the 56th minute when junior Melissa Weck came up huge on a point blank chance from Lipscomb to keep it a 0-0 game.
The Green and Blue answered with a pair of shots of their own and drew a pair of corners in the 66th minute to put pressure on the Lady Bison.
The Eagles had a golden opportunity to net the go ahead goal in the 69th minute as junior Marjorie Boilesen put a strike on net, but Mason made a game saving stop to keep FGCU off the board.
Moments later the Eagles drew a corner and felt in control, but they never could have prepared for what was to come next. Off of the FGCU corner, Lipscomb got a clean clear, quickly turning into a break going the other way for the Lady Bison. A three on two quickly turned to a three on one as an Eagle defender unsuccessfully attempted to break up the run near midfield.
Things got worse as a second Eagle defender also whiffed on a breakup attempt and in the blink of an eye, Lipscomb had a trio of attackers running at Weck unmarked. Weck came out of the goal to try to cut off the angle and got a glove on the Lady Bison shot, but it trickled into the net after the contact to give Lipscomb a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute.
Playing with their backs to the wall, the Eagles pushed the pace into the win, getting three shots on goal in the next eight minutes, but again couldn't get any past the keeper as they continued to trail 1-0 with the clock closing in on the 10 minute mark.
The Green and Blue pressured twice in the final 10 minutes, but again couldn't break through and as the final horn sounded, it was Lipscomb celebrating a 1-0 win to end the Eagles season.
All numbers on the box score besides the goal count pointed towards a dominating performance by the Eagles. FGCU led shots 13-4, shots on goal 7-2, and corners 5-1, but it was Lipscomb's late goal that nullified all of those numbers.
FGCU sees their season come to an end at 13-4-2 as they failed to reach the A-SUN Finals for the first time in program history. All four of the Eagles losses in 2018 came in 1-0 contests. The loss also marks the Eagles first regulation loss in the A-SUN Tournament in program history.
Lipscomb improves to 13-4-2 with the win and with the combination of North Alabama's second straight upset win over NJIT, the Lady Bison punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament heading into the final.
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Showing posts with label FGCU Women's Soccer 2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FGCU Women's Soccer 2018. Show all posts
FGCU W. Soc vs Lipscomb: A-SUN Semifinals Preview
It will be a heavyweight battle Sunday afternoon in the Music City as the 2017 A-SUN Champion FGCU Eagles take on take on the 2018 Champion Lipscomb Lady Bisons with a trip to the tournament championship game on the line.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles enter their semifinal matchup with the Lady Bison off of an intense quarterfinal contest against Liberty full of twists and turns.
FGCU controlled the action for the first 80 minutes Friday night, getting a goal from junior Evdokia Popadinova in the 28th minute, her A-SUN leading 14th, followed by an early second half tally from sophomore Cassidy Morgan to take a 2-0 lead.
On the defensive end they held Liberty without a single shot for nearly 50 minutes through the middle of the game, suffocating the Lady Flames any time they attempted to move into the attacking third.
Liberty finally got a shot off in the 73rd minute and it was easily their best chance to that point of the night, but the shot rang off the right post to keep the Eagles in front 2-0. With their season on the line, Liberty went into fight or flight mode, attacking the Eagles and finally breaking through with a goal in the 83rd minute to make it 2-1. The Lady Flames continued to come at FGCU late, working the ball onto the doorstep of the Eagle net in the closing seconds, but the defense of the Green and Blue held strong, hanging on to the final horn to come away with the 2-1 win.
Scouting the Lady Bison:
Lipscomb captured their first outright A-SUN Conference Championship this season by going 7-1-0 in league action. The Lady Bison took it down to the wire, scoring an overtime goal in their season finale against Kennesaw to break a scoreless tie and take home the title to Nashville.
The Lady Bison feature a host of talent, including the top three superlative winners in the A-SUN this season in Player of the Year Olivia Doak, Goalkeeper of the Year Kate Mason, and Defensive Player of the Year Logan McFadden.
Statistically, Lipscomb finished right behind FGCU in nearly every major team category in the A-SUN including goals (39), assists (33), and goals allowed (14) on the year.
What's at Stake:
The winner of the semifinal will go on to the A-SUN Championship game.
Lipscomb is listed as the #1 seed, while FGCU is listed as #4.
On the other side in Newark, NJIT, who is listed as the #2 seed, will face #6 seed North Alabama, who defeated #3 seed Kennesaw 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
If FGCU and North Alabama win, the championship will be held at the FGCU Soccer Complex in Ft Myers, but if FGCU faces NJIT, the championship will remain in Newark since the Highlanders would be the highest seed in the tournament
This is UNA's first time in the A-SUN Tournament for women's soccer, and if they win the tournament, it doesn't really means anything. I mean if they win the tournament, then that's great for their program, but since this is their first year in NCAA DI after transitioning from the NCAA DII Gulf South Conference, they will not be eligible to go to the NCAA National Women's Soccer Tournament due to the four-year transitional period, and instead the regular season champion will be going to the national tournament.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles enter their semifinal matchup with the Lady Bison off of an intense quarterfinal contest against Liberty full of twists and turns.
FGCU controlled the action for the first 80 minutes Friday night, getting a goal from junior Evdokia Popadinova in the 28th minute, her A-SUN leading 14th, followed by an early second half tally from sophomore Cassidy Morgan to take a 2-0 lead.
On the defensive end they held Liberty without a single shot for nearly 50 minutes through the middle of the game, suffocating the Lady Flames any time they attempted to move into the attacking third.
Liberty finally got a shot off in the 73rd minute and it was easily their best chance to that point of the night, but the shot rang off the right post to keep the Eagles in front 2-0. With their season on the line, Liberty went into fight or flight mode, attacking the Eagles and finally breaking through with a goal in the 83rd minute to make it 2-1. The Lady Flames continued to come at FGCU late, working the ball onto the doorstep of the Eagle net in the closing seconds, but the defense of the Green and Blue held strong, hanging on to the final horn to come away with the 2-1 win.
Scouting the Lady Bison:
Lipscomb captured their first outright A-SUN Conference Championship this season by going 7-1-0 in league action. The Lady Bison took it down to the wire, scoring an overtime goal in their season finale against Kennesaw to break a scoreless tie and take home the title to Nashville.
The Lady Bison feature a host of talent, including the top three superlative winners in the A-SUN this season in Player of the Year Olivia Doak, Goalkeeper of the Year Kate Mason, and Defensive Player of the Year Logan McFadden.
Statistically, Lipscomb finished right behind FGCU in nearly every major team category in the A-SUN including goals (39), assists (33), and goals allowed (14) on the year.
What's at Stake:
The winner of the semifinal will go on to the A-SUN Championship game.
Lipscomb is listed as the #1 seed, while FGCU is listed as #4.
On the other side in Newark, NJIT, who is listed as the #2 seed, will face #6 seed North Alabama, who defeated #3 seed Kennesaw 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
If FGCU and North Alabama win, the championship will be held at the FGCU Soccer Complex in Ft Myers, but if FGCU faces NJIT, the championship will remain in Newark since the Highlanders would be the highest seed in the tournament
This is UNA's first time in the A-SUN Tournament for women's soccer, and if they win the tournament, it doesn't really means anything. I mean if they win the tournament, then that's great for their program, but since this is their first year in NCAA DI after transitioning from the NCAA DII Gulf South Conference, they will not be eligible to go to the NCAA National Women's Soccer Tournament due to the four-year transitional period, and instead the regular season champion will be going to the national tournament.
How to Keep Up:
Both games will have livestats available and will air on Facebook Live on the Lipscomb women's soccer Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up with the teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Lipscomb: @LipscombWSOC
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=235019
Livestream Link: https://www.facebook.com/LipscombWomensSoccer/
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Lipscomb: @LipscombWSOC
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=235019
Livestream Link: https://www.facebook.com/LipscombWomensSoccer/
FGCU W. Soc vs Liberty: A-SUN QF Recap
After dealing with several moment of being targeted on the legs, shoved, elbowed and pulled by their hair, the FGCU women's soccer team (13-3-2), who entered as the #4 seed, fought tooth and nail to the end of the game and defeated #5 seed Liberty (6-11) 2-1 in the A-SUN Conference Tournament Quarterfinals. With the win, the Eagles not only are 4-0 against the Lady Flames, but have now advanced to the semifinals of the A-SUN Conference Tournament.
"I am proud our ladies and how well they handled the pressure at the end of the game to live to play another day" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "Melissa (Weck) made a big save late and the defense held up for us again."
"I am so proud of our girls because they left everything on the field," said head coach Lang Wedemeyer. "We had our chances, hitting the post and scoring to get our energy back but we came up just short and that is the cruelty of the game. We struggled at times throughout the season but they always stayed positive and worked hard. "
"To lose the first two games of conference and to fight back and up at this position and battle like they did today I couldn't be more proud."
Blakenship sent junior A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member Melissa Weck to the box while Wedemeyer sent sophomore Melody Jayroe to counter.
12 minutes into the first half, Weck would get a clutch save after a shot attempt from senior A-SUN All-Academic Team member Caroline Boone, but soon after, the Yorba Linda, California native suffered an injury after a collision in the box. Blakenship decided to pull her out and send freshman Stephanie Starr between the posts, but three minutes later, Weck would return in good spirits. Starr would finish after 3:38, but it was her first taste of A-SUN postseason play.
27 minutes in, after a few Liberty fouls (no surprise) and an offside call on FGCU, the A-SUN Legion of Doom, junior A-SUN First Team All-Conference members Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova gave the Eagles the lead. Boilesen would send a through ball to Popadinova for a clear shot to the bottom right corner, giving FGCU a 1-0 lead before the end of the first half. This was Popadinova's 14th goal of the season. With her 14th goal, Popadinova tied A-SUN all-time goal leader Tabby Tindell's 2016 season record for fourth all-time in a single season. The Bulgarian could pass Tindell's '16 season and tied her 2013 season (15) with a goal.
For Boilesen, it was her ninth assist of the season.
12 minutes into the second half, after Liberty committed their seventh foul of the match, the Eagles would extend the lead with a goal from sophomore Cassidy Morgan with an assist from senior Camille Knudstrup. For Morgan, it was her third goal of the season while it was Knudstrup's fourth assist of the season.
The Lady Flames continued to be too aggressive on the Eagles with several fouls, yet no yellow or red card was called on them. It made me really mad from the terrible officiating that occurred. Clearly, there were fouls that Liberty made that could easily be a yellow card, but the refs blew every single one of them until the end.
With 10 minutes left, the Lady Flames would finally get on the board as sophomore A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member Cora Duininck would score her first career goal of the season.
After two FGCU fouls, it all came down to the last 15 seconds for the Lady Flames for one chance to send the match into overtime. As the free kick occurred, freshman Kasey Jamieson attempted the shot to send it to OT, but with stunning Eagle defense, the ball went over the net, thus ending the game.
Weck earned her 13th win of the season and finished with two saves, putting her record at 13-3-2.
Jayroe was dubbed with her eighth loss of the season finishing with three saves.
With the loss, Liberty is eliminated from the tournament, thus ended their season at 6-11 overall with a 5-3 record in conference.
The Eagles will face #1 seed Lipscomb in the semifinals. Lipscomb earned a first-round bye and awaited the winner between FGCU and Liberty.
Meanwhile in Newark, #2 seed NJIT, who also had a first-round bye, were awaiting the winner between #3 seed Kennesaw and #6 seed North Alabama, and the final result came in: NJIT will be facing #6 seed North Alabama in the semifinals.
The Lions clawed the Owls 2-1 after goals from A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Anna Bove and senior Kylie Huey.
So now the semifinals are set in stone, #1 Lipscomb will face #4 FGCU while #2 NJIT face #6 North Alabama.
Up Next:
The Eagles play Lipscomb on Sunday at 2 P.M. The winner will go on to the A-SUN Championship finals.
If FGCU wins, they will await the winner between North Alabama and NJIT in the other semifinals.
Should NJIT and FGCU win, the finals will be held in Newark since NJIT is the higher seed, but should FGCU face North Alabama, which I hope will happen, the finals will be held at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
"I am proud our ladies and how well they handled the pressure at the end of the game to live to play another day" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "Melissa (Weck) made a big save late and the defense held up for us again."
"I am so proud of our girls because they left everything on the field," said head coach Lang Wedemeyer. "We had our chances, hitting the post and scoring to get our energy back but we came up just short and that is the cruelty of the game. We struggled at times throughout the season but they always stayed positive and worked hard. "
"To lose the first two games of conference and to fight back and up at this position and battle like they did today I couldn't be more proud."
Blakenship sent junior A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member Melissa Weck to the box while Wedemeyer sent sophomore Melody Jayroe to counter.
12 minutes into the first half, Weck would get a clutch save after a shot attempt from senior A-SUN All-Academic Team member Caroline Boone, but soon after, the Yorba Linda, California native suffered an injury after a collision in the box. Blakenship decided to pull her out and send freshman Stephanie Starr between the posts, but three minutes later, Weck would return in good spirits. Starr would finish after 3:38, but it was her first taste of A-SUN postseason play.
27 minutes in, after a few Liberty fouls (no surprise) and an offside call on FGCU, the A-SUN Legion of Doom, junior A-SUN First Team All-Conference members Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova gave the Eagles the lead. Boilesen would send a through ball to Popadinova for a clear shot to the bottom right corner, giving FGCU a 1-0 lead before the end of the first half. This was Popadinova's 14th goal of the season. With her 14th goal, Popadinova tied A-SUN all-time goal leader Tabby Tindell's 2016 season record for fourth all-time in a single season. The Bulgarian could pass Tindell's '16 season and tied her 2013 season (15) with a goal.
For Boilesen, it was her ninth assist of the season.
12 minutes into the second half, after Liberty committed their seventh foul of the match, the Eagles would extend the lead with a goal from sophomore Cassidy Morgan with an assist from senior Camille Knudstrup. For Morgan, it was her third goal of the season while it was Knudstrup's fourth assist of the season.
The Lady Flames continued to be too aggressive on the Eagles with several fouls, yet no yellow or red card was called on them. It made me really mad from the terrible officiating that occurred. Clearly, there were fouls that Liberty made that could easily be a yellow card, but the refs blew every single one of them until the end.
With 10 minutes left, the Lady Flames would finally get on the board as sophomore A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member Cora Duininck would score her first career goal of the season.
After two FGCU fouls, it all came down to the last 15 seconds for the Lady Flames for one chance to send the match into overtime. As the free kick occurred, freshman Kasey Jamieson attempted the shot to send it to OT, but with stunning Eagle defense, the ball went over the net, thus ending the game.
Weck earned her 13th win of the season and finished with two saves, putting her record at 13-3-2.
Jayroe was dubbed with her eighth loss of the season finishing with three saves.
With the loss, Liberty is eliminated from the tournament, thus ended their season at 6-11 overall with a 5-3 record in conference.
The Eagles will face #1 seed Lipscomb in the semifinals. Lipscomb earned a first-round bye and awaited the winner between FGCU and Liberty.
Meanwhile in Newark, #2 seed NJIT, who also had a first-round bye, were awaiting the winner between #3 seed Kennesaw and #6 seed North Alabama, and the final result came in: NJIT will be facing #6 seed North Alabama in the semifinals.
The Lions clawed the Owls 2-1 after goals from A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Anna Bove and senior Kylie Huey.
So now the semifinals are set in stone, #1 Lipscomb will face #4 FGCU while #2 NJIT face #6 North Alabama.
Up Next:
The Eagles play Lipscomb on Sunday at 2 P.M. The winner will go on to the A-SUN Championship finals.
If FGCU wins, they will await the winner between North Alabama and NJIT in the other semifinals.
Should NJIT and FGCU win, the finals will be held in Newark since NJIT is the higher seed, but should FGCU face North Alabama, which I hope will happen, the finals will be held at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
FGCU W. Soc vs Stetson Recap: Senior Night
Officially wrapping up the regular season in a wave of white, the FGCU women’s soccer team (12-3-2, 5-3 A-SUN) shutout Stetson (4-10-3, 1-6-1 A-SUN) 3-0. With the win, the Eagles are now 11-1-1 against the Lady Hatters.
"At halftime we talked about finishing" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "I liked how our guys responded and put them under pressure before a couple of really nice goals. Our guys know that we have a chance in the tournament and hopefully we go out there and prove that we are a tough team to beat twice for some of those teams."
Before the game commenced, the Eagles recognized the three seniors: Shay Jackson, Holly Fritz and Camille Knudstrup. The three seniors were recognized with their families and what they've accomplished through their seasons.
Jackson and Knudstrup were on the team for all four years at FGCU, while Fritz joined FGCU her junior year after spending her first two seasons at FSU. All three seniors were placed in the starting lineup.
Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck as the starting goalkeeper while Stetson head coach Manoj Khettry sent junior Emily Plotz to counter.
FGCU was on the attack early and often as they earned their first corner just one minute in and got an excellent chance at goal in the 5th minute.
The Eagles continued the pressure moments later as Jackson and juniors Evdokia Popadinova and Marjorie Boilesen forced back to back saves before the 20 minute mark, but couldn't get anything past the keeper as it remained a scoreless contest.
On the other side, Weck was profoundly tested in the 22nd minute, but made a big save and gave the Eagles a chance to take the lead later in the half, but junior Lindsey Patton and Popadinova were turned away on the doorstep to send the game to the half scoreless.
Going into the second half, not even three minutes, the Eagles struck first blood on the Lady Hatters as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo secured the first goal of the game with an assist from Knudstrup. This was Abbondandolo third goal of the season and Knudstrup's third assist of the season.
In the 63rd minute, freshman Kara Kyramarios would sub in for Jackson. Four minutes later, sophomore Kavina Ganeshan would sub in for Fritz. Jackson would finish with 42 minutes of play while Fritz finished with 68 minutes and both would get a standing ovation from
Four minutes after Fritz's substitution, Abbondandolo would make way for her second goal of the game as she fired a rocket from the top of the box to top left corner to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with an assist from Popadinova. This was Abbondandolo's fourth goal of the season and Popadinova's seventh assists of the season.
With five minutes left in the game, redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes would come in for Knudstrup. The Lakeland native would finish with 86 minutes, and would be the last senior off the field to be given a final standing ovation for the season.
After a Stetson foul, freshman Brianna Hatfield would hit a driving shot to bottom left corner off free kick from top of the box to make it 3-0 FGCU before the game officially ended. This was Hatfield's first goal of the season.
Weck (12-3-2) would get her 12th win of the season as she finished with five saves and her eighth clean sheet of the season. It was also her 40th win of her career and her 27.4th career shutout. Weck is three wins away from passing Stephanie Powers (42- 2008-11) for second all-time in career wins.
Weck's five saves also put her at 196 career saves.
Plotz (3-7-2) would end up with her seventh loss of the season after giving up all three goals and finishing with 12 saves.
The Eagles outdid the Lady Hatters in shots (22-5) and corner kicks (4-1).
With the win, the Eagles clinch the #4 seed for next week's A-SUN Tournament. They draw #5 seed Liberty in the first round Friday, but will not know whether they are heading to until after completion of action tomorrow when all sorts of scenarios could play out on the final day of the regular season. FGCU will either be on the road in Kennesaw, Georgia or Nashville, Tennessee depending on Sunday's results.
On Sunday, Lipscomb will play Kennesaw State for the #1 seed, NJIT will play A-SUN newcomer North Alabama to gain the #3 seed and UNF will player fellow A-SUN newcomer Liberty.
Both Lipscomb and Kennesaw will earn a first round bye as the #1 and #2 seeds and will face seeds #3-6 regardless of the outcome.
UNF does have a chance to gain the #6 seed if they defeat Liberty and North Alabama loses to NJIT.
If NJIT loses, the Eagles will enter as the #3 seed and face North Alabama as the #6 seed, should they defeat UNF.
Even if North Alabama enters the tournament, they are not eligible for the national tournament due to the four-year transitional period, and will not be a full-time member until the 2022-23 season.
Because of their overall and conference records, Stetson and Jacksonville (1-14-1, 1-7 A-SUN) are eliminated from tournament contention.
The only thing we can do now is wait.
"At halftime we talked about finishing" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "I liked how our guys responded and put them under pressure before a couple of really nice goals. Our guys know that we have a chance in the tournament and hopefully we go out there and prove that we are a tough team to beat twice for some of those teams."
Before the game commenced, the Eagles recognized the three seniors: Shay Jackson, Holly Fritz and Camille Knudstrup. The three seniors were recognized with their families and what they've accomplished through their seasons.
Jackson and Knudstrup were on the team for all four years at FGCU, while Fritz joined FGCU her junior year after spending her first two seasons at FSU. All three seniors were placed in the starting lineup.
Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck as the starting goalkeeper while Stetson head coach Manoj Khettry sent junior Emily Plotz to counter.
FGCU was on the attack early and often as they earned their first corner just one minute in and got an excellent chance at goal in the 5th minute.
The Eagles continued the pressure moments later as Jackson and juniors Evdokia Popadinova and Marjorie Boilesen forced back to back saves before the 20 minute mark, but couldn't get anything past the keeper as it remained a scoreless contest.
On the other side, Weck was profoundly tested in the 22nd minute, but made a big save and gave the Eagles a chance to take the lead later in the half, but junior Lindsey Patton and Popadinova were turned away on the doorstep to send the game to the half scoreless.
Going into the second half, not even three minutes, the Eagles struck first blood on the Lady Hatters as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo secured the first goal of the game with an assist from Knudstrup. This was Abbondandolo third goal of the season and Knudstrup's third assist of the season.
In the 63rd minute, freshman Kara Kyramarios would sub in for Jackson. Four minutes later, sophomore Kavina Ganeshan would sub in for Fritz. Jackson would finish with 42 minutes of play while Fritz finished with 68 minutes and both would get a standing ovation from
Four minutes after Fritz's substitution, Abbondandolo would make way for her second goal of the game as she fired a rocket from the top of the box to top left corner to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with an assist from Popadinova. This was Abbondandolo's fourth goal of the season and Popadinova's seventh assists of the season.
With five minutes left in the game, redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes would come in for Knudstrup. The Lakeland native would finish with 86 minutes, and would be the last senior off the field to be given a final standing ovation for the season.
After a Stetson foul, freshman Brianna Hatfield would hit a driving shot to bottom left corner off free kick from top of the box to make it 3-0 FGCU before the game officially ended. This was Hatfield's first goal of the season.
Weck (12-3-2) would get her 12th win of the season as she finished with five saves and her eighth clean sheet of the season. It was also her 40th win of her career and her 27.4th career shutout. Weck is three wins away from passing Stephanie Powers (42- 2008-11) for second all-time in career wins.
Weck's five saves also put her at 196 career saves.
Plotz (3-7-2) would end up with her seventh loss of the season after giving up all three goals and finishing with 12 saves.
The Eagles outdid the Lady Hatters in shots (22-5) and corner kicks (4-1).
With the win, the Eagles clinch the #4 seed for next week's A-SUN Tournament. They draw #5 seed Liberty in the first round Friday, but will not know whether they are heading to until after completion of action tomorrow when all sorts of scenarios could play out on the final day of the regular season. FGCU will either be on the road in Kennesaw, Georgia or Nashville, Tennessee depending on Sunday's results.
On Sunday, Lipscomb will play Kennesaw State for the #1 seed, NJIT will play A-SUN newcomer North Alabama to gain the #3 seed and UNF will player fellow A-SUN newcomer Liberty.
Both Lipscomb and Kennesaw will earn a first round bye as the #1 and #2 seeds and will face seeds #3-6 regardless of the outcome.
UNF does have a chance to gain the #6 seed if they defeat Liberty and North Alabama loses to NJIT.
If NJIT loses, the Eagles will enter as the #3 seed and face North Alabama as the #6 seed, should they defeat UNF.
Even if North Alabama enters the tournament, they are not eligible for the national tournament due to the four-year transitional period, and will not be a full-time member until the 2022-23 season.
Because of their overall and conference records, Stetson and Jacksonville (1-14-1, 1-7 A-SUN) are eliminated from tournament contention.
The only thing we can do now is wait.
FGCU W. Soc vs Stetson Preview: Senior Night
The FGCU women's soccer team (11-3-2, 4-3 A-SUN) will close the season night with a final home game against Stetson (4-9-3, 1-5-1 A-SUN) on Saturday, October 20 at 7 P.M. at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles wrapped up their non-conference portion of the season with an 8-0 win against NAIA Webber International Monday night. In fact, it was the same score that occurred from last season. FGCU outshot the Warriors 38-2 on the night, putting the ball in the back of the net eight times in the match.
The Power of Hawes:
Redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes shocked the A-SUN by storm against Webber International. After redshirting the entire 2017 season, Hawes made her on-field debut in the home opening match against Georgia Southern where she played for 10 minutes. It was the only match she played in until she faced Webber. The Coconut Creek native took it to the limit against Webber and fired two goals with an assist in 52 minutes of play.
The Evi Show:
Junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova has been leading the charge offensively, not just as a member of the A-SUN Legion of Doom, but in the A-SUN in general. The Bulgarian leads not just the team, but the A-SUN in goals (13). In fact, Popadinova's 13 goals are the 5th most in a single season as she passed fellow junior and A-SUN LOD member Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen (2017), Shannen Wacker (2012) and Linda Haw (2007) for fifth most goals in a single season. Popadinova is two away from passing FGCU's all-time leader Tabby Tindell's season record (14, 2016 season) for fourth most goals in a single season.
Farewell Seniors:
Three Eagle seniors will play their final games at the FGCU Soccer Complex Saturday as Holly Fritz, Camille Knudstrup, and Shay Jackson will be sent off in style.
In two seasons with the Eagles, Fritz has scored 11 goals and dished out 15 assists, good for 37 career points.
A four year starter for FGCU, Knudstrup has played over 6,000 minutes for the Eagles, helping anchor an impenetrable backline while also chipping in five goals and 13 assists on the offensive side.
Jackson has played in 41 career games for the Eagles, notching five goals and five assists in her four year career.
The ceremony of the three seniors will take place prior to the start of the game
Wild Wild A-SUN:
The A-SUN playoff picture couldn't be much cloudier as we head into the final weekend of action. Four teams, including FGCU have clinched their spot in the quarterfinal round, but none of the four have even come close to securing their spot in the seeding for the tournament.
That probably will not change until the last A-SUN game of the year when Lipscomb visits Kennesaw State Sunday night in the Peach State.
The Eagles could finish as high as second with a win over Stetson, or as low as sixth if they are unable to secure the three points Saturday.
Scouting Stetson:
It has been a disappointing 2018 for the Hatters who were picked fourth in the preseason coaches' poll, but have been eliminated from the postseason picture going into the final weekend of play. The lone A-SUN victory for Stetson thus far came in a dominating 4-2 performance against NJIT, coincidentally, the Highlanders only loss of the conference season.
Stetson saw their postseason chances dashed last Sunday when they dropped a 2-0 decision on the road at Liberty.
The Hatters gave up two goals in six minutes midway through the first half and could never recover.
The Hatters have struggled on the offensive end this season, netting just 13 total goals in 16 games. Making matters worse, they have been shutout in five of their past six games, with the lone epiphany coming in the four goal outburst against NJIT.
Lindsey Parent and Hailey Williams have combined for seven of the 13 goals on the year and have totaled 18 of the 37 total points that the Hatters have put up this season.
Saturday marks the 13th all-time meeting between the Eagles and the Hatters. FGCU holds a 10-1-1 advantage in the series history including a 6-0-0 mark in Fort Myers.
Last year the Hatters halted a 10 game winning streak for the Eagles in the series with a 0-0 draw in DeLand.
It was an exciting game with 28 shots and 16 shots on goal, but nobody could beat keepers Melissa Weck or Emily Plotz, who are both expected to be in net again Saturday for the two teams.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided for the game and will air livestream on Facebook Live.
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=229960
Livestream link: https://fgcuathletics.com/sports/2017/9/5/fgcu-athletics-facebook-live-broadcasts.aspx
Promotions:
The already announced theme for the game will be Senior Night with the following promotions listed:
Last Time Out:
The Eagles wrapped up their non-conference portion of the season with an 8-0 win against NAIA Webber International Monday night. In fact, it was the same score that occurred from last season. FGCU outshot the Warriors 38-2 on the night, putting the ball in the back of the net eight times in the match.
The Power of Hawes:
Redshirt freshman Morgan Hawes shocked the A-SUN by storm against Webber International. After redshirting the entire 2017 season, Hawes made her on-field debut in the home opening match against Georgia Southern where she played for 10 minutes. It was the only match she played in until she faced Webber. The Coconut Creek native took it to the limit against Webber and fired two goals with an assist in 52 minutes of play.
The Evi Show:
Junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova has been leading the charge offensively, not just as a member of the A-SUN Legion of Doom, but in the A-SUN in general. The Bulgarian leads not just the team, but the A-SUN in goals (13). In fact, Popadinova's 13 goals are the 5th most in a single season as she passed fellow junior and A-SUN LOD member Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen (2017), Shannen Wacker (2012) and Linda Haw (2007) for fifth most goals in a single season. Popadinova is two away from passing FGCU's all-time leader Tabby Tindell's season record (14, 2016 season) for fourth most goals in a single season.
Farewell Seniors:
Three Eagle seniors will play their final games at the FGCU Soccer Complex Saturday as Holly Fritz, Camille Knudstrup, and Shay Jackson will be sent off in style.
In two seasons with the Eagles, Fritz has scored 11 goals and dished out 15 assists, good for 37 career points.
A four year starter for FGCU, Knudstrup has played over 6,000 minutes for the Eagles, helping anchor an impenetrable backline while also chipping in five goals and 13 assists on the offensive side.
Jackson has played in 41 career games for the Eagles, notching five goals and five assists in her four year career.
The ceremony of the three seniors will take place prior to the start of the game
Wild Wild A-SUN:
The A-SUN playoff picture couldn't be much cloudier as we head into the final weekend of action. Four teams, including FGCU have clinched their spot in the quarterfinal round, but none of the four have even come close to securing their spot in the seeding for the tournament.
That probably will not change until the last A-SUN game of the year when Lipscomb visits Kennesaw State Sunday night in the Peach State.
The Eagles could finish as high as second with a win over Stetson, or as low as sixth if they are unable to secure the three points Saturday.
Scouting Stetson:
It has been a disappointing 2018 for the Hatters who were picked fourth in the preseason coaches' poll, but have been eliminated from the postseason picture going into the final weekend of play. The lone A-SUN victory for Stetson thus far came in a dominating 4-2 performance against NJIT, coincidentally, the Highlanders only loss of the conference season.
Stetson saw their postseason chances dashed last Sunday when they dropped a 2-0 decision on the road at Liberty.
The Hatters gave up two goals in six minutes midway through the first half and could never recover.
The Hatters have struggled on the offensive end this season, netting just 13 total goals in 16 games. Making matters worse, they have been shutout in five of their past six games, with the lone epiphany coming in the four goal outburst against NJIT.
Lindsey Parent and Hailey Williams have combined for seven of the 13 goals on the year and have totaled 18 of the 37 total points that the Hatters have put up this season.
Saturday marks the 13th all-time meeting between the Eagles and the Hatters. FGCU holds a 10-1-1 advantage in the series history including a 6-0-0 mark in Fort Myers.
Last year the Hatters halted a 10 game winning streak for the Eagles in the series with a 0-0 draw in DeLand.
It was an exciting game with 28 shots and 16 shots on goal, but nobody could beat keepers Melissa Weck or Emily Plotz, who are both expected to be in net again Saturday for the two teams.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided for the game and will air livestream on Facebook Live.
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=229960
Livestream link: https://fgcuathletics.com/sports/2017/9/5/fgcu-athletics-facebook-live-broadcasts.aspx
Promotions:
The already announced theme for the game will be Senior Night with the following promotions listed:
- Whiteout: All fans are encouraged to wear white
- Senior Night: Seniors will be recognized pregame
- Poster Signing: Players will sign posters following the game
- Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
- Shirts for Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal
- Player Meet & Greet: Meet your Eagles after the game
- Rally Towels: Stomp Stetson rally towels will be given out before the game
- Spirit Cup: Greeks will compete in attendance and spirit for $100 towards their philanthropy
- Alumni Game: Women's Soccer alumni will be recognized at halftime
FGCU W. Soc vs Webber International Preview
The FGCU women's soccer team (10-3-2, 4-3 A-SUN) will take a tiny break from conference play as they welcome NAIA Webber International (4-8, 2-4 TSC) to the FGCU Soccer Complex on Monday, October 15 at 7 P.M.
Last Time Out:
After being on a three-game losing streak, the Eagles were able to snap it as they defeated A-SUN newcomer Liberty at home with 1-0 shutout.
A-SUN LOD Back on Track:
During the game against Liberty, the A-SUN Legion of doom, juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen set up a big moment as Popadinova scored the goal for the 1-0 Eagle win while Boilesen set up the assist for the goal.
Popadinova's goal was her 11th of the season as she leads the A-SUN in goals. Her 11th goal tied a season record with Boilesen (2017), Shannen Wacker (2012) and Linda Haw (2007) for fifth most goals in a single season. Popadinova is four away from passing FGCU's all-time leader Tabby Tindell (14, 2016 season) for fourth most goals in a single season.
Boilesen's assist was her eighth of the season as she tied for 10th most in program history with Tindell (2014, 2016) and Melisa Arnold (2013). Boilesen is tied for eighth in the nation with seniors Carissima Cutrona (Buffalo) and Maria Sanchez (Santa Clara), juniors Miciah Madison (San Francisco), Caitlyn Reilly (Furman) and Ella Stevens (Duke) and sophomore Alyssa Malonson (Auburn), who all have eight assists. The Brazilian also has five goals on the season. In additon, Boilesen was honored by TopDrawerSoccer.com last week as she was named one of the Top 100 players in the country by the organization. Boilesen checked in at #39 on the list and was the #3 ranked mid-major player.
Weck City:
Junior Melissa Weck (10-3-2) currently has eight shutouts to her name along with 58 saves. Against Liberty, Weck had three saves including a big diving save in the second half that help keep her eighth shutout of the season in tact. Weck's eighth shutout was the 26th of her career.
Playoff Picture:
With the win against Liberty, the Eagles have secured their spot in the A-SUN quarterfinals as the #3 seed with the three points, and also put themselves back in the conversation for a first round bye and a potential home playoff game.
Although they secured a spot in the tournament, the following for a bigger playoff picture with a first round bye is as noted:
1. The Eagles could get first place, the season championship, the #1 seed, and first round bye with a win vs Stetson, a Kennesaw loss to Lipscomb, and a NJIT loss to North Alabama.
2. The Eagles could get the #2 seed and a first round bye with a win vs Stetson and a Kennesaw or NJIT loss.
Scouting Webber:
The Warriors are coming of a 2-1 win over the Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah (SCAD Savannah) in Sun Conference (TSC) Play.
The Warriors have fallen to A-SUN Conference member UNF (9-0), and NCAA DII schools St. Leo University (6-1), Rollins College (6-1) and Eckerd College (9-0). Despite it being NAIA vs NCAA, those games counted on their season record (odd I know).
The Warriors also lost to NJCAA Daytona State College (5-2), but it did not count on their record.
Offensively, junior Megan Warner and senior Luiza Oliveira lead the way. Warner has six goals while Oliveira has five.
Between the posts, freshman Summer Simpson (2-6) leads the team with 61 saves, but has given up 36 goals.
Junior Alyssa Rodriguez (1-1). The Miami native played in the last four games where she gave up 15 goals with 18 saves. Rodriguez started in the game against St. Leo, as she gave up all six goals and had 12 saves in the game.
In the game against SCAD Savannah, Rodriguez had three saves while giving up the lone goal in the game.
This will be the second time both teams will play each other. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Warriors 8-0 at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Breakdown of the Game and How to Keep Up:
The game will be ruled as a scrimmage/season game. The game will count as a season game for FGCU, but will not go towards their RPI ranking while being dubbed as a scrimmage for Webber that will not count on their record.
Livestats will be available and will air on Facebook Live from the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page.
Fan can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Webber: @wiu_wsoccer
Promotions:
There is no theme tonight, but the following promotions will be as announced:
1. Cups for Corners: FGCU cups thrown into the student section for corner kicks
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
3. Hurricane Michael Relief Donations: The Eagles ask fans to bring items such as hygiene kits, water, blankets, diapers, and personal care items, along with non-perishable food and water to help in the relief efforts for Hurricane Michael in the Florida Panhandle. After Monday's game, an FGCU staff member will be transporting all collected goods to the Panhandle area for distribution to those in need.
Last Time Out:
After being on a three-game losing streak, the Eagles were able to snap it as they defeated A-SUN newcomer Liberty at home with 1-0 shutout.
A-SUN LOD Back on Track:
During the game against Liberty, the A-SUN Legion of doom, juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen set up a big moment as Popadinova scored the goal for the 1-0 Eagle win while Boilesen set up the assist for the goal.
Popadinova's goal was her 11th of the season as she leads the A-SUN in goals. Her 11th goal tied a season record with Boilesen (2017), Shannen Wacker (2012) and Linda Haw (2007) for fifth most goals in a single season. Popadinova is four away from passing FGCU's all-time leader Tabby Tindell (14, 2016 season) for fourth most goals in a single season.
Boilesen's assist was her eighth of the season as she tied for 10th most in program history with Tindell (2014, 2016) and Melisa Arnold (2013). Boilesen is tied for eighth in the nation with seniors Carissima Cutrona (Buffalo) and Maria Sanchez (Santa Clara), juniors Miciah Madison (San Francisco), Caitlyn Reilly (Furman) and Ella Stevens (Duke) and sophomore Alyssa Malonson (Auburn), who all have eight assists. The Brazilian also has five goals on the season. In additon, Boilesen was honored by TopDrawerSoccer.com last week as she was named one of the Top 100 players in the country by the organization. Boilesen checked in at #39 on the list and was the #3 ranked mid-major player.
Weck City:
Junior Melissa Weck (10-3-2) currently has eight shutouts to her name along with 58 saves. Against Liberty, Weck had three saves including a big diving save in the second half that help keep her eighth shutout of the season in tact. Weck's eighth shutout was the 26th of her career.
Playoff Picture:
With the win against Liberty, the Eagles have secured their spot in the A-SUN quarterfinals as the #3 seed with the three points, and also put themselves back in the conversation for a first round bye and a potential home playoff game.
Although they secured a spot in the tournament, the following for a bigger playoff picture with a first round bye is as noted:
1. The Eagles could get first place, the season championship, the #1 seed, and first round bye with a win vs Stetson, a Kennesaw loss to Lipscomb, and a NJIT loss to North Alabama.
2. The Eagles could get the #2 seed and a first round bye with a win vs Stetson and a Kennesaw or NJIT loss.
Scouting Webber:
The Warriors are coming of a 2-1 win over the Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah (SCAD Savannah) in Sun Conference (TSC) Play.
The Warriors have fallen to A-SUN Conference member UNF (9-0), and NCAA DII schools St. Leo University (6-1), Rollins College (6-1) and Eckerd College (9-0). Despite it being NAIA vs NCAA, those games counted on their season record (odd I know).
The Warriors also lost to NJCAA Daytona State College (5-2), but it did not count on their record.
Offensively, junior Megan Warner and senior Luiza Oliveira lead the way. Warner has six goals while Oliveira has five.
Between the posts, freshman Summer Simpson (2-6) leads the team with 61 saves, but has given up 36 goals.
Junior Alyssa Rodriguez (1-1). The Miami native played in the last four games where she gave up 15 goals with 18 saves. Rodriguez started in the game against St. Leo, as she gave up all six goals and had 12 saves in the game.
In the game against SCAD Savannah, Rodriguez had three saves while giving up the lone goal in the game.
This will be the second time both teams will play each other. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Warriors 8-0 at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Breakdown of the Game and How to Keep Up:
The game will be ruled as a scrimmage/season game. The game will count as a season game for FGCU, but will not go towards their RPI ranking while being dubbed as a scrimmage for Webber that will not count on their record.
Livestats will be available and will air on Facebook Live from the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page.
Fan can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Webber: @wiu_wsoccer
Promotions:
There is no theme tonight, but the following promotions will be as announced:
1. Cups for Corners: FGCU cups thrown into the student section for corner kicks
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
3. Hurricane Michael Relief Donations: The Eagles ask fans to bring items such as hygiene kits, water, blankets, diapers, and personal care items, along with non-perishable food and water to help in the relief efforts for Hurricane Michael in the Florida Panhandle. After Monday's game, an FGCU staff member will be transporting all collected goods to the Panhandle area for distribution to those in need.
Livestream link: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229959
FGCU W. Soc vs Liberty Recap
After going through a struggle in conference, the FGCU women's soccer team (10-3-2, 4-3 A-SUN) snapped their three-match losing streak as they defeated A-SUN newcomer Liberty (3-10, 2-3 A-SUN) 1-0 at the FGCU Soccer Complex. With the win, the Eagles are now 3-0 against the Lady Flames, and have moved to a tie for second place with NJIT (10-4-1, 4-2 A-SUN).
"I thought our kids played with great energy" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "It was a playoff type game just like we knew it was going to be, I was very proud of the tempo and energy that our kids brought to the game." Blankenship also talked about the teams annual Pinkout, supporting breast cancer awareness, "it was nice for us to be able to recognize our cancer survivors and those that we have lost before the game. All of us have been touched by cancer. I lost my father to cancer and my mother beat cancer, so it is even a little bit more special to me" he said.
"We knew that Florida Gulf Coast was a quality team, having being ranked the top-25 this season and beating Power 5 schools," said Liberty head coach Lang Wedemeyer. "They came out with a lot of energy and a lot of pace and it caught our girls off guard. To our credit we battled and at the end of the game we had our chances. We weathered some storms and Melody (Jayroe) made some great saves to keep us in it and Devon (Sipala) hits the post so we were close and I hope that builds confidence for our players."
Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to the box while Wedemeyer sent sophomore Melody Jayroe to counter.
Going into the first, the Lady Flames kept stopping the Eagles from going across the field, which was working in their advantage, but the Eagles kept.
The Eagles had numerous opportunities to score the first goal of the match freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo, who had her first start of the game, sophomore Cassidy Morgan, redshirt sophomore Megan Young, and juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova, but to no avail.
30 minutes into the first half, the Eagles got their opportunity from the A-SUN LOD as senior Holly Fritz helped Boilesen set up Popadinova for a shot down the middle and into the back of the net for an Eagles goal. This was Popadinova's 11th goal of the season.
In fact, the Bulgarian's 11th goal tied a season record for fifth most goals with Boilesen (2017), Shannen Wacker (2012) and Linda Haw (2007) in a season. Popadinova is now four away from passing FGCU all-time leader Tabby Tindell (2016 season) for fourth most all-time in goals.
"I'm really happy I scored the goal, but to be honest I had an early chance to score earlier, but I'm happy to help the team win," said Popadinova. "We've been struggling the past three games, and it was about time to come back to winning and scoring more goals. I also thought we had more chances to score more. I got a nice pass, and I took two girls (Fritz and Boilesen) and I got a good shot from there."
"We were definitely more positive during the whole week at practice," said Popadinova on the team's weekly performance. "It was really tough after three losses, but every day we've been motivating ourselves and our coaches that deserve a lot of credit for that because they tried to be positive despite the fact that it wasn't all good because we were losing, but we found our pace again, and I'm glad we're back, but it's gonna be tough though."
Boilesen assist was her eighth of the season as she tied for 10th most in program history with Tindell (2014, 2016) and Melisa Arnold (2013). In addition, Boilesen's eighth assist tied for eighth in the nation with seniors Carissima Cutrona (Buffalo) and Maria Sanchez (Santa Clara), juniors Miciah Madison (San Francisco), Caitlyn Reilly (Furman) and Ella Stevens (Duke) and sophomore Alyssa Malonson (Auburn).
Fritz also secured her fourth assist of the game.
Popadinova had another chance in the 41st minute, attempting a bicycle kick from inside the box off of a well-placed free kick from senior Camille Knudstrup, but it sailed just high to keep it a one goal game.
At the end of 45 minutes it was all FGCU. The Eagles outshot the Flames 16-3 and drew five corners to just one for the visitors. Nine of the Eagles shots found their way on goal while Liberty managed just a single shot on target.
The pressure didn't subside as the second half got underway as Abbondandolo and Boilesen both put shots on goal in the first three minutes of action for the Eagles.
It wasn't until the 66th minute that Liberty would put their second shot on goal, in the meantime, FGCU was already nearing their 20th shot on the night by that time.
In the 75th minute, the Lady Flames had their best scoring chance of the night as they found their first crease in the Eagle defense. From just inside the box, junior Sierra Lam let a right footed shot go and watched as Weck made a highlight reel save to keep FGCU on the right side of a 1-0 score.
"I thought our kids played with great energy" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "It was a playoff type game just like we knew it was going to be, I was very proud of the tempo and energy that our kids brought to the game." Blankenship also talked about the teams annual Pinkout, supporting breast cancer awareness, "it was nice for us to be able to recognize our cancer survivors and those that we have lost before the game. All of us have been touched by cancer. I lost my father to cancer and my mother beat cancer, so it is even a little bit more special to me" he said.
"We knew that Florida Gulf Coast was a quality team, having being ranked the top-25 this season and beating Power 5 schools," said Liberty head coach Lang Wedemeyer. "They came out with a lot of energy and a lot of pace and it caught our girls off guard. To our credit we battled and at the end of the game we had our chances. We weathered some storms and Melody (Jayroe) made some great saves to keep us in it and Devon (Sipala) hits the post so we were close and I hope that builds confidence for our players."
Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to the box while Wedemeyer sent sophomore Melody Jayroe to counter.
Going into the first, the Lady Flames kept stopping the Eagles from going across the field, which was working in their advantage, but the Eagles kept.
The Eagles had numerous opportunities to score the first goal of the match freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo, who had her first start of the game, sophomore Cassidy Morgan, redshirt sophomore Megan Young, and juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova, but to no avail.
30 minutes into the first half, the Eagles got their opportunity from the A-SUN LOD as senior Holly Fritz helped Boilesen set up Popadinova for a shot down the middle and into the back of the net for an Eagles goal. This was Popadinova's 11th goal of the season.
In fact, the Bulgarian's 11th goal tied a season record for fifth most goals with Boilesen (2017), Shannen Wacker (2012) and Linda Haw (2007) in a season. Popadinova is now four away from passing FGCU all-time leader Tabby Tindell (2016 season) for fourth most all-time in goals.
"I'm really happy I scored the goal, but to be honest I had an early chance to score earlier, but I'm happy to help the team win," said Popadinova. "We've been struggling the past three games, and it was about time to come back to winning and scoring more goals. I also thought we had more chances to score more. I got a nice pass, and I took two girls (Fritz and Boilesen) and I got a good shot from there."
"We were definitely more positive during the whole week at practice," said Popadinova on the team's weekly performance. "It was really tough after three losses, but every day we've been motivating ourselves and our coaches that deserve a lot of credit for that because they tried to be positive despite the fact that it wasn't all good because we were losing, but we found our pace again, and I'm glad we're back, but it's gonna be tough though."
Boilesen assist was her eighth of the season as she tied for 10th most in program history with Tindell (2014, 2016) and Melisa Arnold (2013). In addition, Boilesen's eighth assist tied for eighth in the nation with seniors Carissima Cutrona (Buffalo) and Maria Sanchez (Santa Clara), juniors Miciah Madison (San Francisco), Caitlyn Reilly (Furman) and Ella Stevens (Duke) and sophomore Alyssa Malonson (Auburn).
Fritz also secured her fourth assist of the game.
Popadinova had another chance in the 41st minute, attempting a bicycle kick from inside the box off of a well-placed free kick from senior Camille Knudstrup, but it sailed just high to keep it a one goal game.
At the end of 45 minutes it was all FGCU. The Eagles outshot the Flames 16-3 and drew five corners to just one for the visitors. Nine of the Eagles shots found their way on goal while Liberty managed just a single shot on target.
The pressure didn't subside as the second half got underway as Abbondandolo and Boilesen both put shots on goal in the first three minutes of action for the Eagles.
It wasn't until the 66th minute that Liberty would put their second shot on goal, in the meantime, FGCU was already nearing their 20th shot on the night by that time.
In the 75th minute, the Lady Flames had their best scoring chance of the night as they found their first crease in the Eagle defense. From just inside the box, junior Sierra Lam let a right footed shot go and watched as Weck made a highlight reel save to keep FGCU on the right side of a 1-0 score.
The Eagles continued to push forward looking for an insurance goal, but couldn't find it as they continued to cling to a one goal lead with time winding down.
With just over five minutes remaining in regulation, the FGCU faithful held their breath as a Liberty shot sailed towards the Eagle goal and got past Weck, but clanged off the crossbar to keep it a 1-0 game.
That would be the end of the chances for the Lady Flames as FGCU dug in on defense finished Liberty off 1-0 to claim a huge three points in the A-SUN standings.
Weck (10-3-2) finished with three saves for her eighth shutout of the season and her 26th of her career.
"I thought I did well," said Weck. "I kind of was there when my team needed me, so they're out there running for 90 minutes, so I see as my way of giving back to them."
Jayroe (2-7) finished with 11 saves despite giving up the lone goal.
The Eagles pounded 23 shots at the Liberty net, 12 of those finding their target, while the Lady Flames finished with eight shots and three on cage at Weck. FGCU earned 10 corners on the night to four for Liberty.
Both teams ended up with a combined 29 fouls (15 for Liberty, 14 for FGCU).
*Personal Side Note:
I have friends that went to Liberty that I love and respect deeply and some of the sports at Liberty, I have the utmost respect for them too, but their women's soccer, I'm outraged with them.
In this series between FGCU and Liberty, I'm not surprised by the outcome since Liberty does have a strong tendency to target the legs of Boilesen and Popadinova, which obviously annoys and infuriates me at all levels, along with the numerous possible elbows thrown and purposely hard fouls they committed in the game.
When we first play Liberty during the 2016 season in Virginia, everything seemed in order, although we had more fouls the first game (8-4), but we beat them 1-0.
During 2017 season, Liberty caused 15 fouls to our 14, elbowing and targeting Boilesen, and alums Nikki Hudson and Varin Ness. I seriously called them out on that for their despicable attitudes. We ended up winning 3-2.
If we play them in the conference tournament and if it was at FGCU, I would seriously call them out for their character.
A-SUN STANDINGS:
1. Kennesaw St 12-3-1, 5-1-0
2. FGCU 10-3-2, 4-3-0
NJIT 10-4-1, 4-2-0
4. Lipscomb 8-4-2, 3-1-0
5. North Alabama 8-6-0, 2-2-0
Liberty 3-10-0, 2-3-0
7. North Florida 6-6-1, 1-3-1
Stetson 4-8-3, 1-4-1
9. Jacksonville 1-11-1, 1-4-0
Up Next:
The Eagles will take a little breather from conference play as they welcome NAIA Webber International (4-8, 2-4 TSC) to the FGCU Soccer Complex on Monday, October 15 at 7 P.M.
"I thought I did well," said Weck. "I kind of was there when my team needed me, so they're out there running for 90 minutes, so I see as my way of giving back to them."
Jayroe (2-7) finished with 11 saves despite giving up the lone goal.
The Eagles pounded 23 shots at the Liberty net, 12 of those finding their target, while the Lady Flames finished with eight shots and three on cage at Weck. FGCU earned 10 corners on the night to four for Liberty.
Both teams ended up with a combined 29 fouls (15 for Liberty, 14 for FGCU).
*Personal Side Note:
I have friends that went to Liberty that I love and respect deeply and some of the sports at Liberty, I have the utmost respect for them too, but their women's soccer, I'm outraged with them.
In this series between FGCU and Liberty, I'm not surprised by the outcome since Liberty does have a strong tendency to target the legs of Boilesen and Popadinova, which obviously annoys and infuriates me at all levels, along with the numerous possible elbows thrown and purposely hard fouls they committed in the game.
When we first play Liberty during the 2016 season in Virginia, everything seemed in order, although we had more fouls the first game (8-4), but we beat them 1-0.
During 2017 season, Liberty caused 15 fouls to our 14, elbowing and targeting Boilesen, and alums Nikki Hudson and Varin Ness. I seriously called them out on that for their despicable attitudes. We ended up winning 3-2.
If we play them in the conference tournament and if it was at FGCU, I would seriously call them out for their character.
A-SUN STANDINGS:
1. Kennesaw St 12-3-1, 5-1-0
2. FGCU 10-3-2, 4-3-0
NJIT 10-4-1, 4-2-0
4. Lipscomb 8-4-2, 3-1-0
5. North Alabama 8-6-0, 2-2-0
Liberty 3-10-0, 2-3-0
7. North Florida 6-6-1, 1-3-1
Stetson 4-8-3, 1-4-1
9. Jacksonville 1-11-1, 1-4-0
Up Next:
The Eagles will take a little breather from conference play as they welcome NAIA Webber International (4-8, 2-4 TSC) to the FGCU Soccer Complex on Monday, October 15 at 7 P.M.
FGCU W. Soc vs. Liberty Preview
The home stretch is here for the FGCU Women's Soccer team as they begin a three game home stand on Thursday in a key ASUN matchup with the Liberty Lady Flames.
Last Time Out:
October didn't get off to the start the Eagles were looking for last weekend as they dropped a pair of 1-0 contests to A-SUN leaders NJIT and Kennesaw St. on the road.
Against the Highlanders Thursday, FGCU dominated play in the first half, outshooting NJIT 8-1, but couldn't get anything past the keeper in a scoreless first 45. That came back to bite them later on as NJIT scored on a free kick deep in the Eagles third, six minutes into the second half for the only goal of the game, earning the program's first win over FGCU.
Sunday's contest with Kennesaw followed an almost opposite script. The Owls were the aggressors early on, scoring at the midway point of the first half on a long cross into the box to take a 1-0 lead into the half. The second half was controlled by the Eagles as they pounded nine shots at the Kennesaw net, but as if it had a lid on it for the second straight game, FGCU could not get anything through, suffering another heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to fall to 3-3-0 in A-SUN action.
However, the Eagles are still in prime position for one of the six A-SUN playoff spots which begins October 26th. FGCU currently sits in third place with nine points, while recording a 9-3-2 overall record through 14 matches.
The Eagles are the top scoring team in the A-SUN at 2.29 goals per game while also ranking first in goals allowed at just 0.62 per contest.
Junior Evdokia Popadinova leads FGCU and the A-SUN in both goals with 10 and points with 26 on the season.
Junior Marjorie Boilesen, the Preseason A-SUN Player of the Year, ranks second in the league in assists with 7.
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Melissa Weck (9-3-2) leads the league in goals against average at 0.63 and save percentage at .859, while ranking third in shutouts with 7.
Top Drawer Top 100:
Boilesen was honored by TopDrawerSoccer.com last week as she was named one of the Top 100 players in the country by the organization. Boilesen checked in at #39 on the list and was the #3 ranked mid-major player. The Preseason A-SUN Player of the Year has five goals and a team best seven assists on the year.
Scouting the Flames:
The newest A-SUN member, Liberty, started the season with a pair of nail-biting overtime losses and then played through a tough gauntlet of games including contests against LSU, Virginia, and Clemson to begin the year just 1-9-0. However, they seem to have found their footing last week, going on the road to North Alabama and Lipscomb to earn a pair of big wins to make their way back into the playoff picture.
The Liberty offense has struggled overall this season, scoring just 12 goals in their 12 games. Those 12 goals have been split between seven different players, with their leading scorer, junior Gabrielle Farrell, coming into the game with six points on two goals and two assists.
Sophomore Melody Jayroe (2-6) has seen most of the action in net, posting a 2.32 goals against average and a .681 save percentage.
FGCU leads the all-time series between the two 2-0-0 with wins in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Last season the two teams played at the FGCU Soccer Complex with the Eagles squeaking out a 3-2 victory from senior Holly Fritz's goal in the 80th minute, her second of the contest.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and will air on Facebook Live from the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Other promotions are as listed:
1.Camper Night: Youth in their 2018 camper shirt will get in for free
2. Chalk Talk w/ Coach: Youth will be invited for a chalk talk with the FGCU coaching staff
3. Cups for Corners: FGCU cups thrown into the student section for corner kicks
4. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
5. Pink Sales: 2018-19 pink shirts on sale. All proceeds benefit the ACS.
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229958
Livestream link: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
Last Time Out:
October didn't get off to the start the Eagles were looking for last weekend as they dropped a pair of 1-0 contests to A-SUN leaders NJIT and Kennesaw St. on the road.
Against the Highlanders Thursday, FGCU dominated play in the first half, outshooting NJIT 8-1, but couldn't get anything past the keeper in a scoreless first 45. That came back to bite them later on as NJIT scored on a free kick deep in the Eagles third, six minutes into the second half for the only goal of the game, earning the program's first win over FGCU.
Sunday's contest with Kennesaw followed an almost opposite script. The Owls were the aggressors early on, scoring at the midway point of the first half on a long cross into the box to take a 1-0 lead into the half. The second half was controlled by the Eagles as they pounded nine shots at the Kennesaw net, but as if it had a lid on it for the second straight game, FGCU could not get anything through, suffering another heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to fall to 3-3-0 in A-SUN action.
However, the Eagles are still in prime position for one of the six A-SUN playoff spots which begins October 26th. FGCU currently sits in third place with nine points, while recording a 9-3-2 overall record through 14 matches.
The Eagles are the top scoring team in the A-SUN at 2.29 goals per game while also ranking first in goals allowed at just 0.62 per contest.
Junior Evdokia Popadinova leads FGCU and the A-SUN in both goals with 10 and points with 26 on the season.
Junior Marjorie Boilesen, the Preseason A-SUN Player of the Year, ranks second in the league in assists with 7.
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Melissa Weck (9-3-2) leads the league in goals against average at 0.63 and save percentage at .859, while ranking third in shutouts with 7.
Top Drawer Top 100:
Boilesen was honored by TopDrawerSoccer.com last week as she was named one of the Top 100 players in the country by the organization. Boilesen checked in at #39 on the list and was the #3 ranked mid-major player. The Preseason A-SUN Player of the Year has five goals and a team best seven assists on the year.
Scouting the Flames:
The newest A-SUN member, Liberty, started the season with a pair of nail-biting overtime losses and then played through a tough gauntlet of games including contests against LSU, Virginia, and Clemson to begin the year just 1-9-0. However, they seem to have found their footing last week, going on the road to North Alabama and Lipscomb to earn a pair of big wins to make their way back into the playoff picture.
The Liberty offense has struggled overall this season, scoring just 12 goals in their 12 games. Those 12 goals have been split between seven different players, with their leading scorer, junior Gabrielle Farrell, coming into the game with six points on two goals and two assists.
Sophomore Melody Jayroe (2-6) has seen most of the action in net, posting a 2.32 goals against average and a .681 save percentage.
FGCU leads the all-time series between the two 2-0-0 with wins in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Last season the two teams played at the FGCU Soccer Complex with the Eagles squeaking out a 3-2 victory from senior Holly Fritz's goal in the 80th minute, her second of the contest.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and will air on Facebook Live from the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Liberty: @LibertyWSoccer
Promotions:
The theme is a pinkout, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear pink to the game.Other promotions are as listed:
1.Camper Night: Youth in their 2018 camper shirt will get in for free
2. Chalk Talk w/ Coach: Youth will be invited for a chalk talk with the FGCU coaching staff
3. Cups for Corners: FGCU cups thrown into the student section for corner kicks
4. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear
5. Pink Sales: 2018-19 pink shirts on sale. All proceeds benefit the ACS.
Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229958
Livestream link: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
FGCU W. Soc vs Lipscomb Recap
Lipscomb (8-3-2, 3-0-0 A-SUN) scored 1:18 into the game and never gave #24 FGCU (9-1-2, 3-1-0 A-SUN) space to get going Sunday afternoon, stunning the Eagles 1-0 on their home turf to send the Green and Blue to their first defeat of the 2018 season.
"Obviously it was a disappointing result, but the better team today won" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "The same thing happened last year and we bounced back to win the tournament, that will be the goal again."
It was a disastrous start for the Eagles in the much anticipated matchup as Lipscomb needed just 1:18 to put the first goal on the board, sneaking one into the FGCU net to take the quick 1-0 lead.
The Eagles pushed the ball into the attacking third a number of times over the first 15 minutes, but weren't able to generate any real chances as they remained behind by one.
On the other side, the Lady Bisons tested junior Melissa Weck a number of times, but the Eagle keeper was up to the task, keeping it a one goal game through the middle portion of the first.
It wouldn't be until the 44th minute that the Eagles would get another shot and so the game sailed to the half with the score 1-0 in favor of Lipscomb.
Lipscomb outshot FGCU 7-5 in the first half. Five of the Bisons' shots were on goal while the Eagles didn't manage a single shot on net in the period.
FGCU found two decent chances early in the second half, but neither shot was on target. They finally put their first shot on goal in the 54th minute as senior Camille Knudstrup struck a low line drive, but it was stopped and the Eagles continued to chase their elusive first goal.
Weck continued to keep Lipscomb from extending their lead, but the Eagles were unable to break through against a packed in Bisons defense as they didn't get another shot on goal until the 76th minute when Alyssa Abbondandolo struck a shape angled shot to the near post before it was stopped to keep it a 1-0 game.
The Eagles had their final chance in the 88th minute as they got a free kick from just outside the box, but the shot was stopped easily and the final horn sounded with the Lady Bisons celebrating a 1-0 win.
The final stats heavily favored the Lady Bisons as they got off 17 shots, eight on net, while FGCU finished with 12 shots and just three on goal. The lone stat that the Eagles won on the afternoon was corners where they managed four to just one for Lipscomb.
Weck made seven saves in the loss while Knudstrup, Abbondandolo, and junior Marjorie Boilesen had the Eagles three shots on goal.
FGCU drops to 9-1-2 on the year and 3-1-0 in A-SUN action while Lipscomb improves to 8-3-2 and 3-0-0 in conference play.
The Eagles will look to regroup next week when they take on NJIT Thursday in Newark and Kennesaw State Sunday in Georgia.
"Obviously it was a disappointing result, but the better team today won" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "The same thing happened last year and we bounced back to win the tournament, that will be the goal again."
It was a disastrous start for the Eagles in the much anticipated matchup as Lipscomb needed just 1:18 to put the first goal on the board, sneaking one into the FGCU net to take the quick 1-0 lead.
The Eagles pushed the ball into the attacking third a number of times over the first 15 minutes, but weren't able to generate any real chances as they remained behind by one.
On the other side, the Lady Bisons tested junior Melissa Weck a number of times, but the Eagle keeper was up to the task, keeping it a one goal game through the middle portion of the first.
It wouldn't be until the 44th minute that the Eagles would get another shot and so the game sailed to the half with the score 1-0 in favor of Lipscomb.
Lipscomb outshot FGCU 7-5 in the first half. Five of the Bisons' shots were on goal while the Eagles didn't manage a single shot on net in the period.
FGCU found two decent chances early in the second half, but neither shot was on target. They finally put their first shot on goal in the 54th minute as senior Camille Knudstrup struck a low line drive, but it was stopped and the Eagles continued to chase their elusive first goal.
Weck continued to keep Lipscomb from extending their lead, but the Eagles were unable to break through against a packed in Bisons defense as they didn't get another shot on goal until the 76th minute when Alyssa Abbondandolo struck a shape angled shot to the near post before it was stopped to keep it a 1-0 game.
The Eagles had their final chance in the 88th minute as they got a free kick from just outside the box, but the shot was stopped easily and the final horn sounded with the Lady Bisons celebrating a 1-0 win.
The final stats heavily favored the Lady Bisons as they got off 17 shots, eight on net, while FGCU finished with 12 shots and just three on goal. The lone stat that the Eagles won on the afternoon was corners where they managed four to just one for Lipscomb.
Weck made seven saves in the loss while Knudstrup, Abbondandolo, and junior Marjorie Boilesen had the Eagles three shots on goal.
FGCU drops to 9-1-2 on the year and 3-1-0 in A-SUN action while Lipscomb improves to 8-3-2 and 3-0-0 in conference play.
The Eagles will look to regroup next week when they take on NJIT Thursday in Newark and Kennesaw State Sunday in Georgia.
FGCU W. Soc vs North Alabama Recap
In a wave of green, the FGCU women's soccer team (9-0-2, 3-0 A-SUN) claimed a 2-0 win against new A-SUN Conference member North Alabama (7-5, 1-1 A-SUN) in their first ever matchup at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
"We got the points we needed" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We were a little bit impatient, but our attacking mentality was better in the second half and it earned us more chances with shots and corners. The first goal helped the momentum build and then we score another one right away."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to the box while North Alabama head coach Chris Walker sent senior Shelby Thornton to counter.
Despite the fact that the top two scoring teams in the A-SUN were going head to head Friday night, scoring chances were tough for the two sides to come up with in the first half. North Alabama got a couple of shots on net early, but both were easy stops for Weck to keep the game even through the first 10 minutes of action.
Sophomore Hope Van Wagner put the Eagles first shot on net in the 15th minute and junior Silvana Gordon got another in the 23rd minute, but it wasn't until nearly 15 minutes later that FGCU got another good look at goal.
With under six minutes remaining in the half, junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen chipped a shot past the goalie from the left side of the box and it looked like the Green and Blue were going to go ahead, but the ball slid just to the right of the far post and out of bounds harmlessly to keep it a scoreless contest at the half.
Shots were 7-6 in favor of the Eagles at the break, but the Lions had four shots on to FGCU's three.
Again UNA made a push early in the half as the second began, but again Weck was up to the task, stopping an early chance to keep the Lions off the board.
FGCU tried to recreate some of their magic from the opening weekend of A-SUN play as junior Lindsey Patton put her head on a corner kick from senior Holly Fritz, but was unable to find the net to keep it a 0-0 game.
The Eagles finally broke through in the 72nd minute when another Fritz corner was perfectly lofted into the box to Boilesen, who then made the short pass to the near post to junior Evdokia "Evi Popadinova, who buried it for her ninth goal of the year to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
"Our team is very supportive of each other, and Jim (Blakenship) does a great job talking to us as well." said Boilesen. "We have a great staff this year. They know what to do, they know what to tell us, and we just have to listen, and we did that in the second half, and that's why we scored the goals, so I'm just really happy with the team this year because it's a great mentality, great energy, and it's just awesome to be on the field with them."
The goal allowed the Eagles to exhale and they had two more chances right away before a UNA foul deep in the FGCU attacking third led to a free kick for Boilesen who found Popadinova in traffic in the box for a bouncing header that trickled in for her second goal in just six minutes to make it a 2-0 game. This was Popadinova's 10th goal of the season.
"When I score, I'm a different person after that," said Popadinova. "That's where I struggle a lot because I want that to happen immediately, but it's not always coming in the first half, so that's where I have to talk in my mind like it's gonna come, and that's the way I think I have to have the right mentality, which I'm doing well with."
The Eagles put it in cruise control from there and the Lions never threatened again as Weck (9-0-2) posted yet another clean sheet and FGCU remained unbeaten with a 2-0 victory. Weck made six saves in her seventh shutout of the year, moving her into a 5th place tie on the active NCAA list with her 25th career clean sheet.
"It was really hard in the first half," said Popadinova. "We couldn't really connect. The pace was slow, but our coaches talked to us and motivated us a lot, so we had to change and come up with a different mentality."
"I really struggled. The first half for me was really hard, but I'm glad that I slowed down, but I still expected more every time, and I'm glad we changed it."
Thornton (6-5) would earn the loss after giving up both goals and finish with six saves.
FGCU dominated the second half, finishing with a 9-3 shot advantage and a 6-1 corner advantage in the final 45 minutes.
Popadinova scored twice to become one of just six players nationally with 10 or more goals on the year.
Boilesen, the NCAA's active assist leader, added to her total with two helpers to give her a team best seven on the year while Fritz notched her 14th point with an assist of her own.
FGCU continues their best start in history at 9-0-2 and stays perfect in A-SUN action at 3-0-0 to remain atop the league standings.
UNA falls to 7-5-0 overall and 1-1-0 in A-SUN action.
Speaking of which, the Eagles are now one of eight teams left without a loss. The most recent loss was from #11 Boston College (10-2) as they fell 2-1 in overtime to Wake Forest.
#8 Texas also played and ended up in a 1-1 draw against #13 Oklahoma State.
Along with FGCU, #1 Stanford (10-0-1), #2 USC (9-0-1), #7 Georgetown (9-0-2), #8 Texas (9-0-2), #9 Washington State (10-0), #18 Colorado (9-0-2) and UC Riverside (9-0-1) also remain without a loss.
The Eagles won't have much time to celebrate the win as they gear up for rival Lipscomb (7-3-2, 2-0 A-SUN) on Sunday in a rematch of each of the past three A-SUN Championship games at 1 PM at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
"We got the points we needed" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We were a little bit impatient, but our attacking mentality was better in the second half and it earned us more chances with shots and corners. The first goal helped the momentum build and then we score another one right away."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to the box while North Alabama head coach Chris Walker sent senior Shelby Thornton to counter.
Despite the fact that the top two scoring teams in the A-SUN were going head to head Friday night, scoring chances were tough for the two sides to come up with in the first half. North Alabama got a couple of shots on net early, but both were easy stops for Weck to keep the game even through the first 10 minutes of action.
Sophomore Hope Van Wagner put the Eagles first shot on net in the 15th minute and junior Silvana Gordon got another in the 23rd minute, but it wasn't until nearly 15 minutes later that FGCU got another good look at goal.
With under six minutes remaining in the half, junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen chipped a shot past the goalie from the left side of the box and it looked like the Green and Blue were going to go ahead, but the ball slid just to the right of the far post and out of bounds harmlessly to keep it a scoreless contest at the half.
Shots were 7-6 in favor of the Eagles at the break, but the Lions had four shots on to FGCU's three.
Again UNA made a push early in the half as the second began, but again Weck was up to the task, stopping an early chance to keep the Lions off the board.
FGCU tried to recreate some of their magic from the opening weekend of A-SUN play as junior Lindsey Patton put her head on a corner kick from senior Holly Fritz, but was unable to find the net to keep it a 0-0 game.
The Eagles finally broke through in the 72nd minute when another Fritz corner was perfectly lofted into the box to Boilesen, who then made the short pass to the near post to junior Evdokia "Evi Popadinova, who buried it for her ninth goal of the year to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
"Our team is very supportive of each other, and Jim (Blakenship) does a great job talking to us as well." said Boilesen. "We have a great staff this year. They know what to do, they know what to tell us, and we just have to listen, and we did that in the second half, and that's why we scored the goals, so I'm just really happy with the team this year because it's a great mentality, great energy, and it's just awesome to be on the field with them."
The goal allowed the Eagles to exhale and they had two more chances right away before a UNA foul deep in the FGCU attacking third led to a free kick for Boilesen who found Popadinova in traffic in the box for a bouncing header that trickled in for her second goal in just six minutes to make it a 2-0 game. This was Popadinova's 10th goal of the season.
"When I score, I'm a different person after that," said Popadinova. "That's where I struggle a lot because I want that to happen immediately, but it's not always coming in the first half, so that's where I have to talk in my mind like it's gonna come, and that's the way I think I have to have the right mentality, which I'm doing well with."
The Eagles put it in cruise control from there and the Lions never threatened again as Weck (9-0-2) posted yet another clean sheet and FGCU remained unbeaten with a 2-0 victory. Weck made six saves in her seventh shutout of the year, moving her into a 5th place tie on the active NCAA list with her 25th career clean sheet.
"It was really hard in the first half," said Popadinova. "We couldn't really connect. The pace was slow, but our coaches talked to us and motivated us a lot, so we had to change and come up with a different mentality."
"I really struggled. The first half for me was really hard, but I'm glad that I slowed down, but I still expected more every time, and I'm glad we changed it."
Thornton (6-5) would earn the loss after giving up both goals and finish with six saves.
FGCU dominated the second half, finishing with a 9-3 shot advantage and a 6-1 corner advantage in the final 45 minutes.
Popadinova scored twice to become one of just six players nationally with 10 or more goals on the year.
Boilesen, the NCAA's active assist leader, added to her total with two helpers to give her a team best seven on the year while Fritz notched her 14th point with an assist of her own.
FGCU continues their best start in history at 9-0-2 and stays perfect in A-SUN action at 3-0-0 to remain atop the league standings.
UNA falls to 7-5-0 overall and 1-1-0 in A-SUN action.
Speaking of which, the Eagles are now one of eight teams left without a loss. The most recent loss was from #11 Boston College (10-2) as they fell 2-1 in overtime to Wake Forest.
#8 Texas also played and ended up in a 1-1 draw against #13 Oklahoma State.
Along with FGCU, #1 Stanford (10-0-1), #2 USC (9-0-1), #7 Georgetown (9-0-2), #8 Texas (9-0-2), #9 Washington State (10-0), #18 Colorado (9-0-2) and UC Riverside (9-0-1) also remain without a loss.
The Eagles won't have much time to celebrate the win as they gear up for rival Lipscomb (7-3-2, 2-0 A-SUN) on Sunday in a rematch of each of the past three A-SUN Championship games at 1 PM at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
FGCU W. Soc vs North Alabama, Lipscomb Preview
The FGCU women's soccer team (8-0-2, 2-0 A-SUN) return home for A-SUN Conference play as they prepare to face new A-SUN member, North Alabama (7-4, 1-0 A-SUN) on Sept. 28 at 7 PM and Lipscomb (6-3-2, 2-0 A-SUN) on Sept. 30 at 1 PM at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Scouting Lipscomb:
A-SUN Standings:
1. FGCU 6 (2-0-0) 8-0-2
2. Kennesaw State 3 (1-1-0) 8-3-1
3. NJIT 3 (1-1-0) 7-3-1
4. North Alabama 3 (1-0-0) 7-4-0
5. Lipscomb 3 (1-0-0) 6-3-2
6. Jacksonville 3 (1-1-0) 1-8-1
7. North Florida 1 (0-1-1) 5-4-1
8. Stetson 1 (0-1-1) 3-5-3
9. Liberty 0 (0-2-0) 1-9-0
How to Keep Up:
Last Time Out:
After finishing non-conference play 6-0-2 including three big wins against Alabama (4-2), Michigan (3-2) and Ohio State (1-0), the Eagles began A-SUN Conference play on the road in Jacksonville. The Eagles Slaughtered JU 6-0 and clipped UNF 4-0.
Currently, the Eagles are in first place in the standings.
Currently, the Eagles are in first place in the standings.
A-SUN LOD:
Once again, the Eagles' offense was led by juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom (LOD).
Popadinova not only leads the team in goals (8), but she also leads for the most goals in the A-SUN this season. The Bulgarian had one goal in both games against JU and UNF. Popadinova also has six assists for the season including one against JU.
Boilesen is currently tied for second in goals (5), and like Popadinova, the Brazilian also had a goal in both games against JU and UNF. Boilesen also has five assists in her name including one against UNF.
Unexpected Wild Card Players:
Two players that have been impressive lately for the Eagles are freshmen Kara Kyramarios and Alyssa Abbondandolo.
After an impressive outing in practice, Kyramarios has been in good spirits in the starting lineup. The Titusville native, who enrolled at FGCU spring 2018, has started four of her seven games. In her first start against FIU, Kyramarios scored her first collegiate goal not even five minutes into the first half. In the game against JU, Kyramarios had an assist for the game.
Unexpectedly, Abbondandolo has played strongly off the bench. The Cape Coral native has two goals including one against UNF in the last 20 minutes of the second half.
A New Hope:
Another player that is off to a fresh start is sophomore Hope Van Wagner. After scoring her first goal in the opener against Georgia Southern, Van Wagner was trying to find her rhythm, and miraculously it showed up in Jacksonville against JU as she scored two goals in the 6-0 win.
The Avon, Indiana native currently has three goals while logging in 505 minutes.
(Holly)wood Impact:
Along with the A-SUN Legion of Doom, senior midfielder Holly Fritz has made impact on her own. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is tied for second on team in goals with Boilesen (5) and has two assists.
Fritz was recently named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The CLASS Award is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, in which focuses on the total student-athlete, encouraging students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Candidates are compared using four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
"Holly has just about every good quality you can say about a person" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "She is extremely driven and self-motivated. She wants to be the best at everything and is able to bring that quality out of her teammates as well so that they can do it together. She is a perfectionist in every piece of her life. She is a 4.0 student, makes sure every touch at practice is with a purpose, and is always in the right place on the field during games. She is our team captain, our leader, the person that everyone goes to when they need something. Despite having a fully loaded plate herself, she is quite accommodating in that role, always taking time to help a teammate whether that be on the field or off the field."
In addition, Fritz was named FGCU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Month.
"I am proud of her, this is absolutely everything that she stands for on and off the field," said Blankenship. "It means a lot to our program for her to receive this, it represents us well since all of our players know it is student first before athlete."
The Avon, Indiana native currently has three goals while logging in 505 minutes.
(Holly)wood Impact:
Along with the A-SUN Legion of Doom, senior midfielder Holly Fritz has made impact on her own. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is tied for second on team in goals with Boilesen (5) and has two assists.
Fritz was recently named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The CLASS Award is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, in which focuses on the total student-athlete, encouraging students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Candidates are compared using four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
"Holly has just about every good quality you can say about a person" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "She is extremely driven and self-motivated. She wants to be the best at everything and is able to bring that quality out of her teammates as well so that they can do it together. She is a perfectionist in every piece of her life. She is a 4.0 student, makes sure every touch at practice is with a purpose, and is always in the right place on the field during games. She is our team captain, our leader, the person that everyone goes to when they need something. Despite having a fully loaded plate herself, she is quite accommodating in that role, always taking time to help a teammate whether that be on the field or off the field."
"I am proud of her, this is absolutely everything that she stands for on and off the field," said Blankenship. "It means a lot to our program for her to receive this, it represents us well since all of our players know it is student first before athlete."
Weck City:
Junior Melissa Weck (8-0-2) leads the way in the box. Weck has allowed only six goals this season, but in reality, it was four because own goals should not count. Weck also has 36 saves and six shutouts in her name. In the series in Jacksonville, Weck combined for four saves against JU and UNF.
Weck remains third all-time in career shutouts and is five away from surpassing Stephanie Powers (31, 2008-11) for second all-time. Weck has 24.3 shutouts in her career.
Deep Defense:
Along with Weck, the defense has been on top of their game thanks to senior Camille Knudstrup, juniors Opal Curless and Lindsey Patton and sophomore Zoey Spitzer. The Squad has allowed only four goals to go through.
This week Patton, who played both games in her hometown in Jacksonville, was named A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week, the third in her career. Patton currently has two goals, both of which came in the series in Jacksonville.
"We are happy for Lindsey" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "She has been stellar in the back line for us for a long time. It is well-deserved recognition. For her to earn this after playing two games in her hometown this weekend is phenomenal as well."
Elite Nine:
Nine teams in the nation are left without a loss:
FGCU, #1 Stanford (8-0-1), #2 USC (8-0-1), #7 Georgetown (8-0-2), #8 Texas (9-0-2), #9 Washington State (8-0), #18 Colorado (9-0-1), Boston College (10-0), and UC Riverside (9-0-1). FGCU, Georgetown and UC Riverside are the only non-Power 5 Conference teams left without a loss.
To be honest, I thought it eight because I didn't even know that UC Riverside was one of the teams that had no losses. It threw me off guard for some strange reason.
Stanford (vs UCLA), USC (@ California), Georgetown (vs Depaul), Washington State (vs Oregon State), Colorado (@ Arizona State) and #11 Boston College (@ Wake Forest) will play on Sept. 27 in their season matchups. Texas (vs Oklahoma State) will play on Sept. 28 an UC Riverside (@Cal State Fullerton) will play on Sept. 30.
Polls:
Two weeks ago, the Eagles received 37 points in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, but then dropped to two after the draw against Loyola Chicago. They now have three points in receiving votes in the poll.
In the United Soccer Coaches South Region Poll, the Eagles are ranked #5 in the nation.
The Eagles remain at #25 in this week's Hero Sports poll following the two wins, but in the NCAA RPI, the Eagles surprisingly dropped six spots to #47, again, despite two wins by a combined 10-0 score.
A-SUN vs. Power 5:
The final results of the A-SUN vs Power 5 schools:
FGCU vs Alabama (W: 4-2), Michigan (W: 3-2), Ohio State (W: 1-0) 3-0
Lipscomb vs Miami (L:1-0), Kentucky (W: 1-0) 1-1
JU vs RV Vanderbilt (L: 3-0), Pittsburgh (L: 2-1), Miami (T: 1-1 2OT) 0-2-1
UNF: N/A
Stetson vs LSU (L: 2-0), Miami (T: 1-1 2OT), 0-1-1
North Alabama vs RV Vanderbilt (L:4-0) 0-1
Kennesaw State vs Alabama (L: 6-0), Georgia (W: 2-1) 1-1
NJIT: N/A
Liberty vs LSU (L:1-0), #4 Virginia (L: 6-0), Clemson (L: 5-0) 0-3
Deep Defense:
Along with Weck, the defense has been on top of their game thanks to senior Camille Knudstrup, juniors Opal Curless and Lindsey Patton and sophomore Zoey Spitzer. The Squad has allowed only four goals to go through.
This week Patton, who played both games in her hometown in Jacksonville, was named A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week, the third in her career. Patton currently has two goals, both of which came in the series in Jacksonville.
"We are happy for Lindsey" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "She has been stellar in the back line for us for a long time. It is well-deserved recognition. For her to earn this after playing two games in her hometown this weekend is phenomenal as well."
Elite Nine:
Nine teams in the nation are left without a loss:
FGCU, #1 Stanford (8-0-1), #2 USC (8-0-1), #7 Georgetown (8-0-2), #8 Texas (9-0-2), #9 Washington State (8-0), #18 Colorado (9-0-1), Boston College (10-0), and UC Riverside (9-0-1). FGCU, Georgetown and UC Riverside are the only non-Power 5 Conference teams left without a loss.
To be honest, I thought it eight because I didn't even know that UC Riverside was one of the teams that had no losses. It threw me off guard for some strange reason.
Stanford (vs UCLA), USC (@ California), Georgetown (vs Depaul), Washington State (vs Oregon State), Colorado (@ Arizona State) and #11 Boston College (@ Wake Forest) will play on Sept. 27 in their season matchups. Texas (vs Oklahoma State) will play on Sept. 28 an UC Riverside (@Cal State Fullerton) will play on Sept. 30.
Polls:
Two weeks ago, the Eagles received 37 points in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, but then dropped to two after the draw against Loyola Chicago. They now have three points in receiving votes in the poll.
In the United Soccer Coaches South Region Poll, the Eagles are ranked #5 in the nation.
The Eagles remain at #25 in this week's Hero Sports poll following the two wins, but in the NCAA RPI, the Eagles surprisingly dropped six spots to #47, again, despite two wins by a combined 10-0 score.
A-SUN vs. Power 5:
The final results of the A-SUN vs Power 5 schools:
FGCU vs Alabama (W: 4-2), Michigan (W: 3-2), Ohio State (W: 1-0) 3-0
Lipscomb vs Miami (L:1-0), Kentucky (W: 1-0) 1-1
JU vs RV Vanderbilt (L: 3-0), Pittsburgh (L: 2-1), Miami (T: 1-1 2OT) 0-2-1
UNF: N/A
Stetson vs LSU (L: 2-0), Miami (T: 1-1 2OT), 0-1-1
North Alabama vs RV Vanderbilt (L:4-0) 0-1
Kennesaw State vs Alabama (L: 6-0), Georgia (W: 2-1) 1-1
NJIT: N/A
Liberty vs LSU (L:1-0), #4 Virginia (L: 6-0), Clemson (L: 5-0) 0-3
Scouting UNA:
Friday marks the first all-time matchup between FGCU and North Alabama. As announced on December 8, 2016, North Alabama joined the A-SUN after transferring from the NCAA DII Gulf South Conference bringing all 13 sports with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Big South Conference as an independent team.
Since UNA has moved from NCAA DII to DI, they will not be eligible to participate in any of the national tournaments, but they will be eligible to participate in the conference tournaments.
All of the sports for UNA, including the football team, will comply to the four-year transitional period to be eligible as a full time member (until the 2022-23 season).
All of the sports for UNA, including the football team, will comply to the four-year transitional period to be eligible as a full time member (until the 2022-23 season).
The Lions are coming off of winning their opening game at home against Kennesaw State by a score of 2-1. In their non-conference 6-4 with their best outing against Jackson State where the Lions won 7-1.
Offensively, junior Shelby Wall and senior Kylie Huey are the main factors of scoring. Wall currently leads the team in goals (6) while Huey is second (5). In the opening conference game, Wall scored on of the two goals.
For goalkeepers, senior Shelby Thornton (6-3) has allowed 10 goals and has 32 saves. Against Kennesaw, Thornton gave up one goal and had seven saves.
Currently, the Lions sit in a four-way tie for second place with Lipscomb*, Kennesaw and NJIT (*side note: subject to change for Lipscomb against Stetson.)
Currently, the Lions sit in a four-way tie for second place with Lipscomb*, Kennesaw and NJIT (*side note: subject to change for Lipscomb against Stetson.)
Scouting Lipscomb:
The Lady Bison finished their non-conference season 5-3-2 including a 2-1 win over Power 5 Kentucky.
The Lady Bison are coming off of opening conference on the road as they defeated NJIT 5-1 and a 2-0 win at Stetson.
The Lady Bison are coming off of opening conference on the road as they defeated NJIT 5-1 and a 2-0 win at Stetson.
Offensively, junior Olivia Doak leads the Lady Bison with five goals and five assists. In the game against NJIT, Doak scored a goal and added an assist.
Redshirt senior Kate Mason has started all 11 matches and has given up 12 goals with 48 saves. Against NJIT, Mason gave up one goal and had seven saves.
Series History:
Overall, the Eagles are 10-1-3 against the Lady Bison. Last season, the Lady Bison defeated FGCU 1-0 at the FGCU Soccer Complex on Sept. 29, 2017 on a penalty shot for their lone win.
The Eagles returned the favor by defeating the Lady Bison 3-2 in double overtime in the A-SUN Women's Soccer Championship Finals to punch their ticket to the 2017 NCAA National Tournament. In fact, the Eagles have won three-straight years against Lipscomb in the A-SUN Women's Soccer Championship Finals (2015 5-0; 2016 2-0; 2017 3-2).
The Eagles returned the favor by defeating the Lady Bison 3-2 in double overtime in the A-SUN Women's Soccer Championship Finals to punch their ticket to the 2017 NCAA National Tournament. In fact, the Eagles have won three-straight years against Lipscomb in the A-SUN Women's Soccer Championship Finals (2015 5-0; 2016 2-0; 2017 3-2).
A-SUN Standings:
1. FGCU 6 (2-0-0) 8-0-2
2. Kennesaw State 3 (1-1-0) 8-3-1
3. NJIT 3 (1-1-0) 7-3-1
4. North Alabama 3 (1-0-0) 7-4-0
5. Lipscomb 3 (1-0-0) 6-3-2
6. Jacksonville 3 (1-1-0) 1-8-1
7. North Florida 1 (0-1-1) 5-4-1
8. Stetson 1 (0-1-1) 3-5-3
9. Liberty 0 (0-2-0) 1-9-0
How to Keep Up:
Both games will have livestats available and will air on Facebook Live on the FGCU women's soccer Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up with the teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
North Alabama: @UNASoccer
Lipscomb: @LipscombWSOC
Promotions:
In the game against North Alabama, it is ruled as a greenout, so marketing is encouraging students and fans to wear green to the game.
In the game against Lipscomb, it is ruled as a blueout, and like the greenout, marketing is encouraging students and fans to wear blue to the game.
Other promotions are as listed:
1. Poster Signing: Stay after the game to have your poster signed by the players (North Alabama)
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear (both games)
3. Cups For Corners: FGCU cups thrown into the student section for corner kicks (North Alabama)
4. Pink Sales: 2018-19 pink shirts on sale. All proceeds benefit the ACS (both games)
5. Housing Challenge: Housing areas will compete for a winning banner in their hall (North Alabama)
6. Shirts For Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal (Lipscomb)
7.World Cup Night: International organizations on/off campus recognized at halftime (Lipscomb)
8. Faculty/Staff Appreciation: FGCU faculty and staff will be recognized at halftime (Lipscomb)
9. FGCU Sunglasses: Free FGCU sunglasses given out to the first 100 fans (Lipscomb)
10. Girl Scout Day: Girl Scouts will be recognized at halftime & interact with players postgame (Lipscomb)
11. Feed your Fortitude: Food trucks will be invited to sell at the game (Lipscomb)
Links to Livestats vs UNA: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229956
Link to Livestats vs Lipscomb: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229957
Link to livestream vs UNA and Lipscomb: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
North Alabama: @UNASoccer
Lipscomb: @LipscombWSOC
Promotions:
In the game against North Alabama, it is ruled as a greenout, so marketing is encouraging students and fans to wear green to the game.
In the game against Lipscomb, it is ruled as a blueout, and like the greenout, marketing is encouraging students and fans to wear blue to the game.
Other promotions are as listed:
1. Poster Signing: Stay after the game to have your poster signed by the players (North Alabama)
2. Dirty Bird Pickup: Students can sign up to be Dirty Birds or pick up their gear (both games)
3. Cups For Corners: FGCU cups thrown into the student section for corner kicks (North Alabama)
4. Pink Sales: 2018-19 pink shirts on sale. All proceeds benefit the ACS (both games)
5. Housing Challenge: Housing areas will compete for a winning banner in their hall (North Alabama)
6. Shirts For Shots: T-Shirts thrown out for every FGCU shot on goal (Lipscomb)
7.World Cup Night: International organizations on/off campus recognized at halftime (Lipscomb)
8. Faculty/Staff Appreciation: FGCU faculty and staff will be recognized at halftime (Lipscomb)
9. FGCU Sunglasses: Free FGCU sunglasses given out to the first 100 fans (Lipscomb)
10. Girl Scout Day: Girl Scouts will be recognized at halftime & interact with players postgame (Lipscomb)
11. Feed your Fortitude: Food trucks will be invited to sell at the game (Lipscomb)
Links to Livestats vs UNA: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229956
Link to Livestats vs Lipscomb: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229957
Link to livestream vs UNA and Lipscomb: https://www.facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer/
FGCU W. Soc @ UNF Recap
Juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popdinova aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom lead the way in both halves as the RV FGCU women's soccer team (8-0-2, 2-0 A-SUN) wrapped up their two-match road trip in Jacksonville by clipping UNF's wings (5-4-1, 0-1-1 A-SUN) by a score of 4-0. With the win, the Eagles are now 11-1-1 against the Ospreys.
"It was a great weekend" Blankenship said. "We got points on the road and that is what we came up here to do. I am pleased with how the kids played, it was a good overall performance. We got a chance to play a lot of people and that is going to be a strength throughout the season with everybody contributing.".
"FGCU is a very good team and we knew it was going to be a battle, said head coach Robin Confer. "We had a game plan that was working and thought we frustrated them a bit. We held them to three shots in the second half, but unfortunately those shots went in. It's tough to stay in a game when that happens.We will regroup and focus on next weekend which will be another tough two games. We like that we will be playing at home."
"This team has come a long way since the start of the season and had the longest unbeaten streak in the program's Division I era," Confer added on FGCU's record. "Our girls responded well after the 0-3 start and I know they will be ready for this weekend."
As usual, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck as starting goalkeeper while Confer sent redshirt sophomore Rhiannon Conelley to counter.
Going into the first half, several corner kicks and fouls occurred, and with senior Shay Jackson suspended for the game, Blakenship had sophomore Kavina Ganeshan as her replacement. Ganeshan played for 53 minutes throughout the whole match.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Popadinova would open the flood gates first as she scored her eighth goal of the season with assists from Boilesen and fellow junior Silvana "Silv" Gordon before the first half ended.
Going into the second half, eight minutes in, sophomore Cassidy Morgan would receive a yellow card which also involved a injury substitution as freshman Avery Sweet subbed in for sophomore Hannah Menendez.
Nine minutes later, Boilesen would extend the Eagles with a header to make it 2-0 FGCU with assists from sophomore Zoey Spitzer and senior Camille Knudstrup. This was Boilesen's fifth goal of the season and her 16th career goal.
The Sao Paulo native is now tied with Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time. Boilesen needs one goal to surpass Petracco and tie with Ally Kasun (17, 2012-15) and two to surpass Kasun for 6th all-time.
73 minutes in, junior Lindsey Patton would flick another Eagles header to make it 3-0 with an assist from senior Holly Fritz. This was Patton's second goal of the season.
With 20 minutes left, freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo would seal the deal with her second goal of the season with an assist from Gordon.
Weck (8-0-2, 2-0 A-SUN) finished with her sixth shutout of the season and her 27th in her career while adding two saves. Weck remains third all-time in career shutouts and is five away from surpassing Stephanie Powers (31- 2008-11) for second all-time.
Knudstrup and Gordon had two assists each.
Conelley (5-4-1, 0-1-1 A-SUN) would end giving up all four goals and finished with three saves.
The Eagles outshot the Ospreys 15-5 (8-2 with shots on goal) and had eight corner kicks.
So far, FGCU remains as one of eight teams without a loss with seven of them being Power 5 Conference schools. Earlier today, #9 Auburn fell 3-2 to Ole Miss in SEC play.
The other losses are listed by date:
9/13: TCU (7-2-2) fell to Santa Clara
9/14: then # 2, now #7 Florida State (8-1-1) lost to UNC in ACC play and Mississippi State (8-1) lost to #9 Auburn in SEC play
9/16: then #12, now #21 Northwestern (7-2-2) fell to Minnesota in Big Ten play, then #11, now #19 Tennessee (7-1-1) fell to now #13 South Carolina in SEC play, and then #18, now #24 Kansas (7-2-2) fell to then #4, now #2 Texas A&M (10-1)
9/17: now RV UW-Milwaukee (8-1) fell to Marquette
9/20: Texas A&M fell to Arkansas and then #5, now #4 Virginia fell to Clemson.
The only other non-Power 5 Conference without a loss is Georgetown (8-0-2), who beat St. Johns in Big East play.
Up Next:
The Eagles return home for their first two conference games at home as they welcome one of the two newest members of the A-SUN, North Alabama, and Lipscomb.
"It was a great weekend" Blankenship said. "We got points on the road and that is what we came up here to do. I am pleased with how the kids played, it was a good overall performance. We got a chance to play a lot of people and that is going to be a strength throughout the season with everybody contributing.".
"FGCU is a very good team and we knew it was going to be a battle, said head coach Robin Confer. "We had a game plan that was working and thought we frustrated them a bit. We held them to three shots in the second half, but unfortunately those shots went in. It's tough to stay in a game when that happens.We will regroup and focus on next weekend which will be another tough two games. We like that we will be playing at home."
"This team has come a long way since the start of the season and had the longest unbeaten streak in the program's Division I era," Confer added on FGCU's record. "Our girls responded well after the 0-3 start and I know they will be ready for this weekend."
Going into the first half, several corner kicks and fouls occurred, and with senior Shay Jackson suspended for the game, Blakenship had sophomore Kavina Ganeshan as her replacement. Ganeshan played for 53 minutes throughout the whole match.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Popadinova would open the flood gates first as she scored her eighth goal of the season with assists from Boilesen and fellow junior Silvana "Silv" Gordon before the first half ended.
Going into the second half, eight minutes in, sophomore Cassidy Morgan would receive a yellow card which also involved a injury substitution as freshman Avery Sweet subbed in for sophomore Hannah Menendez.
Nine minutes later, Boilesen would extend the Eagles with a header to make it 2-0 FGCU with assists from sophomore Zoey Spitzer and senior Camille Knudstrup. This was Boilesen's fifth goal of the season and her 16th career goal.
The Sao Paulo native is now tied with Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time. Boilesen needs one goal to surpass Petracco and tie with Ally Kasun (17, 2012-15) and two to surpass Kasun for 6th all-time.
73 minutes in, junior Lindsey Patton would flick another Eagles header to make it 3-0 with an assist from senior Holly Fritz. This was Patton's second goal of the season.
With 20 minutes left, freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo would seal the deal with her second goal of the season with an assist from Gordon.
Weck (8-0-2, 2-0 A-SUN) finished with her sixth shutout of the season and her 27th in her career while adding two saves. Weck remains third all-time in career shutouts and is five away from surpassing Stephanie Powers (31- 2008-11) for second all-time.
Knudstrup and Gordon had two assists each.
Conelley (5-4-1, 0-1-1 A-SUN) would end giving up all four goals and finished with three saves.
The Eagles outshot the Ospreys 15-5 (8-2 with shots on goal) and had eight corner kicks.
So far, FGCU remains as one of eight teams without a loss with seven of them being Power 5 Conference schools. Earlier today, #9 Auburn fell 3-2 to Ole Miss in SEC play.
The other losses are listed by date:
9/13: TCU (7-2-2) fell to Santa Clara
9/14: then # 2, now #7 Florida State (8-1-1) lost to UNC in ACC play and Mississippi State (8-1) lost to #9 Auburn in SEC play
9/16: then #12, now #21 Northwestern (7-2-2) fell to Minnesota in Big Ten play, then #11, now #19 Tennessee (7-1-1) fell to now #13 South Carolina in SEC play, and then #18, now #24 Kansas (7-2-2) fell to then #4, now #2 Texas A&M (10-1)
9/17: now RV UW-Milwaukee (8-1) fell to Marquette
9/20: Texas A&M fell to Arkansas and then #5, now #4 Virginia fell to Clemson.
The only other non-Power 5 Conference without a loss is Georgetown (8-0-2), who beat St. Johns in Big East play.
Up Next:
The Eagles return home for their first two conference games at home as they welcome one of the two newest members of the A-SUN, North Alabama, and Lipscomb.
FGCU W. Soc @ JU Recap
The FGCU Women's Soccer team (7-0-2, 1-0 A-SUN) put together a dominating performance in their A-SUN opener Friday night in Jacksonville, as they clobbered Jacksonville (0-8-1, 0-1 A-SUN) 6-0. With the win, the Eagles are now 7-2-6 overall against the Dolphins. In addition, head coach Jim Blakenship earned his 150th win with the Eagles Friday.
"That's a phenomenal way to start conference play" Blankenship said. "It's important to get off on the right foot and our kids took a great mentality into the game and set the tone early and then were relentless throughout. I am very proud of them."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent his usual starter to the box, junior Melissa Weck, while Jacksonville head coach Laura Kane sent senior Brittany Hundley to counter.
In the first half, not even 10 minutes in, the Eagles would get on the board first as one half of the A-SUN Legion of Doom, junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen, scored her fourth goal of the season with an assist from freshman Kara Kyramarios to make it 1-0 FGCU. This was Boilesen's 15th career goal and she is now two away from surpassing Gina Petracco (16) for seventh all-time in career goals.
In the 26th minute, the Eagles were on the attack again as sophomore Cassidy Morgan and junior Opal Curless played a long through ball to junior and the other half of the A-SUN Legion of Doom, junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova, found herself one on one with the keeper before whizzing one past her for her seventh goal of the season to put FGCU on top 2-0 before the end of the first half.
Early in the second half, it was the Hope Van Wagner show to begin. The sophomore cashed in her first chance of the night just over three minutes into the period on a silky smooth pass from Popadinova to make it 3-0. Van Wagner then launched a rocket from outside the box to the top 90 just moments later to make it a 4-0 game. These were her second and third goals of the season.
In the 73rd minute, the Eagles made a substitution as freshman Stephanie Starr came in for Weck. Starr was making her debut after graduating from Edward S. Marcus High School.
Going into the 75th minute, the Eagles drew a foul in the box on a free kick to earn a penalty kick. Senior Shay Jackson would be the one to take it for the Eagles as she tucked it into the corner of the net to put FGCU in front 5-0. This was Jackson's first goal of the season.
Jackson would end up getting a red card and was ejected for the final two minutes, which I thought was stupid because she got pushed down from a hard foul and the JU player should have got a red card not only for pushing her, but for not letting go of Jackson's foot in addition. Jackson will be suspended for the game against UNF.
The Eagles weren't done yet though. Just three minutes later, they got another chance on a corner from freshman Brianna Hatfield as she put it on the money, finding the head of the hometown girl, junior Lindsey Patton, for her first goal of the year to put the cherry on top of a 6-0 victory.
11 different Eagles were a part of the scoring on the night.
Van Wagner led FGCU with four points on her two goals, Popadinova had three points with a goal and an assist and Boilesen had two points with a goal.
Weck (7-0-2) made a pair of saves before giving way to Starr who had one in 16 minutes of work.
Starr would get a save for 16 minutes of play.
Hundley (0-8-1) gave up all six goals and had sight saves.
Junior Kristian Shores, who subbed in for Hundley, had one save in 10 minutes of play.
FGCU had a season high 25 shots in the win and also a season best 15 on goal. JU managed just seven, with only three of those on net.
The Eagles earned nine corners on the night, taking advantage by netting a pair of goals off set pieces.
Talking about overall records, the Eagles went from one of 18 teams to one of nine teams without a loss this season. The nine teams that lost are listed and who they lost to:
1. #2 Florida State (8-1-1) lost to UNC
2. #4 Texas A&M (10-1) lost to Arkansas
3. #5 Virginia (7-1) lost to Clemson
4. #11 Tennessee (7-1-1) lost to South Carolina
5. #12 Northwestern (7-1-2) lost to Minnesota
6. #18 Kansas (7-1-2) lost to #4 Texas A&M
7. Mississippi State (8-1) lost to #9 Auburn
8. TCU (7-1-1) lost to Butler
9. UW-Milwaukee (7-1) lost to Marquette
*subject to change on Tuesday, Sept 25
Up Next:
The Eagles will return to action on Sunday in Jacksonville as they travel crosstown to take on North Florida (5-3-1) for conference play.
"That's a phenomenal way to start conference play" Blankenship said. "It's important to get off on the right foot and our kids took a great mentality into the game and set the tone early and then were relentless throughout. I am very proud of them."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent his usual starter to the box, junior Melissa Weck, while Jacksonville head coach Laura Kane sent senior Brittany Hundley to counter.
In the first half, not even 10 minutes in, the Eagles would get on the board first as one half of the A-SUN Legion of Doom, junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen, scored her fourth goal of the season with an assist from freshman Kara Kyramarios to make it 1-0 FGCU. This was Boilesen's 15th career goal and she is now two away from surpassing Gina Petracco (16) for seventh all-time in career goals.
In the 26th minute, the Eagles were on the attack again as sophomore Cassidy Morgan and junior Opal Curless played a long through ball to junior and the other half of the A-SUN Legion of Doom, junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova, found herself one on one with the keeper before whizzing one past her for her seventh goal of the season to put FGCU on top 2-0 before the end of the first half.
Early in the second half, it was the Hope Van Wagner show to begin. The sophomore cashed in her first chance of the night just over three minutes into the period on a silky smooth pass from Popadinova to make it 3-0. Van Wagner then launched a rocket from outside the box to the top 90 just moments later to make it a 4-0 game. These were her second and third goals of the season.
In the 73rd minute, the Eagles made a substitution as freshman Stephanie Starr came in for Weck. Starr was making her debut after graduating from Edward S. Marcus High School.
Going into the 75th minute, the Eagles drew a foul in the box on a free kick to earn a penalty kick. Senior Shay Jackson would be the one to take it for the Eagles as she tucked it into the corner of the net to put FGCU in front 5-0. This was Jackson's first goal of the season.
Jackson would end up getting a red card and was ejected for the final two minutes, which I thought was stupid because she got pushed down from a hard foul and the JU player should have got a red card not only for pushing her, but for not letting go of Jackson's foot in addition. Jackson will be suspended for the game against UNF.
The Eagles weren't done yet though. Just three minutes later, they got another chance on a corner from freshman Brianna Hatfield as she put it on the money, finding the head of the hometown girl, junior Lindsey Patton, for her first goal of the year to put the cherry on top of a 6-0 victory.
11 different Eagles were a part of the scoring on the night.
Van Wagner led FGCU with four points on her two goals, Popadinova had three points with a goal and an assist and Boilesen had two points with a goal.
Weck (7-0-2) made a pair of saves before giving way to Starr who had one in 16 minutes of work.
Starr would get a save for 16 minutes of play.
Hundley (0-8-1) gave up all six goals and had sight saves.
Junior Kristian Shores, who subbed in for Hundley, had one save in 10 minutes of play.
FGCU had a season high 25 shots in the win and also a season best 15 on goal. JU managed just seven, with only three of those on net.
The Eagles earned nine corners on the night, taking advantage by netting a pair of goals off set pieces.
Talking about overall records, the Eagles went from one of 18 teams to one of nine teams without a loss this season. The nine teams that lost are listed and who they lost to:
1. #2 Florida State (8-1-1) lost to UNC
2. #4 Texas A&M (10-1) lost to Arkansas
3. #5 Virginia (7-1) lost to Clemson
4. #11 Tennessee (7-1-1) lost to South Carolina
5. #12 Northwestern (7-1-2) lost to Minnesota
6. #18 Kansas (7-1-2) lost to #4 Texas A&M
7. Mississippi State (8-1) lost to #9 Auburn
8. TCU (7-1-1) lost to Butler
9. UW-Milwaukee (7-1) lost to Marquette
*subject to change on Tuesday, Sept 25
Up Next:
The Eagles will return to action on Sunday in Jacksonville as they travel crosstown to take on North Florida (5-3-1) for conference play.
FGCU W, Soc @ JU, UNF Preview
The RV FGCU women's soccer team (6-0-2) are now preparing for A-SUN Conference play as they begin in Jacksonville at Southern Oak Stadium against JU (0-7-1) on Sept. 21 at 7 PM and at Hodges Stadium to face UNF (5-3-1) on Sept. 23 at 1 PM.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a four-game road trip in three states where they finished 2-0-2. They began in Ohio, where they defeated Power 5 Conference member RV Ohio State 1-0 before ending up in a scoreless draw against Dayton. The Eagles traveled back to Florida and slaughtered FIU 5-1 before traveling to Chicago for 1-1 draw against Loyola Chicago.
A-SUN Legion of Doom:
Juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom are still among the top scorers for FGCU.
Currently, Popadinova leads the team in goals (6).
In the games against Ohio State, Popadinova scored the lone goal that gave FGCU the win. In the game against FIU, the Bulgarian native scored a goal as part of the 5-1 win.
Although she was struggling briefly, Boilesen is still make her mark offensively. The Sao Paulo native currently has three goals and two assists. Her third goal came in the game against FIU.
In addition, Boilesen's goal against FIU was her 14th career goal and she is now three away from passing Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time.
National Weck City Week:
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (6-0-2) currently has four shutouts to her name as well as 32 saves. In the series in Ohio, Weck had six saves against Ohio State and one against Dayton, four saves against FIU and eight saves against Loyola Chicago.
Weck was recently named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, the first FGCU player in program history to receive these accolades.
"I am proud of her and all she has done for us this year. She has been a difference maker in some big games," Jim Blankenship said on Weck winning the Top Drawer Soccer weekly accolade. "She is playing with a lot of confidence right now, this award is well deserved."
"Weck has put her heart and soul into this program and her hard work is paying off," Blankenship said on Weck winning the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week. "Obviously earning this award says a lot about what she has done, but it is also big for the program. It takes a lot of people to make something like this happen."
(Holly)wood:
Along with the A-SUN Legion of Doom, senior midfielder Holly Fritz has also been on a hot start on her own. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is second on team with five goals. Fritz scored her fifth goal of the season in the draw against Loyola Chicago.
Earlier this week, Fritz was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The Senior CLASS Award is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. The award focuses on the total student-athlete, encouraging students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Candidates are compared using four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
"Holly has just about every good quality you can say about a person" said Blankenship. "She is extremely driven and self-motivated. She wants to be the best at everything and is able to bring that quality out of her teammates as well so that they can do it together. She is a perfectionist in every piece of her life. She is a 4.0 student, makes sure every touch at practice is with a purpose, and is always in the right place on the field during games. She is our team captain, our leader, the person that everyone goes to when they need something. Despite having a fully loaded plate herself, she is quite accommodating in that role, always taking time to help a teammate whether that be on the field or off the field."
National Polls:
Last week, the Eagles received 37 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, and their RPI ranking is #44 in the nation, however because they tied in the game against Loyola Chicago, their vote count dropped from 37 to two, but they still have votes in the poll.
In addition, the Eagles went from #3 to #5 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region poll and from #16 to #25 in the Hero Sports poll.
Scouting JU:
The Dolphins are coming off finishing their most previous game against Charleston Southern falling 2-1 in overtime. Originally, the Dolphins were scheduled to play the Citadel this past Friday, but the game was cancelled due to the arrival Hurricane Florence.
Currently, the Dolphins sit dead last out of all the members of the A-SUN.
Offensively, the team as a whole have only scored five goals.
Senior Brittany Hundley (0-5-1) has given up 12 goals with 36 saves. In the overtime game against Charleston Southern, Hundley had six saves.
Overall, the Eagles are 6-2-6 against the Dolphins. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Dolphins 5-0 in Jacksonville.
The Dolphins last win against the Eagles was on Nov. 10, 2013 where the Dolphins defeated the Eagles 5-3 in penalty kicks in the A-SUN Conference Championship.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys ended their portion of non-conference with a 9-0 win over NAIA Webber International. Originally, their last game was supposed to be against Wofford College, however, just like JU, it was cancelled due to the arrival of Hurricane Florence.
Currently, UNF sits 5th overall in conference as they
Offensively, sophomore Thais Reiss and freshman Kendra Hoffman lead the way. Both have four goals each. In the game against Webber, Hoffman had two goals and an assist while Reiss had one goal and two assists.
In the box, redshirt sophomore Rhiannon Conelley (5-3) has given up eight goals and has 24 saves. Connelley has four shutouts this season including the 9-0 win against Webber.
The Eagles are 10-1-1 overall against the Ospreys. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Ospreys 3-0 at home. The Ospreys lone win was on Oct. 5, 2012 where they defeated the Eagles 2-0.
A-SUN Conference Standings so far:
1. FGCU 6-0-2
2. Kennesaw State 7-2-1
3. NJIT 6-2-1
4. North Florida 5-3-0
5. North Alabama 6-4-0
6. Lipscomb 5-3-2
7. Stetson 3-4-2
8. Liberty 1-7-0
9. Jacksonville 0-7-1
How to Keep Up:
Both games will have livestats available.
The game against UNF will air livestream on their Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up with the teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
JU: @OspreyWSOC
UNF: @JAX_WSOC
Link to livestream vs UNF: https://www.facebook.com/northfloridaospreys
Links to livestats:
http://www.judolphins.com/sports/wsoc/2018-19/boxscores/20180921_bye1.xml
https://unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/wsoc
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a four-game road trip in three states where they finished 2-0-2. They began in Ohio, where they defeated Power 5 Conference member RV Ohio State 1-0 before ending up in a scoreless draw against Dayton. The Eagles traveled back to Florida and slaughtered FIU 5-1 before traveling to Chicago for 1-1 draw against Loyola Chicago.
A-SUN Legion of Doom:
Juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom are still among the top scorers for FGCU.
Currently, Popadinova leads the team in goals (6).
In the games against Ohio State, Popadinova scored the lone goal that gave FGCU the win. In the game against FIU, the Bulgarian native scored a goal as part of the 5-1 win.
Although she was struggling briefly, Boilesen is still make her mark offensively. The Sao Paulo native currently has three goals and two assists. Her third goal came in the game against FIU.
In addition, Boilesen's goal against FIU was her 14th career goal and she is now three away from passing Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time.
National Weck City Week:
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (6-0-2) currently has four shutouts to her name as well as 32 saves. In the series in Ohio, Weck had six saves against Ohio State and one against Dayton, four saves against FIU and eight saves against Loyola Chicago.
Weck was recently named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, the first FGCU player in program history to receive these accolades.
"I am proud of her and all she has done for us this year. She has been a difference maker in some big games," Jim Blankenship said on Weck winning the Top Drawer Soccer weekly accolade. "She is playing with a lot of confidence right now, this award is well deserved."
"Weck has put her heart and soul into this program and her hard work is paying off," Blankenship said on Weck winning the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week. "Obviously earning this award says a lot about what she has done, but it is also big for the program. It takes a lot of people to make something like this happen."
(Holly)wood:
Along with the A-SUN Legion of Doom, senior midfielder Holly Fritz has also been on a hot start on her own. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is second on team with five goals. Fritz scored her fifth goal of the season in the draw against Loyola Chicago.
Earlier this week, Fritz was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The Senior CLASS Award is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. The award focuses on the total student-athlete, encouraging students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Candidates are compared using four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
"Holly has just about every good quality you can say about a person" said Blankenship. "She is extremely driven and self-motivated. She wants to be the best at everything and is able to bring that quality out of her teammates as well so that they can do it together. She is a perfectionist in every piece of her life. She is a 4.0 student, makes sure every touch at practice is with a purpose, and is always in the right place on the field during games. She is our team captain, our leader, the person that everyone goes to when they need something. Despite having a fully loaded plate herself, she is quite accommodating in that role, always taking time to help a teammate whether that be on the field or off the field."
National Polls:
Last week, the Eagles received 37 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, and their RPI ranking is #44 in the nation, however because they tied in the game against Loyola Chicago, their vote count dropped from 37 to two, but they still have votes in the poll.
In addition, the Eagles went from #3 to #5 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region poll and from #16 to #25 in the Hero Sports poll.
Scouting JU:
The Dolphins are coming off finishing their most previous game against Charleston Southern falling 2-1 in overtime. Originally, the Dolphins were scheduled to play the Citadel this past Friday, but the game was cancelled due to the arrival Hurricane Florence.
Currently, the Dolphins sit dead last out of all the members of the A-SUN.
Offensively, the team as a whole have only scored five goals.
Senior Brittany Hundley (0-5-1) has given up 12 goals with 36 saves. In the overtime game against Charleston Southern, Hundley had six saves.
Overall, the Eagles are 6-2-6 against the Dolphins. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Dolphins 5-0 in Jacksonville.
The Dolphins last win against the Eagles was on Nov. 10, 2013 where the Dolphins defeated the Eagles 5-3 in penalty kicks in the A-SUN Conference Championship.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys ended their portion of non-conference with a 9-0 win over NAIA Webber International. Originally, their last game was supposed to be against Wofford College, however, just like JU, it was cancelled due to the arrival of Hurricane Florence.
Currently, UNF sits 5th overall in conference as they
Offensively, sophomore Thais Reiss and freshman Kendra Hoffman lead the way. Both have four goals each. In the game against Webber, Hoffman had two goals and an assist while Reiss had one goal and two assists.
In the box, redshirt sophomore Rhiannon Conelley (5-3) has given up eight goals and has 24 saves. Connelley has four shutouts this season including the 9-0 win against Webber.
The Eagles are 10-1-1 overall against the Ospreys. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Ospreys 3-0 at home. The Ospreys lone win was on Oct. 5, 2012 where they defeated the Eagles 2-0.
A-SUN Conference Standings so far:
1. FGCU 6-0-2
2. Kennesaw State 7-2-1
3. NJIT 6-2-1
4. North Florida 5-3-0
5. North Alabama 6-4-0
6. Lipscomb 5-3-2
7. Stetson 3-4-2
8. Liberty 1-7-0
9. Jacksonville 0-7-1
How to Keep Up:
Both games will have livestats available.
The game against UNF will air livestream on their Facebook page.
Fans can also keep up with the teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
JU: @OspreyWSOC
UNF: @JAX_WSOC
Link to livestream vs UNF: https://www.facebook.com/northfloridaospreys
Links to livestats:
http://www.judolphins.com/sports/wsoc/2018-19/boxscores/20180921_bye1.xml
https://unfospreys.com/sidearmstats/wsoc
FGCU W. Soc @ Loyola Chicago Recap
In a late rally in the second half, the FGCU women's soccer team (6-0-2) were once again pushed to their limit with a 1-1 draw against Loyola Chicago (3-5-1).
"We didn't get off to a great start" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "But, we showed some grit and some toughness after they scored and I was very proud of how we fought back from that point. Weck kept us in it and let us get settled in. It was a good result, it's not easy to win on the road against a quality opponent. Now we get ready for conference, they count now."
"I'm very proud of the performance of the girls," said Loyola head coach Barry Bimbi. "Our mentality was great from the opening whistle. We put them under pressure, caused some turnovers and generated some really good scoring opportunities."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to start while Bimbi sent junior Kate Moran to counter.
In the first half, the Ramblers continued to put pressure on Weck as they repetitively kept getting shots on goal over and over, but the Yorba Linda kept fighting and had two saves in the first half.
Most of the shots were off the foot of senior Jenna Szczesny. Szczesny made 10 shots throughout the whole game, with three of them on goal.
On the other end, juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom, were getting shutdown in the first half from scoring and of course were continuing to be targeted.
Going into the second half, the Ramblers kept pressuring Weck, but then a yellow card was issued by Szczesny. After two mores saves from Weck, Loyola would get another yellow card from junior Ari Banks. After a corner kick from freshman Abby Swanson, the Downer's Grove native was able to give the Ramblers a 1-0 lead for her fourth goal of the season with an assist from junior Madison Laudeman.
It looked like the Eagles' chances of having their first loss was in sight until five minutes later when senior Holly Fritz saved the Eagles chances with her fifth goal of the season with assists from the A-SUN Legion of Doom. Boilesen and Popadinova's assists were their fourth (Boilesen) and fifth (Popadinova) of the season.
With 10 minutes left, Boilesen attempted to give the Eagles with her fourth goal, but the goal was overturned as an offside call. After several more shots from both teams, the match would go into overtime.
In the first overtime, their were only two kicks made by the Ramblers from Laudeman and Banks, but were unsuccessful and sent the game into double overtime.
After several fouls and offside calls to both teams, Banks would then receive her second yellow card, which would transition into a red card, thus ejecting her from the match. Banks ended up playing 106 minutes with one shot, but she will be suspended in the opening conference matchup against Northern Iowa.
The Eagles had one more attempt at winning the game of of a header from junior Lindsey Patton, but to no avail as the match ended in a draw.
Moran (3-5-1) had two saves in the draw, while Weck (6-0-2) had eight.
Additionally, five teams from the Power 5 Conference earned their first loss of the season: #2 FSU (7-1-1, lost to UNC), #11 Tennessee (6-1-1, lost to South Carolina), #18 Kansas (6-1-2, lost to #4 Texas A&M), Mississippi State (7-1, lost to #9 Auburn), and TCU (7-1-1, lost to Butler).
FGCU is now one of 13 teams remaining without a loss
Up next, the Eagles now prepare for A-SUN Conference play as they begin on the road in Jacksonville against JU and UNF.
"We didn't get off to a great start" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "But, we showed some grit and some toughness after they scored and I was very proud of how we fought back from that point. Weck kept us in it and let us get settled in. It was a good result, it's not easy to win on the road against a quality opponent. Now we get ready for conference, they count now."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to start while Bimbi sent junior Kate Moran to counter.
In the first half, the Ramblers continued to put pressure on Weck as they repetitively kept getting shots on goal over and over, but the Yorba Linda kept fighting and had two saves in the first half.
Most of the shots were off the foot of senior Jenna Szczesny. Szczesny made 10 shots throughout the whole game, with three of them on goal.
On the other end, juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom, were getting shutdown in the first half from scoring and of course were continuing to be targeted.
Going into the second half, the Ramblers kept pressuring Weck, but then a yellow card was issued by Szczesny. After two mores saves from Weck, Loyola would get another yellow card from junior Ari Banks. After a corner kick from freshman Abby Swanson, the Downer's Grove native was able to give the Ramblers a 1-0 lead for her fourth goal of the season with an assist from junior Madison Laudeman.
It looked like the Eagles' chances of having their first loss was in sight until five minutes later when senior Holly Fritz saved the Eagles chances with her fifth goal of the season with assists from the A-SUN Legion of Doom. Boilesen and Popadinova's assists were their fourth (Boilesen) and fifth (Popadinova) of the season.
With 10 minutes left, Boilesen attempted to give the Eagles with her fourth goal, but the goal was overturned as an offside call. After several more shots from both teams, the match would go into overtime.
In the first overtime, their were only two kicks made by the Ramblers from Laudeman and Banks, but were unsuccessful and sent the game into double overtime.
After several fouls and offside calls to both teams, Banks would then receive her second yellow card, which would transition into a red card, thus ejecting her from the match. Banks ended up playing 106 minutes with one shot, but she will be suspended in the opening conference matchup against Northern Iowa.
The Eagles had one more attempt at winning the game of of a header from junior Lindsey Patton, but to no avail as the match ended in a draw.
Moran (3-5-1) had two saves in the draw, while Weck (6-0-2) had eight.
Additionally, five teams from the Power 5 Conference earned their first loss of the season: #2 FSU (7-1-1, lost to UNC), #11 Tennessee (6-1-1, lost to South Carolina), #18 Kansas (6-1-2, lost to #4 Texas A&M), Mississippi State (7-1, lost to #9 Auburn), and TCU (7-1-1, lost to Butler).
FGCU is now one of 13 teams remaining without a loss
Up next, the Eagles now prepare for A-SUN Conference play as they begin on the road in Jacksonville against JU and UNF.
FGCU W. Soc @ FIU Recap
Depsite a brief lightning delay, the FGCU women's soccer team (6-0-1) traveled their way to Miami and slaughtered FIU (0-8) by a score of 5-1. With the win, the Eagles are now 9-1-1 against the Panthers.
"We came out with a good professional approach tonight and took care of business" Head Coach Jim Blankenship said. "We got off to a good start with the two early goals and set the tone right away."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship had junior Melissa Weck start, as usual, while FIU head coach Sharolta Nonen sent freshman Christina Velazquez to counter.
In addition, Blakenship made a big change in the lineup. Along with his usual starters, freshman Kara Kyramarios was placed in the starting lineup and sophomore Zoey Spitzer returned to the lineup to help senior Camile Knudstrup and junior Lindsey Patton in the backfield for defense.
Not even a minute into the first half, the Panthers began with a foul. After a wide header from junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and a corner kick from senior Holly Fritz, Kyramarios would claim her first collegiate goal at the top of the box to make 1-0 FGCU, three minutes in with an assist from junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova.
Five minutes later, after two Panther shot attempts from senior Jacky Manteas and redshirt sophomore Ashley Adams and a corner kick from senior Emily Baragar, Popadinova would give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with an assist from sophomore Cassidy Morgan. This was Popadinova's sixth goal of the season and Morgan's first assist of the season.
15 minutes in, Boilesen would increase the Eagles lead to 3-0 with a header and an assist from Fritz. This was Boilesen's third goal of the season and Fritz's second assist of the season.
In addition, it was also the Sao Paulo native's 14th career goal and she is now three away from passing Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time.
Morgan would make it 4-0 with her second goal of the season and assists from Popadinova and senior Shay Jackson before the end of the first half.
For Jackson, it was her third assist of the season, and for Popadinova, it was also third assist of the season and her second of the game.
With the goals from Popadinova and Boilesen, the A-SUN Legion of Doom have a scored nine goals combined.
Going into the second half, the Panthers would finally get on the board as they scored their first goal of the half off the foot of Adams with an assist from freshman Kaydeen Jack. This was Adams' second goal of the season.
Although the Panthers scored, it did very little effect as the Eagles increased the lead even more as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo clocked her first collegiate goal of the season with an assist from junior Emilie Olsen, which would be the final goal of the game.
Despite giving up the goal in the second half, Weck (6-0-1) still earned the win and contributed with four saves.
The Eagles outshot the Panther 23-13 and 12-2 in corner kicks, while the Panthers committed six fouls in contrast to the Eagles' two.
Velazquez (0-8) would be credited with the loss after giving up all four goals and added five saves.
Up Next:
The Eagles travel to the Windy City to face Loyola Chicago on Sunday, Sept 16 at 2 PM to wrap up their four-game road trip before opening conference.
"We came out with a good professional approach tonight and took care of business" Head Coach Jim Blankenship said. "We got off to a good start with the two early goals and set the tone right away."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship had junior Melissa Weck start, as usual, while FIU head coach Sharolta Nonen sent freshman Christina Velazquez to counter.
In addition, Blakenship made a big change in the lineup. Along with his usual starters, freshman Kara Kyramarios was placed in the starting lineup and sophomore Zoey Spitzer returned to the lineup to help senior Camile Knudstrup and junior Lindsey Patton in the backfield for defense.
Not even a minute into the first half, the Panthers began with a foul. After a wide header from junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and a corner kick from senior Holly Fritz, Kyramarios would claim her first collegiate goal at the top of the box to make 1-0 FGCU, three minutes in with an assist from junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova.
Five minutes later, after two Panther shot attempts from senior Jacky Manteas and redshirt sophomore Ashley Adams and a corner kick from senior Emily Baragar, Popadinova would give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with an assist from sophomore Cassidy Morgan. This was Popadinova's sixth goal of the season and Morgan's first assist of the season.
15 minutes in, Boilesen would increase the Eagles lead to 3-0 with a header and an assist from Fritz. This was Boilesen's third goal of the season and Fritz's second assist of the season.
In addition, it was also the Sao Paulo native's 14th career goal and she is now three away from passing Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time.
Morgan would make it 4-0 with her second goal of the season and assists from Popadinova and senior Shay Jackson before the end of the first half.
For Jackson, it was her third assist of the season, and for Popadinova, it was also third assist of the season and her second of the game.
With the goals from Popadinova and Boilesen, the A-SUN Legion of Doom have a scored nine goals combined.
Going into the second half, the Panthers would finally get on the board as they scored their first goal of the half off the foot of Adams with an assist from freshman Kaydeen Jack. This was Adams' second goal of the season.
Although the Panthers scored, it did very little effect as the Eagles increased the lead even more as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo clocked her first collegiate goal of the season with an assist from junior Emilie Olsen, which would be the final goal of the game.
Despite giving up the goal in the second half, Weck (6-0-1) still earned the win and contributed with four saves.
The Eagles outshot the Panther 23-13 and 12-2 in corner kicks, while the Panthers committed six fouls in contrast to the Eagles' two.
Velazquez (0-8) would be credited with the loss after giving up all four goals and added five saves.
Up Next:
The Eagles travel to the Windy City to face Loyola Chicago on Sunday, Sept 16 at 2 PM to wrap up their four-game road trip before opening conference.
FGCU W. Soc @ FIU, Loyola Preview
After wrapping up their two-game road trip in Ohio, the RV FGCU women's soccer team (5-0-1) continue action on the road as they face FIU (0-7) on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7 P.M. and Loyola Chicago (3-5) on Sept. 16 at 2 P.M. (ET)/1 P.M. (CT).
Last Time Out:
The Eagles traveled to Ohio to begin their four-game road trip before conference play. They first played Power 5 Conference member Ohio State in a rematch from 2016 and succeeded with a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes and their 11th overall win against a Power 5 team.
The Eagles then traveled an hour northeast to face the Dayton where the game ended in a scoreless tie in double overtime.
FGCU vs. Power 5:
This season, the Eagles played three Power 5 Conference teams: Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State in victorious manner (Alabama 4-2, Michigan 3-2, Ohio State 1-0). This was the first time that they beat all the Power 5 teams on their schedule.
A-SUN Legion of Doom:
Juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom are still the top scorers for FGCU.
Currently, Popadinova leads the team in goals (5). In the games against Ohio State, Popadinova scored the lone goal that gave FGCU the win. In all three games against Alabama, Michigan and Ohio, the Bulgarian scored in all three games. Popadinova also has two assists to her name.
Although she was struggling briefly, Boilesen is still make her mark offensively. The Sao Paulo native currently has two goals and two assists.
Weck City:
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (5-0-1) currently has four shutouts to her name as well as 20 saves. In the series in Ohio, Weck had six saves against Ohio State and one against Dayton.
Weck currently ranks second in the ASUN in wins (5), shutouts (4), goals allowed (4), and goals against average (0.64).
As a result, Weck was named A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and the fourth in her career for her performance in Ohio, but it did not stop from there.
The Yorba Linda, California native was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and the the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, the first FGCU player in program history to receive these accolades.
"I am proud of her and all she has done for us this year. She has been a difference maker in some big games," Jim Blankenship said on Weck winning the Top Drawer Soccer weekly accolade. "She is playing with a lot of confidence right now, this award is well deserved."
"Weck has put her heart and soul into this program and her hard work is paying off," Blankenship said on Weck winning the United Soccer Coaches Keeper of the Week. "Obviously earning this award says a lot about what she has done, but it is also big for the program. It takes a lot of people to make something like this happen."
(Holly)wood:
Senior midfielder Holly Fritz has been on a hot start on her own with the A-SUN LOD. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is second on team with four goals.
In all three games against the three Power 5 schools, Fritz had three goals in all three games.
Silv's Moment to Shine:
Recently, junior Silvana "Silv" Gordon has been hot on and off the field, which brings a strong positive vibe to the team. Since her increase of minutes on her role, the Medford, New Jersey native so far has logged in 242 minutes this season with still her best outing against Niagara on August 31 where she had a goal and an assist.
In the game against Dayton, Gordon played a season-high 45 minutes with one shot.
"Coming off the bench doesn't matter. If I'm starting or if I'm coming off the bench, as long as we win, I'm happy. If I get 10 minutes, if I play the whole game, it's fine," said Gordon after the game against Niagara. "For my role coming off the bench, it's just to get the energy up, and trying to make an impact when I can."
Polls:
After beating Michigan at home, the Eagles earned three points in the United Soccer Coach's Poll, but since beating Ohio State, they have increased their point count from three to 37 and are one point behind Power 5 Louisville.
In addition, the Eagles also moved up to #3 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region ranking poll and ranked #16 in the HeroSports.com National Poll.
Lucky 18:
FGCU is one of 18 teams that remain in good spirits without a loss, and one of three teams that are not a Power 5 Conference school.
Along with FGCU are 17 teams without a loss:
#1 Stanford: (6-0)
#2 FSU (7-0-1)
#3 USC (6-0-1)
#4 Texas A&M (8-0)
#5 Virginia (7-0)
#9 Auburn (7-0)
#10 Georgetown (5-0-2)
#11 Tennessee (6-0-1)
#12 Northwestern (6-0-1)
#14 Texas (6-0-1)
#16 Washington State (5-0)
#18 Kansas (5-0-2)
Colorado (6-0-1)
Mississippi St. (7-0)
TCU (6-0-1)
UW-Milwaukee (6-0)
Boston College (8-0)
#10 Georgetown (Big East) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon) are the other two schools that are not a Power 5 Conference team.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers are on a seven-game losing streak, the third longest in their program's history. They are coming of a two-game road trip in Texas where they fell 6-0 to Power 5 Conference member Texas Tech in Lubbock and 5-2 to Southern Methodist in Dallas. This will be their last non-conference game before beginning conference in Conference USA.
Freshman Christina Velazquez (0-7) has allowed all 26 goals in all seven games, but Velazquez has 46 saves. Velazquez
Offensively, fellow freshman Kaydeen Jack leads the team with two goals. She scored both of her goals in the loss to SMU.
Series History:
The Eagles are 8-1-1 against the Panthers overall.
Initially, the Eagles were scheduled to play FIU on Oct. 18, 2017, but was cancelled to rain, so the last game against FIU was on Sept. 1, 2016 where the Eagles won 1-0.
The Panthers lone win against the Eagles was on Aug. 26, 2010 where they won 1-0 in double overtime.
Scouting Loyola Chicago:
This will be the first time that the Eagles will face the Ramblers.
The Ramblers are on a three-game losing streak where they fell 2-0 to #21 Power 5 Oklahoma State 1-0 to Depaul, and 2-1 to Power 5 RV Wisconsin.
Like FIU, this will be the Ramblers last non-conference game before they begin conference play in the Missouri Valley Conference (aka The Valley).
Offensively, senior Jenna Szczesny and freshman Abby Swanson lead the way. Both have three goals each. Swanson scored the lone goal against Wisconsn.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Kate Moran has 27 saves in her name, including five saves against Wisconsin.
How to Keep Updated:
Both games will have livestats and livestream provided.
In the game against FIU, the game will be on livestream on the Conference USA website, but a subscription is needed to watch ($6.95 for an all-day pass).
For the game against Loyola Chicago, the game will be on ESPN+. The app cost $4.99 a month for all the games livestream online. If anyone wants to give it a try, then they can do a week trial for free.
Fans can also keep updated on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Loyola Chicago: @RamblersWSOC
Livestat link vs FIU: https://fiusports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Link to livestream game vs FIU: http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=4972&path=fiu (would not recommend, completely worthless).
Livestats link vs Loyola: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=220507
Livestream link vs Loyola: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/71d51d14-2a81-4277-953e-c6bcc55974a2/florida-gulf-coast-vs-loyolachicago
Last Time Out:
The Eagles traveled to Ohio to begin their four-game road trip before conference play. They first played Power 5 Conference member Ohio State in a rematch from 2016 and succeeded with a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes and their 11th overall win against a Power 5 team.
The Eagles then traveled an hour northeast to face the Dayton where the game ended in a scoreless tie in double overtime.
FGCU vs. Power 5:
This season, the Eagles played three Power 5 Conference teams: Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State in victorious manner (Alabama 4-2, Michigan 3-2, Ohio State 1-0). This was the first time that they beat all the Power 5 teams on their schedule.
A-SUN Legion of Doom:
Juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom are still the top scorers for FGCU.
Currently, Popadinova leads the team in goals (5). In the games against Ohio State, Popadinova scored the lone goal that gave FGCU the win. In all three games against Alabama, Michigan and Ohio, the Bulgarian scored in all three games. Popadinova also has two assists to her name.
Although she was struggling briefly, Boilesen is still make her mark offensively. The Sao Paulo native currently has two goals and two assists.
Weck City:
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (5-0-1) currently has four shutouts to her name as well as 20 saves. In the series in Ohio, Weck had six saves against Ohio State and one against Dayton.
Weck currently ranks second in the ASUN in wins (5), shutouts (4), goals allowed (4), and goals against average (0.64).
The Yorba Linda, California native was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and the the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, the first FGCU player in program history to receive these accolades.
"I am proud of her and all she has done for us this year. She has been a difference maker in some big games," Jim Blankenship said on Weck winning the Top Drawer Soccer weekly accolade. "She is playing with a lot of confidence right now, this award is well deserved."
"Weck has put her heart and soul into this program and her hard work is paying off," Blankenship said on Weck winning the United Soccer Coaches Keeper of the Week. "Obviously earning this award says a lot about what she has done, but it is also big for the program. It takes a lot of people to make something like this happen."
(Holly)wood:
Senior midfielder Holly Fritz has been on a hot start on her own with the A-SUN LOD. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is second on team with four goals.
In all three games against the three Power 5 schools, Fritz had three goals in all three games.
Silv's Moment to Shine:
Recently, junior Silvana "Silv" Gordon has been hot on and off the field, which brings a strong positive vibe to the team. Since her increase of minutes on her role, the Medford, New Jersey native so far has logged in 242 minutes this season with still her best outing against Niagara on August 31 where she had a goal and an assist.
In the game against Dayton, Gordon played a season-high 45 minutes with one shot.
"Coming off the bench doesn't matter. If I'm starting or if I'm coming off the bench, as long as we win, I'm happy. If I get 10 minutes, if I play the whole game, it's fine," said Gordon after the game against Niagara. "For my role coming off the bench, it's just to get the energy up, and trying to make an impact when I can."
Polls:
After beating Michigan at home, the Eagles earned three points in the United Soccer Coach's Poll, but since beating Ohio State, they have increased their point count from three to 37 and are one point behind Power 5 Louisville.
In addition, the Eagles also moved up to #3 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region ranking poll and ranked #16 in the HeroSports.com National Poll.
Lucky 18:
FGCU is one of 18 teams that remain in good spirits without a loss, and one of three teams that are not a Power 5 Conference school.
Along with FGCU are 17 teams without a loss:
#1 Stanford: (6-0)
#2 FSU (7-0-1)
#3 USC (6-0-1)
#4 Texas A&M (8-0)
#5 Virginia (7-0)
#9 Auburn (7-0)
#10 Georgetown (5-0-2)
#11 Tennessee (6-0-1)
#12 Northwestern (6-0-1)
#14 Texas (6-0-1)
#16 Washington State (5-0)
#18 Kansas (5-0-2)
Colorado (6-0-1)
Mississippi St. (7-0)
TCU (6-0-1)
UW-Milwaukee (6-0)
Boston College (8-0)
#10 Georgetown (Big East) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon) are the other two schools that are not a Power 5 Conference team.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers are on a seven-game losing streak, the third longest in their program's history. They are coming of a two-game road trip in Texas where they fell 6-0 to Power 5 Conference member Texas Tech in Lubbock and 5-2 to Southern Methodist in Dallas. This will be their last non-conference game before beginning conference in Conference USA.
Freshman Christina Velazquez (0-7) has allowed all 26 goals in all seven games, but Velazquez has 46 saves. Velazquez
Offensively, fellow freshman Kaydeen Jack leads the team with two goals. She scored both of her goals in the loss to SMU.
Series History:
The Eagles are 8-1-1 against the Panthers overall.
Initially, the Eagles were scheduled to play FIU on Oct. 18, 2017, but was cancelled to rain, so the last game against FIU was on Sept. 1, 2016 where the Eagles won 1-0.
The Panthers lone win against the Eagles was on Aug. 26, 2010 where they won 1-0 in double overtime.
Scouting Loyola Chicago:
This will be the first time that the Eagles will face the Ramblers.
The Ramblers are on a three-game losing streak where they fell 2-0 to #21 Power 5 Oklahoma State 1-0 to Depaul, and 2-1 to Power 5 RV Wisconsin.
Like FIU, this will be the Ramblers last non-conference game before they begin conference play in the Missouri Valley Conference (aka The Valley).
Offensively, senior Jenna Szczesny and freshman Abby Swanson lead the way. Both have three goals each. Swanson scored the lone goal against Wisconsn.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Kate Moran has 27 saves in her name, including five saves against Wisconsin.
How to Keep Updated:
Both games will have livestats and livestream provided.
In the game against FIU, the game will be on livestream on the Conference USA website, but a subscription is needed to watch ($6.95 for an all-day pass).
For the game against Loyola Chicago, the game will be on ESPN+. The app cost $4.99 a month for all the games livestream online. If anyone wants to give it a try, then they can do a week trial for free.
Fans can also keep updated on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
FIU: @FIUWSoccer
Loyola Chicago: @RamblersWSOC
Livestat link vs FIU: https://fiusports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Link to livestream game vs FIU: http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=4972&path=fiu (would not recommend, completely worthless).
Livestats link vs Loyola: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=220507
Livestream link vs Loyola: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/71d51d14-2a81-4277-953e-c6bcc55974a2/florida-gulf-coast-vs-loyolachicago
FGCU W. Soc @ Dayton Recap
After being pushed to the limit against Ohio State in 1-0 victorious fashion, the FGCU women's soccer team (5-0-1) were pushed even further as they ended with a 0-0 draw in double overtime against Dayton (4-2-1) to wrap up their two-game road trip in Ohio.
"Our kids were disappointed with the tie," Jim Blankenship said. "I think that shows you what their mentality is right now. That is good. I am very proud of them for getting another result on the road in tough conditions today. Overall it was a phenomenal road trip."
"Well today was a good result for our program," said Dayton head coach Eric Golz. "Florida Gulf Coast is obviously a very talented and well-coached team, and their on are on a great run so far this year, so we knw it was going to be a challenge, but I think our team repsonded, and I think we did some thing quite well within our possession and buildup.
Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to start while Golz sent senior Kaelyn Johns to counter.
In the first half, everything seemed to be in good spirits as both teams fought to prevent any goals from happening, but in the second half, the match got more aggressive and out-of-hand, mainly from the Flyers.
Not even a minute in, a foul occurred and a furious Golz was issued a yellow card.
Not even a minute in, a foul occurred and a furious Golz was issued a yellow card.
One minute later, the Flyers would foul again, this time from senior midfielder Keagin Collie. Collie would push further and ended up with a yellow card, but after an unsportsmanlike attitude, Collie was issued a red card and ejected from the game, finishing with 90 minutes of play. Collie will be suspended for the Flyers' next game against Xavier.
"There were some unfortunate circumstances that led to us being a player down," said Golz on being a man down. "But to play a man down for the last 35 minutes of the match speaks a great deal to the character of this team. This team has a tremendous amount of resolve, character and will to win, and I think that they showed a lot of heart today in their performance, the effort they exerted, the discipline that they showed within our tactics and I'm just really proud of the group today
Another minute later, sophomore Cassidy Morgan was issued a yellow card, but remained in the game.
Fritz would take one more shot to score, but was unable to, thus sending the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, Fritz had another corner kick, but once again, was to avail sending the game to double overtime.
The Eagles had an opportunity to get the win off of a header from senior Camile Knudstrup, but it missed and ended there.
Weck (5-0-1) finished with one save in the game and her fourth shutout this season (24th in her career).
Johns (4-2-1) finished with four saves.
The Eagles outshot the Flyers 13-6 (4-1 in shots on goal) and both teams had a combined 25 fouls in the game including the three yellow cards and red card from Collie.
Up Next:
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip before conference play with matches against FIU and Loyola Chicago.
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip before conference play with matches against FIU and Loyola Chicago.
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