FGCU M. Soc vs Liberty Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Liberty: @libertyflames

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

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

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

FGCU VB vs Stetson Preview

The FGCU volleyball team (12-6, 5-1 A-SUN) wrap up their three-match home series as they face Stetson (12-6, 4-2 A-SUN) to continue A-SUN Conference play on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 6 P.M. at the Alico Arena.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles began their three-match home series losing 3-1 to Kennesaw on Friday before defeating Lipscomb 3-1. So far, the Eagles are tied for second place with Lipscomb despite having a better overall record. In the match against Lipscomb, the Eagles tallied a program-record 30 block assists along with two of the solo variety

What it do VanLiew?:
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew has been on point for offense. VanLiew currently leads the team with 250 kills. In both matches against Kennesaw and Lipscomb, VanLiew had a double-double. In fact, the Seymour, Indiana native has double-doubled in four straight matches, and had at least 10 kills in five straight matches.

Ms. 4,000:
Senior Maggie Rick continues for a milestone of her own: the all-time leader in assists. Rick currently 4,104 career assists, and is 305 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for the milestone of most overall.

In the matches against Kennesaw and Lipscomb, Rick had 57 assists and a double-double against Kennesaw.

Block Party With an Ax x3:

Defensively, freshman Dana Axner and the Block Party (seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaiti Krivdo, juniors Dani Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, sophomore Snowy Burnam and freshman Tori Morris) lead the path for the Eagles. Axner leads the team with 290 digs (4.6 digs per set). Against Kennesaw and Lipscomb, Axner had a total of 39 digs (19 vs Kennesaw, 20 vs Lipscomb).

In fact, the Dublin, Ohio native has produced at least 10 digs in six straight matches and 20 or more on four occasions, including the record-breaking 39 digs against West Virginia. As a result, Axner was named A-SUN Freshman of the Week for the third time this season.

"Dana had another great weekend and continues to anchor our floor defense," Botsford said. "I thought her coverage and serving was much improved in these two matches and of course her ability to read the opposing hitters keeps progressing. What I really like is how engaged she is in recognizing how the games are unfolding and how she finds a way to make an impact. She is a focused competitor, and I know we are just scratching the surface of what she can become."

On the blocking side, the Block Party has produced a combined 269 total blocks including a program high 30 block assists against Lipscomb with Morris leading the way with nine total blocks.

Serrano leads the team with 81 total blocks and is second in conference behind UNF's Taryn Griffey while Pickering leads the A-SUN in hitting percentage (.445), and not only tops the conference in hitting percentage at .445 over 220 attempts, but has also taken over the No. 1 spot nationally as of Monday. She has had two or fewer errors in all but one match this year. In matches where she's had at least 10 attempts, she has hit at least .304 in every one.

Furthermore, she has raised her career hitting percentage to .404, which is just ahead of Cara Ziegler (.403, 2006-07) for the program's top spot. If she keeps up that pace, she will also finish her career atop the conference's all-time record book.

Digging on the Rhoades:
Like Rick, fellow senior Karissa Rhoades has been setting her sights on a milestone of her own by being the sixth player to reach 1,000 digs. Currently, Rhoades has 113 digs this season and 855 in her career. The Valrico native needs 145 more to reach the milestone

Scouting Stetson:

The Hatters are coming off of shutting out NJIT and North Alabama at home, and are currently tied for fourth in conference with Liberty.

Offensively, junior Evi Deisa and senior Hao Jin pave the way for the Hatters. 

Deisa leads the team in kills (193). In the matches against NJIT and North Alabama, the Latvian had 11 kills an 26 digs.

Jin is second on the team in kills (168) and leads the team in aces (16). Against NJIT and North Alabama, the native of  Shijiazhuang, China had 15 kills and eight blocks.

Defensively, sophomore Chelcie Spence leads the team with 315 digs (second in conference). Against NJIT and North Alabama, Spence had 29 digs.

Along with Jin, redshirt junior Brianna Schmid also plays key for the Hatters defense as she leads the team with 75 blocks (Jin, 73). Against NJIT and North Alabama, the transfer from Robert Morris had seven blocks along with 10 kills.

Series History:

Overall, the Eagles are 19-2 against the Hatters. Last season, the Eagles swept the Hatters at home and in Deland. The Hatters last win against the Eagles was on Nov. 9, 2013 where they won 3-1 at FGCU.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available and livestream will be on Facebook Live.

Fans can also keep up on Twitter:

FGCU: @FGCU_VB

Stetson: @StetsonVB

Promotions:

The doors will open at 5 P.M. where the theme is Mad Hatter Night. There is no specific color outing, but the following promotions are as noted for the theme:

1. Hat Contest!: Best fan hats will win prizes!

2. Stomp Stetson Rally Towels!: Stomp Stetson rally towels FREE to all FGCU fans

3. "Beat Cancer" Fundraiser: Pre-sale of pink shirt to support the American Cancer Society

4. Housing Challenge: Housing areas will compete for a winning banner in their hall

Livestats link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=223097

Livestream link: facebook.com/fgcuvolleyball

FGCU VB vs. Lipscomb Recap

After falling to Kennesaw at home, the FGCU volleyball team (12-6, 5-1 A-SUN) bounced back on Sunday as they defeated Lipscomb (10-8, 5-1 A-SUN) 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-14, 25-16). With the win, the Eagles are now 8-16 against the Lady Bison. In addition, this was head coach Matt Botsford's 101st win with FGCU.

"I think it was the best performance across the board when you figure out each player and the contribution that they made, and we didn't have to rely too much on one person as everybody was making an effort to help us find a way to win," said Botsford. "From that standpoint, it was the most balanced match we played this season."

"Blocking and serving really set the tone, and we knew that going into this weekend we had to rely on that, but the difference between tonight and Friday night was we had the offense to match what we were doing defensively, and that's a big key."

Offensively, it was sophomore Cortney VanLiew that paved the way. VanLiew finished with her fourth straight double-double (eighth of the season) of 16 kills and 10 digs. VanLiew also added four blocks on the defensive side.

Senior Maggie Rick also played strongly as she finished with 23 assists. With her 23 assists, Rick has 4,104 career assists, and is 305 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for the milestone of most overall.

Defensively, the Block Party finished with a combined 28 total blocks with freshman Tori Morris lead the way with a season-high nine blocks. Morris also added three kills.

The Eagles tallied a program-record 30 block assists with 26 coming from the Block Party and four from VanLiew.

"Lipscomb was doing a great job in the interior of the court," Botsford said. "We couldn't slow down the middles in the first two sets and we made a change to provide a different look and gave Tori (Morris) a chance to hopefully try to change things up a bit, and she was tremendous. The impact she had u, but she such a physical player, it's about the experience for her, and what a great opportunity to get this kind of experience in a match like that. She's a big plus for us tonight."

“Going in, I was a little nervous because I hadn't really played much this season, said Morris. "But I was confident in myself to make a big impact on the team with the support of my teammates and my coaches. I just knew that when I had to go in, I had to do what I had to do, and not let coach (Botsford) or my teammates down and just do my job."

Sophomore Snowy Burnam (three blocks) and senior Sharonda Pickering (seven blocks) finished with nine kills each.

"Snowy did a great job, and this was the first time all year made a shift and pushed her out to the left," said Botsford on Burnam's position. "She adapted pretty well playing six rotations, passed the ball great and that really stabilized things for us and let our offense work."

Juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano (seven blocks) and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti (one block) chipped in with six kills each.

Freshman Dana Axner also played on the strong role defensively as she finished with 19 digs. Axner also added an ace.

Other players that contributed were seniors Karissa Rhoades and Kaiti Krivdo and freshman Chelsea Lockey. Rhoades finished with nine digs and three aces while Krivdo added one block and Lockey finished with 19 assists and four digs. With her nine digs, Rhoades now has 855 career digs.

For the Lady Bison, senior Carlyle Nusbaum lead the way offensively with 15 kills, junior Morgan Elmore finished with 31 assists, and sophomore Megan Kuper finished with a double-double of 11 kills and 12 digs.

Defensively, senior Ca'Layci Coffey lead the way with four blocks to go with her 10 kills while senior Lauren Anderson had 18 digs

In addition to the win, the Eagles are now tied for second place with Lipscomb in conference, but are in second by overall record.

I haven't been to an FGCU volleyball game at home since November 11, 2017, which was the final home match of the season where we fell to Kennesaw. During the men's soccer match against Stetson, VanLiew, Burnam, sophomore Alayna Ryan and senior Amanda Carroll were in attendance and when they saw me at the game, I was happy to see them, but I was also saying to myself "Damn it, I was trying to keep it as a surprise, and I didn't expect to see them there. Now the surprise is ruined."

But they kept it as a surprise after the match and it was nice to return to see the team play again. I'll make sure to try to come to a few more.

Up Next:
The Eagles remain at home for conference play as they welcome Stetson (12-6, 4-2 A-SUN) to the Alico Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 6 P.M.

FGCU M. Soc vs Stetson Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FGCU S&D: TYR Classic Recap Day Two

The FGCU swimming and diving team (1-2, 1-0 CCSA) wrapped up day two of the TYR Classic finishing first out of eight teams including Power 5 Texas Christian

"We were presented the opportunity to compete against some new teams and the ladies performed well," said head coach Dave Rollins on the team's two-day performance at the TYR Classic. "The core of our team is our relays and being able to win all four was huge for us and helped set the tone for the weekend. Every swimmer was a part of a win, either on a relay or in their heat. Our divers competed well against a tough field, which is how you win a competition like this. I'm excited to see the progress from last week and looking forward to getting the team back together as we move forward through the season."

After collecting 244.5 points on day one, the Eagles nearly matched that total scoring 234 points on day two to take home the TYR Classic. Right from the start, the Eagles claimed a crucial 40 points in the first event of the day, the 200 medley relay. The team of seniors Doris Eichhorn and Gracie Redding, sophomore Petra Halmai and junior Cassidy Fry combined for a swim of 1:45.29 to take first place.

Halmai highlighted the 200 breaststroke for the Eagles touching the pads in 2:19.28 for a second-place finish, scoring FGCU 17 points. Continuing to extend FGCU's lead was Redding, claiming third in the 100 free, touching out in 52.46 seconds to add on 16 points. Senior Christina Kaas Elmgreen kept the Eagles rolling with a second-place finish in the 100 fly (17 points) as Halmai placed fourth in the 200 IM to rack up 16 points.

Just how they started, the Eagles ended on a strong note capturing the 400 free relay title. The quartet of senior Hannah Burdge, Redding, Fry and senior Linda Shaw produced a time of 3:29.96, nearly two seconds ahead of the hosts.

Sophomore divers Megan Wakefield and Melissa Novak battled through a tough field, garnering a top-four finish in their heats on the boards. In the 3-meter A final, Wakefield placed second, finishing over TCU's Izzy Ashdown with a score of 234.80 as Novak finished fourth on the 1-meter dive with a mark of 235.95.

Up Next:
The Eagles head to Atlanta as they compete against host Georgia Tech, Miami, and NAIA Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta.

FGCU VB vs Kennesaw Recap

The FGCU volleyball team (11-6, 4-1 A-SUN) got several big performances and mounted a late rally, but suffered a  3-1 (25-20, 27-25, 16-25, 26-24) loss to Kennesaw State (14-4, 5-0  A-SUN) in Alico Arena on Friday. With the loss, the Eagles are now 13-11 overall against the Owls.

"We have to rely on our serving and blocking, and we did that tonight to put ourselves in position to come back from some pretty big deficits, but you're playing with fire if you think you're going to constantly be able to play out of holes like that," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "While I can appreciate the effort and the execution with the serving and the blocking that put us in that spot, especially in that fourth set, we need to handle the first contact and attack a little more decisively."

With the victory, Kennesaw State remains in a tie for first place with Lipscomb, who defeated Liberty in five sets in another battle of undefeated A-SUN teams on Friday. The Eagles will square off against Lipscomb on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Alico Arena.

"That was about as gritty of a win as we've ever had [at FGCU]. I could not be prouder of the fight and resilience we showed tonight against a really, really good FGCU team on their home court," said Kennesaw head coach Keith Schunzel.

Sophomore Cortney VanLiew paced the FGCU offense with 16 kills while adding 19 digs and one block assist. She now has at least nine digs in the past 11 matches, including 10 or more in nine of those. In fact, VanLiew recorded her third consecutive double-double, the seventh of the season and 13th of her career.

Outside of VanLiew, senior Sharonda Pickering added nine kills, while juniors Giovanna Borgiotti and Daniele Serrano and sophomore Snowy Burnam each added six. Pickering led the way with a .318 hitting percentage while finishing second on the team in block assists with five.

Freshman Dana Axner also had 19 digs to tie VanLiew for the team-high. She also added two assists while recording her fifth straight match with at least 10 digs. She has at least eight digs in every match and 10 or more in 14 of 17 so far during her freshman campaign.

Senior Maggie Rick led the team with 34 assists while adding 13 digs, three block assists and an ace. It was her third highest assist total and the sixth double-double of her season. Her dig total was one shy of matching her season-high set against West Virginia on Sept. 8. She also eclipsed 4,100 career digs and sits 304 shy of moving past Gigi Meyer (4,408, 2011-14) for the program's all-time record.

At the net, Serrano tallied eight block assists and a solo block while adding two digs and six kills. Her block assist total was two shy of matching the program's Division-I era record and is tied for the eighth-most. It was the fifth time in her career she recorded at least nine total blocks.

Other contributors included: freshman Chelsey Lockey with nine assists and five digs, senior Karissa Rhoades with 12 digs and two aces and Burnam with six digs and four block assists. Rhoades' 12 digs put her at 846 career digs.

As a team, FGCU's 24 block assists tied the season-high set against NJIT on Sept. 28. The 14 total blocks is a new season-high, however.

Kennesaw State, who knocked off FGCU in last year's A-SUN championship match, scored the first five points of the opening set, led by as many as nine and took the early lead despite the Eagles winning six of the final eight points.

In the second set, neither team led by more than two until Kennesaw State reeled off five straight to take a 20-15 lead. Pickering, however, capped a 5-0 rally for the Eagles with a kill and a solo block to even things up. After fighting off two set points, including one via a kill from VanLiew, the Owls took a two-set lead.

With things knotted at 10 apiece in the third set, VanLiew and Burnam produced kills in a 4-0 spurt. The rally continued until the Green and Blue opened up a 20-12 lead following a double-block from Borgiotti and Serrano. FGCU then closed the set with four straight to stay alive.

The fourth set provided even more drama. Kennesaw State scored six of the first seven, led 14-6 and look to be in firm control with a 22-14 lead. However, FGCU went on a 9-0 run, highlighted by kills from four different players. Down a point, the Owls produced two straight to set up match point. An attack error evened things back up, but Kennesaw State ended things with two straight.

"Scoring runs happen in this sport, and while it's easy to focus on the negatives when stuff like that happens, tonight I'm just so amazed at our team's ability to stay positive through the ups and downs and constantly fight back and come out on the good side," said Schunzel on FGCU's runs in the third and fourth set.

Up Next:
The Eagles remain at home as they welcome Lipscomb to the Alico Arena on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 2 PM.

FGCU S&D: TYR Classic Recap Day One

After day one of the TYR Fall Classic, hosted by FIU, 11 members of the FGCU swimming and diving team will take a 21-point lead heading into Saturday's finale at the Biscyane Bay Aquatic Center.

"The ladies did a great job performing better as the session went on," said head coach Dave Rollins. "I told them before the meet started the medley relay sets the tone of the meet and to get a win in the first event, coming from behind, just set the standard for the rest of the afternoon. We hold a slight lead going into tomorrow's competition and it's our job to finish what we started. It'll be exciting!"

The Eagles quickly jumped into the thick of things by coming out on top in the first event of the afternoon, taking the 400 medley relay. The quartet of sophomore Petra Halmai and seniors Doris Eichhorn, Christina Kaas Elmgreen, and Gracie Redding combined for a swim of 3:50.56 to score the first points of the TYR Classic.

The momentum continued for the Eagles as seniors Linda Shaw and Hannah Burdge placed third in their 200 free heats to keep the scoring total for the Eagles going as junior Elizabeth Zeiger highlighted the 400 IM, taking the title with a swim of 4:27.61. After three events, the Eagles put themselves atop the leaderboard with 85.5 points.

Holding a 12.5 point lead over George Washington (GW), Halmai and junior Cassidy Fry claimed a sweep in the 100 fly as Burdge and Redding followed suit, taking the 50 free heats. The lead continued to expand with second and third place finishes by Halmai and White in the 100 breast to bump the total to 166.5 for the Green and Blue after six events.

Despite slipping on the start of the 100 back, Eichhorn battled back to finish fourth while Zeiger claimed the seventh spot in her heat to balloon FGCU's margin to 183.5 points for a 20-point cushion over host FIU (165.5).

The swimming portion concluded on a strong note as Redding, Burdge, Eichhorn, and Fry took first in the 200 free relays with a time of 1:35.21, boosting the point total to 223.5 transitioning into diving.

On the boards, sophomore Melissa Novak capped off the 1-meter dive placing third (235.95), while fellow sophomore Megan Wakefield placed fourth in her heat (230.25)

Saturday's Events (11 AM)
200 MR
500 Free
200 Breast
200 Back
100 Free
200 Fly
200 IM
400 Free
1m Dive             

UP NEXT
FGCU will conclude Day Two of the TYR Classic tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m.

TEAM STANDINGS:
FGCU – 244.5
FIU – 223.5
Army – 204
Grand Canyon – 192.5
GW – 187.5
TCU – 187
FAU – 167
ODU – 150

FGCU VB vs Kennesaw, Lipscomb Preview

After being on the road for seven straight matches, excluding the neutral matches for tournaments, the FGCU volleyball team (11-5, 4-0 A-SUN) return home to the Alico Arena for A-SUN Conference play as they face Kennesaw State (13-4, 4-0 A-SUN) on Friday, Oct 5 at 7 PM and Lipscomb (9-7, 4-0 A-SUN) on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 2 PM.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles began their first four matches of conference play on the road as they defeated and shutout Jacksonville, UNF, NJIT, and first year A-SUN member North Alabama.

Coach 100:
Head coach Matt Botsford, who enters into his fifth season as head coach reached a new milestone as he won his 100th game in the Eagles' game against North Alabama. With his 100th win, Botsford became the second FGCU head volleyball coach to reach 100 wins (side note: Jaye Flood was the first).

Oh Captain, My Captain:
Like Botsford, senior Maggie Rick continues for a milestone of her own: the all-time leader in assists. Rick currently has 4,081 career assists 328 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for the milestone.

It's a Party in Alico:
Seniors Kaiti Krivdo and Sharonda Pickering, juniors Dani Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, sophomore Snowy Burnam and freshman Tori Morris are an elite squad known as the Block Party. The squad has a combined total of 219 blocks. In the conference games on the road, the squad had 54 blocks with Pickering and Serrano leading the way. In addition, the Block Party has a combined 431 kills.

What it Still do VanLiew?:
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew has been on a tear on the offensive end for the Eagles. VanLiew has 218 kills. In conference play, VanLiew had 49 kills in all four matches.

Ax Nation:
Freshman Dana Axner has been profound as libero. Axner currently has 251 digs and is second in digs per set (4.56). The Dublin, Ohio native also has 12 aces. For the four conference matches on the road, the two-time A-SUN Freshman of the Week had 59 digs and secured her first collegiate kill against North Alabama.

Standings:
So far, the Eagles are in a four-way tie with Kennesaw, Liberty and Lipscomb. Below are the current standings:
1. Kennesaw (13-4, 4-0)
2. FGCU (11-5, 4-0)
3. Lipscomb (9-7, 4-0)
4. Liberty (7-10, 4-0)
5. Stetson (10-6, 2-2)
6. UNF (6-16, 1-5)
7. North Alabama (2-11, 0-4)
8. NJIT (2-16, 0-4)
9. JU (1-15, 0-4)

Scouting Kennesaw:
The Owls are coming off their part of conference play as they shutout NJIT, North Alabama, and Stetson before defeating UNF 3-1.

Offensively, sophomore Lauren Chastang leads the team with 235 kills. In all four conference matches, she had 14 kills against NJIT and UNF and 12 against UNA and Stetson. In fact, in 15 straight matches, Chastang has had at least 10 or more kills.

Defensively, the middle duo of sophomore Quin Sutphin and senior Liesl Engelbrecht rank second and third, respectively, in the A-SUN in total blocks. Engelbrecht is the first player in program history with over 300 career blocks.

Against the Owls, the Eagles are 13-10 overall. FGCU lost three times to Kennesaw including the A-SUN Conference Tournament Championship.

Scouting Lipscomb:
The Lady Bison shutout North Alabama and Stetson and defeated NJIT and UNF 3-1.

Offensively, senior Carlyle Nusbaum leads the team in kills (238). In the shutout against Stetson, Nusbaum had a double-double of 16 kills and 12 digs.

Defensively, Ca'Layci Coffey is third on the team in kills (106), but leads the team with 41 blocks. In the shutout against Stetson, Coffey had 10 kills, but no blocks.

FGCU is 7-16 overall against the Lipscomb. The Eagles swept Lady Bison last season at home and away, the first time since 2012.

The Lady Bison will play Liberty prior to playing FGCU.

How to Keep Up:
Both matches will have livestats available and will be livestream on FGCU's Facebook page.

Fans can also keep up on Twittter:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
Lipscomb: @LipscombVBall
Kennesaw: @KSUOwlsVB

Promotions:
For the match against Kennesaw, it is dubbed as a blueout, so marketing is encouraging fans and Dirty Birds to wear blue to the match.

In addition, it will also be Chalk Talk Night, Pizza with Coach Botsford and a poster signing

For the match against Lipscomb, it will be dubbed as a whiteout as marketing is encouraging fans and Dirty Birds to wear white to the match.

In addition for that match, It will be Future Eagles Day (Youth 12 and under in White FGCU Gear or FGCU Camp Shirts will get into the game for free and will receive an FGCU tattoo!), a pre-game coaches chat! (Youth or High School VB coaches are invited to a pregame meeting w/Coach Botsford) and a "Beat Cancer" Fundraiser (Pre-sale of pink shirt to support the American Cancer Society).

Link to livestats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=223095

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=223096

Link to livestream: https://www.facebook.com/fgcuvolleyball

FGCU M. Soc @ FIU Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FGCU W. Golf: Johnie Imes Invitational Day Three Recap

The FGCU women's golf team wrapped up the final round of the Johnie Imes Invitational on Wednesday with a third place finish overall with an 876 (+12) and fired a 306 (+18). As a result, the Eagles set up a new program team-low for a 54-hole tournament, shattering the old record of 887 (+23) from the 2013 A-SUN Championship. Host Missouri was the overall winner of the tournament.

"Overall this was a good tournament for us, FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "Today was a struggle for everyone as the wind was gusting up to 35 miles per hour. We had a few holes that tripped us up but I️ think we can take away a lot of positives from this event. Before our next event, we need to work on knock downs, wedges, short game and much more. We have a couple weeks to put in some hard work."

FGCU was led by freshman Laura Edmonds. Edmonds missed tying the program's individual 54-hole record-low and first place by one stroke. Her final-round 74 (+2) gave her a 212 (-2) for the tournament as she finished in second behind Missouri's Emma Allen.

"I️ am so proud of Laura for her play," Trew said. "She is hands down the most composed freshman that I have ever seen. She is going to have a great career ahead of her."

Despite a tough day for the team, sophomore Natalia Nassar continued her consistent play with a 74 (+2). She shot either 73 or 74 in all three rounds and finished in a tie for 16th place with a 221 (+5).

Senior Kelsy Holbert shot an 80 (+8) on Wednesday but finished tied for 14th individually with a 220 (+4) behind her four-under over the first two rounds.

Fellow senior Madeline Marck-Sherk (223, +7) and junior Kate Williamson (235, +19) rounded out the lineup by finishing tied for 22nd and 58th, respectively.

This was the fifth consecutive season that the Green and Blue has competed in the Johnie Imes Invitational, and they've improved their placement every year.

2014– 13th of 15 (917, +53)
2015 – 16th of 18 (909, +45)
2016 – 11th of 15 (897, +33)
2017 – 8th of 14 (898, +34)
2018 – 3rd of 13 (876, +12)

Individual Standings
2. Laura Edmonds – 70-68-74---212 (-4)
T-14. Kelsy Holbert – 72-68-80---220 (+4)
T-16. Natalia Nassar – 74-73-74---221 (+5)
T-22. Madeline Marck-Sherk – 70-75-78---223 (+7)
T-58. Kate Williamson – 77-76-82---235 (+19)

Team Standings:
1. #52 Missouri – 282-282-289---853 (-11)
2. #81 Fresno State – 292-279-304---875 (+11)
3. #128 FGCU – 286-284-306---876 (+12)
4. #130 FIU– 287-296-302---885 (+21)
5. #78 Mercer – 290-286-313---889 (+25)
6. #132 Wichita State – 298-295-299---892 (+28)
7. #135 Northern Illinois – 306-292-298---896 (+32)
8. #163 Missouri State – 291-306-307---904 (+40)
9. #203 Illinois State – 297-301-311---909 (+45)
T-10. #145 Bradley – 307-297-307---911 (+47)
T-10. #149 Arkansas State – 300-302-309---911 (+47)
12. #193 UMKC – 306-298-310---914 (+50)
13. #183 University of Arkansas Little Rock – 306-303-308---917 (+53)

Quotes From Other Coaches:
Missouri: "It was a great win for us today in some downright tough, windy conditions," said Mizzou head coach Stephanie Priesmeyer.  "We played with great patience and confidence through the day and did a nice job of avoiding big numbers, which has been something we were determined to do better at this week," she said.

"Emma's win was special because it was our home event and senior day and it was her first win," said Priesmeyer on Allen winning overall.  "It was quite a battle between her and Jess and Laura (Edmonds of Florida Gulf Coast), they all played great golf this week.  Jess had a chance to force a playoff at the end with her teammate, and that would have been fun to see, but she was really solid again this week and I know she'll get that first win soon," she said.

"I'm really pleased how we got great balance within the team and how everyone contributed to the team score over the three days," said Priesmeyer.  "(Assistant Coach) Mindy (Coyle) and I are proud of how our team prepared in advance for this event and how they did everything we asked of them.  Their work paid off with lower scores and fewer mistakes on the course, and my hope is that this is a great springboard heading into the final stretch of our fall season," she said.

Fresno State: "Despite some challenging windy conditions and a slow start, we finished strong and hung in there to move up the leaderboard," said head coach Emily Loftin about the team climbing into second after entering the final round in third. "To grab second place and build momentum for our quick turnaround trip to New Mexico next week, I could not happier."

"Certainly excited for not only Kristin (Simonsen) and Jess (Hall) leading the way for us, but for Brigitte as well," Loftin noted. "Having three in the top 15 is an accomplishment to be proud of and I'm looking forward to what's in store for them next time out."

Northern Illinois: "Today was just super-windy out there, so it was a test of who was the toughest and could handle it," said NIU Head Coach Kim Kester. "Kelly's two-under par in these conditions is fantastic and Lauren coming in at one-under par was extremely good to see."

"The first round got us pretty good," Kester said "It was definitely a great bounce back by the team, especially today with the way the winds were gusting. They finished strong and that's what we need."

"Sofia (Gomez Enriquez) put together some great rounds on the first two days and then fell off a little today, but overall it was a pretty good tournament for her," Kester said. "It was great to see Ahra have an even par round on Tuesday in her first tournament as a Huskie and Brielle battled today, she didn't hit many greens but she fought through it and that's what you want to see in your senior."



Up Next:
The Eagles wrap up the fall season as they return to the states and prepare for the 41st annual Pat Bradley Invitational at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and since I live in Bradenton, I don't live that far away from Lakewood Ranch (about 30 minutes to be exact), so hopefully I could see the team play if I can get a special pass of some sort. It would be so great to get an opportunity like that and see the women's golf team play.

FGCU W. Golf: Johnie Imes Invitational Day Two Recap

Continuing their run, the FGCU women's golf team wrapped up round two remaining in second place in the Johnie Imes Invitational at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Missouri.

The Eagles set another record-breaking performance (284, -4) and are currently six strokes behind host Missouri with four of the five Eagles reaching the top 25 and one stroke ahead of Fresno State.

"I can't say enough about how the team is playing," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "We started out pretty rough and were actually seven over through eight holes but refocused and put together a 284, which is very impressive."

After beginning day one of the invitational tied for first, freshman Laura Edmonds jumped to being tied for first place with a six under and score of 68 with senior Emma Allen of Missouri and senior Mary Janiga of Mercer. Edmonds set a new personal record in just her second collegiate tournament.

Not too far behind, senior Kelsy Holbert, who began day one tied for 13th, also shot a 68 with a four under and jumped nine spots for a tie for fourth place with freshman Jessica Hall of Fresno State and sophomore Carolina Andrade of FIU. Holbert's 18-hole score tied her career-low set in the second round of the Golfweek Program Championship on Sept. 10.

Both Edmonds and Holbert's finished one stroke shy of the program's single-round low, but broke the previous 36-hole individual-low of 141 (-3) held by Megan Blonien, which was coincidentally set at the Johnie Imes Invitational in 2016, and both had a team-high six birdies

"I am so proud of the way they played today," Trew said. "Both are hitting it so solid and making the most of their birdie opportunities."

The Eagles recorded a new program-low in three consecutive rounds after getting off to a disastrous start as each player bogeyed the second hole, which led to 11 bogeys and two double-bogeys through the first seven holes, but the Eagles started turning around on the ninth hole, where four of the five players in the lineup recorded a birdie. In fact, over the final 10 holes, the team sank an astounding 18 birdies. Eliminating the low score, they fired a 9-under on the back nine.

Aside from Edmonds and Holbert, senior Madeline Marck-Sherk fired a 75 (+3) and sits in a tie for 15th. She has a two-round total of 145, which is just one over par.

Sophomore Natalia Nassar is tied for 23rd place with a 147 (+3). She fired a 1-over 73 on Tuesday, which was the third best score on the team.

Junior Kate Williamson rounded out the lineup with a 76 (+4), and is tied for 53rd with a 153 (+9). Willamson had four birdies in the tournament.

Team Standings:
1. #52 Missouri – 282-282---564 (-12)
2. #128 FGCU – 286-284---570 (-6)
3. #81 Fresno State – 292-279---571 (-5)
4. #78 Mercer – 290-286---576 (E)
5. #130 Florida International – 287-296---583 (+7)
6. #132 Wichita State – 298-295---593 (+17)
7. #163 Missouri State – 291-306---597 (+21)
T-8. #135 Northern Illinois – 306-292---598 (+22)
T-8. #203 Illinois State – 297-301---598 (+22)
10. #149 Arkansas State – 300-302---602 (+26)
T-11. #145 Bradley – 307-297---604 (+28)
T-11. #193 UMKC – 306-298---604 (+28)
13. #183 University of Arkansas Little Rock – 306-303---609 (+33)

Up Next:
The Eagles wrap up day three of the Johnie Imes Invitational with the following groups for tee time at 8 A.M.:
Edmonds (Group 1)
Marc-Sherk (Group 2A)
Holbert (Group 2B)
Nassar (Group 3)
Williamson (Group 4B)

"Tomorrow, it looks like quite a bit of wind is forecasted," Trew said. "We are going to have to play smart, stay patient and take advantage of birdie opportunities when they present themselves if we want to win."

FGCU W. Golf: Johnie Imes Invitational Day One Recap

Led by a pair of two-under 70 performances from freshman Laura Edmonds and senior Madeline Marck-Sherk, the FGCU women's golf team shot a program-low 286 (-2) on Monday to sit second among 16 teams through the first of three rounds at the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Missouri, hosted by Missouri.

"I am extremely proud of the way we started out today," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "We talked about the importance of starting out with a good round and putting ourselves in a good spot, and that is exactly what we did. Everyone across the board played solid, and we can take that confidence into round two. I think if we can focus on riding this momentum and finish the round strong tomorrow, we will be in a good spot."

The Eagles are just four strokes back of first-place and host Missouri and are positioned one stroke ahead of third-place FIU. The outing gave FGCU the best back-to-back rounds in program history after the Eagles shot then-record 289 in the final round of the Lady Paladin Invitational on Sept. 23.

Edmonds and Marck-Sherk each sit in a tie for fourth place individually. The duo combined for six birdies and just two bogeys. For Edmonds, the score is a new career-low as she is participating in her second career tournament.

Marck-Sherk, meanwhile, recorded her second consecutive career-low 70 round. It's the fifth time she's went that low in her career, and it was her lowest career opening round score. This is the first time she's done it twice in one season.

Senior Kelsy Holbert sank three straight birdies on the third, fourth and fifth holes and was tied with Edmonds for a team-low 34 (-2) on the front nine before settling for an even-par 72. She currently resides in a tie for 13th place, while sophomore Natalia Nassar tied for 25th following a 74 (+2)

Junior Kate Williamson suffered back-to-back triple bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes, but responded with a team-high five birdies, including three over the final six holes.

Individual Standings
T-4. Laura Edmonds – 70 (-2)
T-4. Madeline Marck-Sherk – 70 (-2)
T-13. Kelsy Holbert – 72 (E)
T-25. Natalia Nassar – 74 (+2)
T-43. Kate Williamson – 77 (+5)

Team Standings (# - GolfStat ranking as of June 7)
1. #52 Missouri – 282 (-6)
2. #128 FGCU – 286 (-2)
3. #130 Florida International – 287 (-1)
4. #78 Mercer – 290 (+2)
5. #163 Missouri State – 291 (+3)
6. #81 Fresno State – 292 (+4)
7. #203 Illinois State – 297 (+9)
8. #132 Wichita State – 298 (+10)
9. #149 Arkansas State – 300 (+12)
T-10. #183 University of Arkansas Little Rock – 306 (+18)
T-10. #135 Northern Illinois – 306 (+18)
T-10. #193 UMKC – 306 (+18)
13. #145 Bradley – 307 (+19)

FGCU W. Golf: Johnie Imes Invitational Preview

The FGCU women's golf team will compete in its third fall event of the season beginning Monday at the 11th Annual Johnie Imes Invitational hosted by the University of Missouri. It is the fifth consecutive fall in which the Eagles will take part in the event.

The 13-team field will compete in 18-hole rounds on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Missouri. Each par-72 round begins at 9 a.m. ET with the final one occurring via a shotgun start. The tournament is free and open to the public.

"We have been putting in some solid practice this week on our wedges and short game to get ready for Old Hawthorne," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "This is a course we feel pretty comfortable on as it has been in our lineup consistently for the past few years now. Coming off our lowest round ever we have a lot of confidence going into this tournament know we can go on this golf course."

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off a program-record 289 in the final round of the Lady Paladin Invitational last weekend. The team finished ninth among 16 teams and will feature the same lineup this week:

1. Senior Kelsy Holbert
2. Senior Madeline Marck-Sherk
3. Sophomore Natalia Nassar
4. Freshman Laura Edmonds
5. Junior Kate Williamson

Tournament History:
The Eagles finished eighth among 14 teams at last year's Johnie Imes Invitational, which was their highest finish in the tournament's history. Marck-Sherk finished in a tie for 19th overall with a 221 (+5), and the team's 898 (+34) was just the fifth time the Eagles have shot a sub-900 54-hole total in program history. In 2016, Williamson recorded a first-round 68, which is still tied for the seventh best opening round in the tournament's history. Missouri is the four-time defending tournament champion.

Complete Field
52 - Missouri
78 - Mercer
81 - Fresno State
128 – FGCU
130 - Florida International
132 - Wichita State
135 - Northern Illinois
145 – Bradley
149 - Arkansas State
163 - Missouri State
183 - University of Arkansas Little Rock
193 - UMKC
203 - Illinois State

FGCU M. TEN: Bedford Cup Recap

The FGCU Men's Tennis team kicked off their fall season with a bang this weekend at the Bedford Cup, winning championships at #2 singles and #1 doubles while also bringing home the Sportsmanship Award courtesy of senior Felipe Escobar.

"This tournament was a great way for us to start the season." Head coach CJ Weber said. "We were challenged in a variety of ways. In some ways, we were successful; in other ways, we were not. But I love coaching these guys, and we're ready to start this journey. I'm really excited we are able to take home two championships and the sportsmanship award in our first effort of the season."

Escobar took the court for the Eagles at Flight 1. In his first match of the weekend, he dropped a tough 6-3, 7-5 decision to Jason Legall of FAU, but bounced back in the consolation bracket with a 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over Richard Thongoana of Florida State to finish on a positive note. At the conclusion of the tournament, Escobar was honored with the Sportsmanship Award for his class throughout the weekend.

The Eagles sent three to the court in the Flight 2 draw. Junior Feliksas Sakalauskas was the first to see action, putting together a solid 6-2, 6-2 win over Dennis Moses of Stetson in the first round to advance to the quarters.

Senior Mateo Ruiz was the next to take the court as he took the first set 6-3 over Joe Ellis of North Florida, but was unable to build on the momentum as he dropped the second 6-3 and the third 6-2 to send him to the consolation bracket.

Junior Marcelo Tebet also saw action in the draw, falling in a hard-fought  7-5, 6-3 decision to Jose Plazas of Bethune-Cookman to push him to the consolations as well.

Sakalauskas continued to roll in the quarters, picking up a 6-4, 7-6 (7) upset win over top seeded Vasyl Kiselyov of UCF before steamrolling Ellis in the semis 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the title match.  In the finals, Sakalauskas squared off against another North Florida Osprey, this time Nile Duarte, but the result was the same as the semis as Sakalauskas grinded out a 7-5, 7-6 (0) win to clinch the championship in his first tournament as an Eagle.


"Feli and Mateo played a great level with the right attitudes throughout the whole tournament. Feliksas...I mean, what a debut for him in an FGCU uniform! He played with an incredible amount of discipline all weekend, and was rewarded with a title! For the sportsmanship award, this was awarded by a vote from all the coaches. Felipe is just a remarkable young man, and I'm happy our competitors saw that in him, and he was recognized for a value that means a lot to him and everybody here in the FGCU family!"

In Flight 3, sophomore Nicolas Tibaudin represented the Eagles. Tibaudin got off to a slow start, falling 6-0, 6-1 to Luis Espinosa Bares of Florida A&M in his opener and couldn't find his groove in the consolations, dropping a 6-1, 7-6 (6) decision to Phillip Lynch of Bethune-Cookman to end his tournament.

In the top flight of doubles action, the Eagles soared. Escobar and Ruiz represented the Eagles in three nail-biting pro sets to make their way to the finals. In the opening round, they snuck past Burnette/Yatsuk of USF 8-7 followed by an 8-5 win over 3rd seeded Hilderbrand/Rubio of UCF to push on to the semis. In the semis they took down the top seeded and former top 20 ranked juniors pair of Decamps/Mazzuchi in another 8-7 thriller and finished off the weekend in style with a decisive 8-3 victory over Guy/Horta of FAU to claim the title.

At Flight 2 doubles it was Sakalauskas and Tebet teaming up for the Eagles. The duo dropped their first match 8-4 against Aycart/Shimamoto of Miami, but bounced back for a 6-0 blanking of Florida State's Le Seguillon/Nahrung in the consolations to take home the back draw title.

The Eagles return to action on October 17-21 in Athens, Georgia where they will compete in the ITA Southeast Regional Championships.

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.