FORT MYERS, Fla. – With preparations already underway for the 2018 season, head coach Jim Blankenship has announced the signings of six newcomers ready to join the team in the fall. Winners of eight-straight ASUN Conference regular season titles and six of the last seven ASUN Tournament crowns, the Eagles look to remain the class of the conference with another strong class.

"We are excited about this class," Blankenship said. "The staff worked extremely hard putting this class together, and we think this 2018 class will not only live up to the high standard that has been set forth by their future teammates and FGCU alumni but help elevate this program to a consistent perennial power.

When we are recruiting players, we look for the 'right' players for our program, not just the most talented player out on the field. We feel that with this class, we have a group that will not only elevate the program on the soccer field but also in the classroom and the community. Combine these players with our talented returning roster and some other additions that will be announced later this spring; we are chomping at the bit for the 2018 season."

Alyssa Abbondandolo – Cape Coral, Fla. – Oasis HS
A local product, Abbondandolo was the area's leading goal scorer while at Oasis High School and is the Sharks' season and all-time leader in goals. Also a standout with North Fort Myers – GPS, Abbondandolo helped her club side to three-straight District Championships

This season, the 5-3 attacking midfielder tallied 31 goals and 71 points.

Blankenship on Abbondandolo: Alyssa is a talented local prospect that will bring a nice attacking mindset to our midfield. She has the skill to play in tight spaces and solve the game in the final third, but also the athleticism to open it up when in the wide areas.

Ashlee Brentlinger – Middletown, Del. – Padua HS
A four-year starter for Padua High School, Brentlinger brings a winning pedigree to Southwest Florida. The midfielder has helped guide her high school to three Delaware State Championships in three of her first four seasons (including eighth grade)  while earning All-State honors every season she has been on the field.

In addition, Brentlinger has played for FC Delco before playing for her current club, Penn Fusion Development Academy. During her club career, Brentlinger won the Region I U12 Championship.

Her play on the field allowed her to earn invitations to the US National Training Center, a US Club id2 National Camp, and the US Club PDP Northeast Combine.

Blankenship on Brentlinger: Ashlee is a player who we saw up at the ECNL NJ event two years ago, and we immediately made signing her a priority. She has the mental makeup to be successful at the college level and the ability to go along with it.

Bri Hatfield – Godfrey, Ill. – Alton HS
A natural goal-scorer, Hatfield has tallied 43 goals through her first three seasons with Alton HS as a four-year starter and a two-year captain. After scoring nine goals as a freshman, her productivity has increased each of the last two seasons, leading to 14 goals as a sophomore and a 20-goal junior campaign and a plethora of accolades. Hatfield was named All-State by the IHSSA and Chicagoland Soccer and was also named Player of the Year by the Alton Telegraph.

An ODP member since 2012, Hatfield earned a spot on the Illinois State ODP Team in 2017 to accompany her time with renowned club, St. Louis Scott Gallagher. Her only absence from ODP came in 2014 when she helped her club side win the 2013-14 National Championship at the U14 level.

Blankenship on Hatfield: Bri is a player that wants to win every drill, every session, every game, and at everything she does. We put a heavy emphasis on being competitive, and as we got to know Bri throughout the process, we knew she was going to be a great fit for the program. She has a good balance of technical tools and athleticism, so we have her penciled into a couple of different roles for 2018.

Logan Oldani – Spring, Texas – Klein HS
Born in Germany before moving to Hawaii and then Texas, Oldani earned state titles in Hawaii from 2009-2013 while also claiming district crowns (2015, 2016, 2017) and regional championships (2016, 2017) to her high school side.

Recognized by TopDrawerSoccer.com in 2016 as a defensive standout, Oldani also aids in the attack, tallying the equalizing goal in the state title match before assisting on the match-winner in the final minute.

Blankenship on Oldani: Logan was another great find at an ECNL event. We first noticed her blazing down the sideline for her outside back position, which is an attribute we love in our defenders. She is also a talented, intelligent individual defender experienced and tested against the best in the nation. We were excited to steal two high-level players out of Texas this year.

Stephanie Starr – Highland Village, Texas – Edward S. Marcus HS
At 5'8, Starr looks to add depth and challenge in goal for the Green and Blue. Starr brings tremendous experience and success against some of the nation's best. An area champion in each of the last two seasons with Edward S. Marcus High School, Starr earned District 5-6A All-District honors.

With her club D'Feeters SC, Starr was a vital part of the club's title at the 2015 Dallas International Girls Cup as well as a fifth-place finish in the ECNL National Finals in 2015 and a sixth-place finish at the same event a year later.

Blankenship on Starr: Steph is talented goalkeeper that we think can come in and push for the starting job immediately. She has the physical tools, and with the addition of Coach Duckworth, I am excited to watch her develop. She was the first choice goalkeeper on a talented club team that consistently challenged for national championships, so we got to evaluate her against some of the best forwards in the country and needless to say, we are excited she chose FGCU.

Bri Urbanski – Aberdeen, NJ – Red Bank Catholic
Another back with an attacking mindset, Urbanski tallied 11 goals with five assists during her career at Red Bank Catholic and was named to New Jersey's Top 75 Soccer Seniors for her play. Urbanski helped the Caseys to state title in 2016 while experiencing a tremendous amount of success at the club level.

A member of PDA O'Reilly since 2006, Urbanski has anchored two of the best defensive units in ECNL over the previous five seasons. At the state level, PDA O'Reilly won titles every season from 2009 to 2012 including a regional championship in 2011. Since then, PDA O'Reilly was a national finalist in 2013 and 2014.

During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Urbanski played a vital role in helping her club become the top-ranked defensive unit in 2013 and the fourth-best the very next season.  

Blankenship on Urbanski: Bri comes from one of the best clubs in the nation, PDA. Bri is another talented player hailing from New Jersey, and we hope she has a career just as successful as our other New Jersey natives. We see Bri pushing for time immediately in the backline or midfield because Bri is so high-level in how she processes the game and the way she plays, we know we stole one out of the northeast when she committed. She has always played up an age group on the top team in one of the best clubs in the nation, so she has a head start regarding transitioning to the speed of the college game.

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COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the ASUN Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 10 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to 11 double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles and became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles went on to win the 2014 ASUN Tournament and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus. The Eagles earned their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship and won their first NCAA game at USF in 2015 while finishing 24th in the nation. In 2016, the Eagles made it three-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with a third-straight ASUN Tournament title. A year later, the Eagles became the first ASUN women's soccer program to make four-straight NCAA Tournaments with another tournament title in 2017. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 143-51-21 (71.1 W%) overall record through the first 11 seasons of the program's existence, including a 71-11-14 (81.1 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 383-122-32 (74.2 W%) over 25 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.