Eagle Revolution 2017

Welcome to a new school year. Welcome to a new athletic season for FGCU. Welcome to FGCU Eagle Revolution 2017.

Every year at pretty much any public university, the athletics program host a big bash for the new upcoming and returning students and student-athletes. For FGCU, it is called Eagle Revolution.

At Eagle Revolution, all the athletic teams of both genders from the programs ranging from volleyball to tennis and their coaches, gather in front of thousands of students and introduce themselves to the new and returning students. It is really lively and rambunctiously exciting.

I remember from last year's Eagle Revolution that shocked me. The FGCU softball team included me in part of their routine involving my cheer. Then player and team captain Jeanie Verderese came up to me during the event and I gave her a hug. As I finished giving her a hug, she said to me "We're gonna bring you on the court with us to do your cheer."

I was like "You're kidding right?" She was serious. I didn't know what to make of it. It was unexpected.

As the softball team was doing their traditional circle with Verderese leading, the team turned toward me, and Amber Plaza and Carissa Licata literally pulled me out of my seat. I tried to head back, they stopped me, pulled me back and handed me a microphone and told me to do my cheer that I did at every softball game I attend. Of course, how could I refuse? My heart was pounding everywhere, but they did it with me, so I wouldn't feel so nervous. I felt strong doing that.

During the summer, I talked to senior Nat Lopez about that and said "Why do I have a feeling y'all are gonna pull me out of my seat and have me do my cheer like last years Eagle Revolution? lol"

She laughed and said "We will see."

Fast forward to today, literally, students by the thousands were lined up by the door to get to the Alico Arena early to get a seat. The line went as long as across the Egret Building (a housing dormitory). Of course, me and some of the experienced returning Dirty Birds, would sit up or stand in the front.

Before the event started, some of the Dirty Birds got to play around with some of the soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball players. I got to see a lot of familiar faces I knew from last year and the year before and meet new faces that I never spoke to before until the event.

Some of the fans, cheerleaders and basketball players from both teams were playing "Knockout". I got to play a little bit with redshirt senior Jessica Cattani and redshirt sophomore transfer Brady Ernst trying to put pressure on me after they were shooting behind me. I did manage to eliminate one basketball player (No, it wasn't Brady). I eliminated freshman walk-on Ryan Roucant, but Ernst eliminated me, but I was a good sport about it after being eliminated.

During the event, I witnessed some freshman with some good spirit sit with me and I could see they were a rowdy bunch with a lot of potential.

All the teams were there and the theme for Eagle Revolution was "90s Throwback Night", which I thought worked pretty well for a millennial like myself, and I even got to high five and hugs some of the returners from last year and the year before. When the softball team was introduced, senior Emily Demurias pulled me out of my seat and had me dance to "Jump On It" with the whole team.

A lot of beach balls sponsored by Wells Fargo were thrown around and the athletes were throwing out cups, bags, shirts and frisbees. I managed to snag a bag thrown out in the stands, but I gave it to a freshman because I didn't really need it and I think she deserved to have a memorabilia for her first year at FGCU.

Of course, at Eagle Revolution, one lucky fan is drawn for a chance to win either big sum of money or a Ford Mustang parked in front of Alico. From all the times I have seen people attempt to do so, no one has won it and the streak still continued.

After the event was over, I got to meet up with the returning athletes and keep in touch with them and even met some of the newcomers like redshirt junior transfer Lisa Zderadicka from the women's basketball team and freshman Chris Clement from the men's soccer team. They were really nice to speak to and it looked like they were having a real good time out there.

It was so awesome to see all the excitement from the athletes, cheerleaders and dirty birds who watched from the stands in the Alico Arena, and just seeing that brings excitement to the world and seeing old faces and meeting new ones is worth while until the end.

As I end this blog entry, tune in for the next blog entry as I talk about the FGCU volleyball team on who they are, where they came from and what experience they bring.

Below are a few pictures with some of the athletes and my roommates:

With my roommates Gio Mendez and Dylan Sobocinski 

With freshman women's basketball player Sheahen Dowling 

With redshirt junior men's soccer player Jordan Lue 

With junior cheerleading captain Caragan Phillips

With Lisa Zderadicka

With redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan

A Visit to My Alma Maters Pt. 2

This is part two of my entries of the title "A Visit to My Alma Maters". Last entry, I wrote my high school alma mater: "THE" Manatee High School. The person that gave me the idea of writing about my alma maters was senior athletic trainer Kim Rodriguez. Since that idea, I wrote about my first alma mater, but then after that, I thought "Why don't you write about your second alma mater: SCF?" Surely enough, that was what I was gonna do. Prepare for a history story on this:

After graduating from Manatee, I enrolled at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) where, at the time, I was a vocal music performance major and did concert and chamber choir as well as musical theatre. During my time at SCF, I didn't do much really around athletics as there were only five sports at SCF: men's basketball, baseball, volleyball, softball and women's tennis. Soon, I was talking to a few of the basketball players like Elias Gutierrez, Markee Teal and Odi Onyekachukwu and they were cool with me.

During my second year at SCF, I remember seeing Odi and Elias on the way to the softball field and I thought I would join them and low and behold was the softball team. Now back then, I was not a big fan of softball, but then I thought "Open your horizons and check it out" and that's exactly what I did.

Funny thing was one of the softball players, freshman pitcher at the time, Paige Mathews, was in one of class labs, which was pretty cool. The first games for softball I went to were against Santa Fe College and SCF won 4-3 and 6-0. I was thinking "Maybe they need a luck charm with them." 

As I went to more softball games, at one point, the head coach at the time, Meredith Headings, saw me and approached me.

"Are you Patrick?" she asked me, and I said yes and she introduced herself and told me that her players were talking about me and I'm thinking "Uh-oh. Oh no, what did I do wrong? What's gonna happen? Has my life come to an end?"

To my surprise, it was completely the opposite of what I thought. She told me that the team said I was a nice guy and they appreciated me coming to see them play. I felt so relieved afterwards and I even got the opportunity to do the national anthem for them during the series against Illinois Valley Community College, which they loved.

A year later, I started to go to the basketball games there and that year, they had a new head coach at the time, Brock Erickson, who now is assistant coach at Iona College. Surprising to me, that year was the best year I have seen for SCF basketball. They won a majority of games and had players like Isaiah Williams, Denzel Myers, Anders Hass and Michael Sanchez play strong.

Funny thing was I remember I had classes with Williams, Haas, Myers and Sanchez. I was still going to softball games as well and went to a couple of baseball games too and saw Connor Oliver, Ben Ancheff and fellow Manatee High alum, Tyler Souris, play.

During my final school year, I took a sports officiating class with coach Tim Hill II or Coach "21" as his players called him, and I had a lot of the athletes in the class from volleyball to softball.

I really expanded my horizons with the sports including the volleyball games. I remember the first volleyball game I went to like it was just yesterday. The team they were facing against was the JV team from Webber International University on September 11th. Before that game started, there was a moment of silence and then I did the national anthem for that game.

As the game started, I was wondering on how I was going to keep them fired up and during that time I was helping Manatee football and two of the football players started saying "UH-OH" and I'm thinking "Would it work?" I tried it out and low and behold it worked like a charm. We ended up beating Webber 3-0. I kept saying "UH-OH" at their games and it worked for the most part. They had phenomenal players that laid it on line including Maja Ristic, Kat Torre and Tessa Alyman.

During one of their invitationals, I had to be a line judge for my sports officiating class and I was so nervous and frightened to do it. I was on SCF's side and they were playing Polk State and Polk State's coach scared the crap out of me so badly that they replace me with someone else, but I redeem myself the next day and was on the opposite side of SCF's games, which was a relief.

After volleyball season was over, basketball season started, but I didn't go to many of them. I still kept going to softball games and a few baseball games as well.

One thing I remembered was I had strong feelings for one of the softball players, but at that time, she was not looking to be in a relationship, which I understood, and I still kept in contact with her and remained friends with her too.

I had a lot of memorable moments while I was at SCF. I remember inviting the whole softball team to a musical show I was involved in and the majority of them tricked me saying they were not able to come, but they did and that brought tears of joy to my face.

I remember one day, Matt Ennis, the athletic director for SCF, invited me to the athletic banquet and I thought he was joking, but he was serious, so I went and he recognized me and I gave them one more "UH-OH" as a thank you to them.

Let's fast forward to today. I went to visit my second alma mater meet see the new volleyball team and new coach, Angie Byrd. I was talking to one of the assistant coaches, Billie Timmons, about it and she said it was ok with her and coach Byrd. So I hopped on the closest bus heading to SCF.

As I walked towards the gym, I couldn't help but overhear Mr. Ennis and coach Timmons talking to coach Byrd about my visit and literally I heard my phrase "UH-OH" and then Mr. Ennis saw me and said "UH-OH" and was glad to see me. He said to me "We were just talking about you."

Honestly, I did kind of get a hint they were kind of talking about me because when I hear the word "UH-OH" at SCF, they know that I'm there.

I went to meet coach Byrd and she was really nice to speak to and she introduced me to the other assistant coach and her family. Then I went into the gym and saw the new wave of volleyball players doing their pre-practice warm-ups.

Coach Timmons called me over and introduced me to the whole team on told them who I was, what I do currently and how big of an impact I made for SCF. She had the players introduce themselves to me from left to right on who they were, where they are from and their positions as players.

Nearing the end of the line, one of the players from the Czech Republic, Eliška Trunečková, was thrown off guard by me when I said "Dobrý den," which means "hello" in Czech, but she was impressed by that.

I told the team a couple of memories I remembered when I watch the volleyball team play and how I met other alumni that played at SCF in their respective sports, even if FGCU against them. After telling them about my experiences from watching SCF volleyball, I told the whole team "Good luck, play smart, work hard, finish strong and have fun."

One thing I wish I could have said to them was this:
"Every match you play, you only get one chance to win. When you win your matches, that's good, but I want you keep this one thing in mind: every win you earn will also mean each of you will have a target on your back, and the more you win, the bigger the target is on your backs and the harder you have to work. I have seen the volleyball team play in the past and I remember their 22 match winning streak and Coach Timmons can vouch for me on this. Each match they won, the targets on their backs got bigger and bigger, and the matches got harder and harder, but they fought tooth and nail to keep their record in tact and scratched and clawed their way to make it to the national tournament. I want you to remember one thing that I want to tell you: Once the first serve begins, you have to go forward. There's no do overs, no rewinds and no going back."

"The minute you start compromising for the sake of massaging somebody's ego, that's it game over."
- Gordon Ramsay

Just being able to stop by and visit my second alma mater and see old faces I remember and meet new ones that I have never met before can bring a tear to my eye because I miss coming back to see my second alma mater and seeing how well the school does. Even after I left for FGCU wants me to come visit whenever I get a chance and I'm hoping to do so soon depending on my schedule.

A Visit to My Alma Maters Pt. 1

During this whole summer, aside from working early morning shifts at Bealls, I decided to visit my first original stomping grounds at "THE" Manatee High School. My how I miss saying, let alone hearing those four words: "THE Manatee High School".

To recap from the introduction about me to start the blog, I graduated from Manatee in the 2009-10 school year. After graduating, I decided to return and help Manatee as a volunteer, spending time as a equipment manager and a defensive line graduate assistant while being enrolled at my junior college, State College of Florida (SCF).

During the time, I was going back and forth with school and football and taking the bus to and from both places. There were a few times I had to miss one game due to academic reasons, even if it was optional for me to be there.

After I graduated from SCF, I started working early morning shifts that range from five to eight hours, and even have to get up around 4:30 A.M. and ride my bike to work, even if it was a five minute ride. Then I ride my bike or take the bus to Manatee after settling at home for a bit.

So much has changed with Manatee since I left, and then came back from FGCU the past two years. Both Booth brothers are not coaching at Manatee Football anymore, there have been new coaches that were added from other schools and some of the old coaches and alumni players that graduated with me or graduated three to four years after me are now returning and coaching for the team.

Offensive coordinator James Booth got an offer to be head coach for Plant City High School.

Former head coach John Booth parted ways after Manatee's spring game loss at Lake Gibson, so they were an army without a leader, but not for long.

Now in a different direction, Manatee is led by a new sheriff in town: Yusuf Shakir. Shakir came from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee where he claimed the FHSAA Class 4A District State Championship in 2010 and earned a runner-up run in 2012.

Initially, when I met him, he was nice, but just because practice has not started does not mean that there will be no letting up for the team.

The first day of practice happened in the gym and during Tropical Storm Emily. Of course, I was working my normal five hour 5 A.M. shift so I missed the first practice after all that rain and riding my bike in the rain after my shift was over.

The first practice on the field was really wet and muggy and with each practice, tensions were heating up, mainly with the defense.

It was like a merry-go-round of a rebuilding process that was slowly progressing. I mean there were so many new kids that are becoming freshman, some were called up from JV and transfers that came from different schools. It was so overwhelming.

During the most recent practice, one of the athletic trainers, senior Kim Rodriguez, was talking to me on how school and everything was, and I told her that I started doing this blog and sent her the link. She thought it was pretty good. Later on, Rodriguez gave me an idea that I should write an entry on Manatee Football because I went there and I know what it feels like being there and how I have made such an impact for the school even after I left. It was a really good idea to write about this and I give her credit for helping me start the idea in the first place. Thank you Kim for the idea.

Being at the school I went to for all four years has its moments, and I'm grateful I get to be a part of that. Even seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones including the head coach, which I was honored to meet, was quite an adventure.

Although the team is progressing slowly, there is not much time left before they open with their kickoff classic against Armwood High School. A realization came to me for the kickoff classic: this is the first kickoff classic Manatee has to go away for the kickoff classic since the 2009-10 season (Manatee @ Plant High School).

As part one ends for this entry, part two will talk about my second alma mater, State College of Florida (SCF), and where "UH-OH" nation started.

In these photos below are some of the clothes and memorabilia I kept from helping out at Manatee.

FGCU Women's Soccer Bios

After another run to the national tournament, the FGCU women's soccer team hopes to go for another opportunity to go again.

Last season, FGCU went 14-5-1 overall with a 6-0-1 record in conference play. During the season, they played some tough teams that they had a great opportunities to do. Although they didn't get to play UNC, the then No. 9 team, now No. 4 team in the nation due to rain, they did play then No. 21 Ohio State, but lost 1-0 in double overtime.

The easiest win FGCU had last season was against Fairleigh Dickinson at home (7-1 W).

In conference play, they were in a tight race for first place with Stetson, but came out on top with a 2-1 victory that claimed them first place and the number one seed in the tournament.

In the tournament, they received a first round bye for being the No. 1 seed and faced Kennesaw State and won 2-1 and played Lipscomb in a rematch from last year and won 2-0 to claim the automatic bid in the tournament before falling 3-0 to Florida in the first round.



As the team changes, FGCU will lose 13 members including the A-SUN’s all-time goals and points leader and three-time A-SUN Player of the Year, forward Tabby Tindell. Tindell scored 66 career goals and had 162 points in the A-SUN including the record goal in the home game against NJIT.

The team will also lose midfielders Ali Rogers, Yazmin Velez, Paulina "Pau" Speckmeier, Sarah Lowicki, and forward/midfielder Lauren Knight for they graduated.

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Arrabito, redshirt sophomore midfielder Taylor Shore, junior midfielder Katlyn Sullivan, sophomore Jamie Finn, freshman midfielder Madi Sanders, freshman defender Lexi Littlefield and freshman forward Taylor Chapman have also departed from the team.

FGCU did manage to sign 13 newcomers (seven freshman and six transfers) to join.

    

The team is led by Jim Blakenship.

Blakenship enters into his 10th season as head coach for the team.

Prior to FGCU, Blakenship played collegiate soccer at FIU. After graduating and earning his masters at St. Thomas University, Blakenship spent 12 years as the first-ever head women's soccer coach at Lynn University. There, he earned NAIA Coach of the Year honors five times and NSCAA Coach of the Year twice. The Fighting Knights reached the Final Four in 10 consecutive seasons under his tutelage and won three national championships and were runners-up twice.

In 1998, after his time with Lynn, Blankenship led the Miami Hurricanes as the program's first coach to the conference tournament in the second year of the program and received an NCAA tournament bid in just the fourth season of competition. The Hurricanes climbed as high as No. 14 in the nation.

After his departure from Miami, Blakenship worked three seasons as the assistant women's soccer coach at FAU which won back-to-back A-SUN Conference championships.

After posting the most wins in program history during the fall of 2006, the Owls received their first-ever bid to the NCAA College Cup.

In 2007, Blakenship was named head coach for FGCU. In his inaugural season as head coach, the Eagles saw a third-place finish in the A-SUN going 11-7 overall with a 7-4 record in conference.

In 2008, Blankenship led the Eagles to 10-4-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 record in conference. FGCU finished fourth in conference.

Blankenship and the Blue and Green matched their inaugural win total after posting a conference-best 11 overall wins (11-5-3) in 2009 with a 6-2-2 in conference.

In his fourth year at the helm, Blankenship led FGCU to its first A-SUN regular season championship after finishing the season with an unblemished 8-0-2 conference record, while posting an 11-4-2 overall.

The Eagles had a conference-best 11 shutouts under Blankenship's watch and received votes in the NSCAA South Region Poll.

FGCU ended the 2011 campaign with a 14-5-2 overall record and an impressive 7-1-1 in conference, claiming back-to-back A-SUN regular season titles and earning their first-ever A-SUN tournament championship. FGCU won the championship off a dramatic goal in double-overtime sending the Eagles into the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.

In his sixth season (2012), Blankenship led FGCU to its third-straight regular season title and second-straight tournament crown. The team tied the program record for wins (14) and had a program-best 14-4-3 record and an impressive 7-1-1 record in conference. FGCU won the A-SUN Championship in the same fashion as last year, with a freshman scoring the game-winning goal in overtime for a 2-1 victory over Mercer. Blakenship earned his first A-SUN Coach of the Year title.

In his seventh year on the sidelines of the FGCU Soccer Complex (2013), Blankenship guided the Green and Blue to a fourth consecutive A-SUN regular season title and had a record eight selections to postseason teams including Tindell who, at the time, was A-SUN Freshman of the Year. Blakenship earned his second A-SUN Coach of the Year title.

2014 repeated the success from the previous season and more. The Eagles set new single-season program records in points (141), points per game (6.71), goals (45), game-winning goals (17), assists (51), assists per game (2.43) all while winning a program-best 17 matches. FGCU's historic run in 2014 resulted the Green and Blue hosting Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in addition to their fifth straight conference title. Blakenship earned his third consecutive A-SUN Coach of the Year title.

The Eagles made it six-straight titles in 2015. With a 14-6-3 mark overall, FGCU completed one of its most successful seasons all while making history at the end of the season. Playing USF in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles defeated the Bulls 2-1 for the program's first NCAA win. Blakenship won his fourth consecutive A-SUN Coach of the Year title

With Blakenship taking the reins, FGCU continues their dominance in the A-SUN with also the help of assistant coaches Scott Collins and Alexis Connors.

The team consists of five returning seniors (three redshirts), four returning juniors (one redshirt), six transfers (two seniors, one junior and four sophomores), six returning sophomores and seven upcoming freshman. All in all, for the whole team, there are six defenders, four forwards, five two ways (MF/F/D of any combination), three goalkeepers and 10 midfielders.

The five returning seniors bring plenty of experience: Paige Law (MF/F), Nikki Hudson (MF), Ashley Parks (D), Lauren Greene (MF/F) and Meaghan Mulligan (MF).


The first of five returning seniors is Paige Law.

The 5-9 redshirt midfielder/forward from Sanibel Island, Florida brings a lot of depth to the team.

Prior to FGCU, Law played her freshman year for conference rival, Stetson. There she started six of her 17 games played and got only 2 assists in 554 minutes.

When she transferred to FGCU her sophomore year, Law played in 18 games and scored one goal in 266 minutes.

When junior year hit, Law played in 14 games and scored one goal in 281 minutes.

Law did not play her senior year and sat out due to an injury.

This season, Law will not let the injury bug plague her very last season with FGCU.


Next senior who started off with a bang for FGCU is one of my best friends: Nikki Hudson.

The 5-6 midfielder from Baltimore, Maryland has more kicking power than Brandi Chastain.

Prior to FGCU, Hudson started her first two years at Rutgers University of the Big Ten Conference. Through her freshman and sophomore year, she played a combined 106 minutes with no goals.

When her junior year hit, Hudson went on a tear. She started 20 of her 21 games played and scored five goals in 1,725 minutes. She did so well, she earn A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors.

During her senior year, the injury bug plagued Hudson. Despite starting 13 of the her 14 games played, her season was cut short due to an injury, but was able to maintain her last year of eligibility.

Like Law, Hudson will not let the injury bug plague her final season.


If you want a defender who is a rough ryder like Goldberg, then you're looking at Ashley Parks.

The 5-0 defender from St. Louis, Missouri will defend the territory like it's her yard and tear her opponents apart.

In her freshman year, Parks played in 20 games and scored one goal with three assists in 751 minutes.

In a new role for her sophomore year, Parks started all 21 games she played and got four assists in 1,886 minutes. She did so well that Parks earned A-SUN All-Conference Academic Team honors.

Her junior year was plagued due to injury, but during her redshirt junior year, Parks went back to her rough ryder self. Starting all 20 games she played in 1828 minutes, she anchored an FGCU backline that posted ten clean sheets. With her strong defense, she was named a member of the A-SUN First Team All-Conference and the NSCAA Second Team All-Southeast Region Team.

With her strong and tough defense, Parks will continue her way to stop all of her opponents from scoring.



One of my other best friends I will talk about next is Lauren Greene.

The 5-5 midfielder/forward from Lakeland, Florida brings impact in ways you could not imagine.

In her freshman year, Greene, in 14 games, logged 210 minutes with one assist.

By sophomore year, Greene only played nine games, but got one goal and one assist in 131 minutes.

By junior year, Greene got more playing time. Starting 2 of her 19 games played, Greene scored three goals including penalty shot she had against FDU while logging in 399 minutes.

For her senior year, Greene will give it all she's got.


The last of the five returning seniors is Meaghan Mulligan.

The 5-4 midfielder from Freehold, New Jersey also brings depth to the team.

Prior to FGCU, Mulligan started her freshman year at the University of Tennessee of the SEC-East Division. There she played in 10 games and logged 164 minutes.

By sophomore year, Mulligan transferred to FGCU  and got more playing time. She started 17 of her 19 games played logging 1,463 minutes with two goals and two assists.

By junior year, she started all 20 games and got a career high 10 assists while logging in 1,640 minutes.

For Mulligan's senior year, it's gonna be a thrill of a lifetime opportunity.

There are four returning juniors to join the returning with just as much experience: Shay Jackson (MF), Camille Knudstrup (D), Ashley Blanchard (D) and Elyse Hansen (GK).


The first of the returning juniors is Shay Jackson.

The 5-4 midfielder from Parkville, Missouri has more speed than The Flash.

In her freshman year, she played in 10 games and while logging 87 minutes, Jackson scored three goals with one assist.

In her sophomore year, she played eight games while logging in 60 minutes.

Jackson will get more playing time and give it all she's got.


By her appearance, she looks more of a model than a soccer player, but inside, Camille Knudstrup is like a firework of defense.

The 5-8 defender from Lakeland, Florida has more stopping power than a brick wall.

In her freshman year, Knudstrup started all 21 games and in 1,814 minutes, she scored one goal and tallied four assists while playing strong defense with Parks. She did so well, she was named on theA-SUN All-Freshman Team.

In her sophomore year, Knudstrup, still playing strong defense, logged in 1,683 minutes while starting all 20 of her games played. She was named a member of the A-SUN All-Academic Team in the long run.

For Knudstrup, her fierce defense and strength will leave her opponents in the dust.


A fan favorite that every Dirty Bird loves is Ashley Blanchard.

The 5-9 defender from Largo, Florida is a fan favorite that wouldn't change in a lifetime.

In her freshman year, Blanchard played in 11 games and tallied one assist while logging in 163 minutes.

In her sophomore, she only played in two games and logged in 34 minutes.

Hopefully, the fan favorite will get more playing time than ever.


The last of the four juniors is Elyse Hansen.

The 5-8 goalkeeper from Mequon,Wisconsin has the blocking power of Tim Howard.

She did not play her freshman year, but her redshirt sophomore year, she played one game for 18 minutes.

For Hansen, she will hopefully get more playing time as goalkeeper.

FGCU managed to ink six transfers to join the team: Jocelyn Nelson (Florida), Holly Fritz (Florida State), Kiana Rugar (Albany), Petra Smetkova (Arkansas),Varin Ness (Carson-Newman) and Marjorie Boilesen (West Florida.)


The first of six transfers is Jocelyn Nelson. The 5-7 defender from Bansdall, Oklahoma enters FGCU as a sophomore.

Prior to FGCU, Nelson spent one semester as a freshman for UF of the SEC-East Division, but did not play one game for the Gators.

Nelson transferred to FGCU in the spring and will have all four years of eligibility remaining.

Hopefully, she will get the playing time she deserves.


Hoping to add more strength to the front and back line, Holly Fritz made the right move doing so.

The 5-5 midfielder from Cape Coral, Florida brings more punch than what to expect.

 and prior to FGCU, she spent her first two years at Florida State of the ACC.

In her freshman year, Fritz started two of her 15 games and logged in 470 minutes.

In her sophomore year, Fritz played in nine games and logged in 161 minutes.

Fritz joins FGCU as a junior for the team with two years of eligibility remaining.

Fritz will hopefully get more playing time for her junior year.


Out of all the transfers. Kiana Rugar is one of two that have the most experience on the team.

The 5-5 forward from New Fairfield, Connecticut enters as a graduate student.

Prior to FGCU, Rugar spent four years at the University at Albany of the America East Conference (AEC).

Rugar redshirted her freshman year and was still able to maintain her four years of eligibility.

In her redshirt freshman year, Rugar started 15 of her 19 games played. There she had five goals and seven assists. She earned a spot on the America East All-Rookie Team.

In her redshirt sophomore year, she started all 21 games and had five goals and five assists.

In her redshirt junior year, which was her last year at Albany, she started 15 of her 20 games played and set the toll for the team. Rugar scored six goals and tallied four assists for the team. She did so well that she was named to the America East All-Conference Second Team and America East All-Tournament Team. What set the bar for Rugar was being named the all-time leader in assists for the Great Danes.

Rugar joins FGCU with one year of eligibility remaining.

This may be the only year I get to see Rugar play, but I know she'll make a great impact for the team.


Joining FGCU with international experience is Petra Smetkova.

The 5-9 defender from Masarykova, Korycany, Czech Republic joins as a sophomore for the team.

Prior to FGCU, Smetkova started her freshman at the University of Arkansas of the SEC West Division. There she played in three games with one start.

Smetkova brings international experience to FGCU to add more depth. She played for played for FC Slovacko, where she helped the team win the Czech League championship as well as joining the U19 Czech Republic National Team which qualified for the European Championships in the Netherlands last year.

Smetkova joins FGCU with three years of eligibility remaining and will bring a great kick for the team with her international experience.


The next transfer to join FGCU is Varin Ness (pronounced Vorin).

The 5-8 midfielder from Sogndal, Norway brings a lot of Norwegian flare to the team.

Prior to FGCU, Ness played two years for Carson-Newman University of NCAA DII South Atlantic Conference.

In her freshman year, Ness started 19 of her 20 games played and logged in 1,647 minutes with 12 goals and five assists. Ness did so well, she was named SAC Freshman of the Year, First team All-SAC member and was a Second Team All-Southeast Region pick by the NSCAA and D2CCA.

By sophomore year, Ness started all 22 games and scored 2 goals and had 11 assists in 1,668 minutes.

Ness joins as a senior for FGCU an will have one year of eligibility remaining.

This may be the only year I get to see Ness play, but I know it will be one thrill of ride to see.


The final transfer to join FGCU and also bringing international experience is Marjorie Boilesen.

The 5-8 midfielder/forward from Sao Paulo, Brazil has a international resume built to perfection.

Prior to FGCU, Boilesen spent her freshman year at the University of West Florida (UWF) of the NCAA DII Gulf South Conference. During her time there, she started all 23 games she played with 12 goals (five game winners), 14 assists, and two penalty kicks while logging in 1,627 minutes. She help lead the Argonauts to a 19-5 record and made it as far as the NCAA DII Tournament Quarterfinals.

She was so successful her freshman year that she was named a member of the D2CCA All-American First Team, NSCAA All-American Second Team, NSCAA All-South Region First Team, D2CCA All-South Region First Team and All-Gulf South Conference First Team. She was also the D2CCA South Region Player of the Year, Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year.

Along with playing for UWF, Boilesen also played for the Brazilian U-20 squad as well as for her club team, Centro Olimpico.

Boilsen made it to several international tournaments including the 2015 South American U-20 Women's Football Championship and the 2015 NTC Invitational and even went on to qualify for the U-20 World Cup.

Boilesen joins FGCU as a sophomore and will have three years of remaining eligibility and I look forward to see the fire that Marjorie brings to the table.

There are six returning sophomores for the team: Emilie Olsen (F), Lindsey Patton (D), Tori Dorr (MF), Megan Young (F), Silvana Gordon (MF) and Melissa Weck (GK).


The first of the six sophomores is whom I dubbed the Norwegian Sensation: Emilie Olsen.

The 5-4 forward from Frekhaug, Norway is, in my opinion, the next Tabby Tindell for FGCU.

Prior to FGCU, Olsen played for the U17 Norwegian National Team as well as the Norwegian soccer club, Åsane Football Damer.

In her freshman year, Olsen started all 20 games with six goals and three assists. She did so well that she was a unanimous selection on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.

With the international experience to back up fellow Norwegian, Varin Ness, Olsen will give it all she's got.


One good key defender to back up the defense is Lindsey Patton.

The 5-7 defender from Jacksonville, Florida plays definite key roles in defense.

In her freshman year, Patton Started all 20 games and had one goal and three assists while logging in 1,821 minutes. She did so well, that she was named to the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and A-SUN Second Team All-Conference.

For Patton's sophomore, she will surely raise the bar this season.


If there's a player whose work ethic is hard to resist, chances are, it's from Tori Dorr.

The 5-5 midfielder from Vero Beach, Florida can kick it into high gear like she's was Landon Donovan.

In her freshman year, Dorr started three of her 18 games played and logged in 508 minutes.

Currently, Dorr will redshirt due to injury, but you can bet she will come back stronger than you think.


If you want a mid-western soccer player whose got the heart of a lion, then we're talking about Megan Young.

The 5-7 forward from White Lakes, Michigan carries that heart and passion with ease.

In her freshman year, Young started one of her 18 games played with one goal and four assists while logging in 513 minutes.

Currently, Young will also redshirting due to injury, but like Dorr, the lion in her will be roaring back to the field next season.


If you want someone who has the heart and speed of Rey Mysterio, then you better watch for Silvana "Silv" Gordon.

The 5-5 midfielder from Medford, New Jersey can even make me jump out of my seat with her speed.

In her freshman year, Gordon played in nine games with one start. She had one goal and logged in 184 minutes.

I hope to see Silv play more games than she could imagine.


The last of the six sophomores and the brick wall of the team is Melissa Weck.

The 5-4 goalkeeper from Yorba Linda, California is, to me, the next Brittany Brown with her blocking ability.

Starting all 20 games in her freshman year, Weck led a charge of stopping her opponents with 10 shutouts, allowing only 17 goals with 73 saves while logging in 1,805 minutes.

Weck did so well that she earned a spot on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.

For Weck, she will give it all she's got her sophomore year.

Now that we covered all the returners and transfers, what about them freshman?

FGCU managed to ink seven freshman: Hope Van Wagner (MF), Natalie Schaps (GK), Zoey Spitzer (F), Lauren Moss (MF), Kavina Ganeshan, (MF/D), Morgan Hawes (F/MF) and Cassidy Morgan (MF).


The first of the seven freshman is Hope Van Wagner.

The 5-4 Midfielder from Avon, Indiana was the earliest recruit for this years freshman class for she graduated early from high school and enrolled in the spring semester.

Prior to FGCU, Van Wagner played at Avon High School under head coach Eric Nance. There she guided Avon to four sectional titles and a 2013 state title while being a member of First Team All-State Team and the 2015-16 Academic All-State Team.

I look forward to seeing Hope play and I know she will make impact for the team.


A freshman who will also bring international experience is Natalie Schaps.

The 5-5 goalkeeper from Guatemala City, Guatemala brings a little more international kick for FGCU.

Prior to FGCU, Schaps went to the American School of Guatemala, and during that time, Schaps was recently called into camp for the Guatemalan Senior National Team as well as the U17 Guatemalan National Team.

Schaps played in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) Tournament and earned a start against Trinidad and Tobago in a U17 World Cup Qualifier, helped her club team, Unifut, win the second half of the season in 2014 and 2016 and earned the Golden Glove Award (best goalkeeper), allowing only one goal during the 2016-17 National Women's Soccer League.

I'm looking forward to meeting her and seeing the international experience she brings to FGCU.


To spread the word locally about women's soccer, Zoey Spitzer comes into play.

The 5-5 forward from Naples, Florida brings local talent to the mix.

Prior to FGCU, Spitzer played for Gulf Coast High School under head coach Mark Voorhees. There Spitzer earned All-State accolades in each of her final three seasons and scored a total of 36 goals throughout her junior and senior year.

For Spitzer and her strong talent will certainly draw a good amount of local attendance.



The second of the four non-Florida freshman is Lauren Moss.

The 5-6 midfielder from Boulder, Colorado can bring a chill to her opponents.

Prior to FGCU, Moss played for Boulder High School under head coach Jason LaMere. There she was a First Team All-Conference member, All-Region Honorable Mention and All-State Honorable Mention along with being captain of her club team, FC Boulder where she was a member of back-to-back state cup finalist teams.

With her club experience, Moss will show the world that Colorado is coming.



The other non-Florida freshman from the international side is Kavina Ganeshan.

The 5-4 midfielder/defender from Pickering, Ontario, Canada, like Schaps, Boilesen, Olsen and Smetkova, also brings international experience.

Prior to FGCU, Ganeshan played at Pickering High School, but during the time, she played on the U15 and U17 Canadian National teams and even won gold at the U15 CONCACAF Tournament in the Cayman Islands.

Joining with the international experience, Ganeshan will make a statement for FGCU.


Joining next of this years freshman class is Morgan Hawes.

The 5-6 midfielder/forward from Coconut Creek, Florida will bring impact to FGCU.

Prior to FGCU, Hawes played at North Broward High School under head coach Tricia Amrhein.

There she was the American Heritage Delray's Offensive Player of the Year and All-County honoree. She even earned a state championship to add to her resume.

With her state championship experience, Hawes will give it all she's got.


The final freshman on the team is Cassidy Morgan.

The 5-4 midfielder from Weston, Florida will make great strides for the team.

Prior to FGCU, Morgan played for Cypress Bay High School under head coach Katie Dwyer.

There she was named on the All-County at Cypress Bay.

Morgan also played club for Sunrise Sting where she helped her side win the Region 3 Premier League in which her club team achieved a Top 10 national ranking.

With her experience in club soccer, Morgan will give it all she's got.

Like I was saying: with a new team and a new season, it means there will be changes, but will it stop FGCU from their hard work? No.

As long as they put forth the effort and commitment, they will give it all they from the returning veterans like Hudson and Parks to newcomers like Ganeshan and Ness.

Nonetheless, the season for FGCU's women's soccer team is gonna be something.