FORT MYERS, Fla. – With the pursuit of a ninth-straight ASUN regular season title about to begin the FGCU women's soccer team continues to add talent and depth this week. Head coach Jim Blankenship announced the addition of two transfers in Hannah Weisse and Opal Curless.
 
A 5-11 goalkeeper from UT-San Antonio, Weisse joins an already talented group in goal for FGCU, headlined by 2017 ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year Melissa Weck. Weisse appeared in 12 matches for the Roadrunners, starting seven.
 
"We are happy to have Hannah join our team for the upcoming season," Blankenship said. "She's a very talented keeper with a high work rate. With an already strong group of keepers, Hannah will continue to push and challenge this group to improve each day."
 
A native of Jensen Beach, Florida, Weisse was a two-time Honorable Mention All-District selection and earned All-Area honors as a senior. She was named Jensen Beach High School's Defensive MVP, guiding her side to a district title in 2013.
 
At the club level, Weisse appeared for the U18 MagicJack side that finished undefeated at the 2015 Final Four Showcase. In addition, Weisse also played for Team Boca Soccer Association, helping the team qualify for the 2016 Disney Qualifier Showcase and the 2016 Squadra Showcase before going undefeated at the 2016 CASL Showcase. While with Team Boca, Weisse helped the club rank fifth in the state.
 
A 5-8 midfielder from Syracuse, Curless comes to Southwest Florida after starting five games for the Orange last season and seven the year prior. A diverse player, Curless appeared as a midfielder, forward, and as an outside back.
 
"We are very excited to have Opal join our program," Blankenship said. "She is a very athletic player with a lot of drive that can play anywhere on the field. She has played at a very high level in both club and college and will add a lot of experience to our team."
 
Curless looks to aid in the attack in Southwest Florida, one that finished Top 5 in the country in goals per game and assists. The Maine Gatorade Player of the Year recorded 28 goals and 12 assists as a senior for Mount Desert Island High School and scored three or more goals in a single game on six occasions. Named an East All-American, Curless was also named to the All-New England Team and was ranked the No. 68 player in the 2016 class according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.
 
At the club level, Curless played for FC Stars where she helped her side finish in the Top 16 nationally. Her performance was noticed at the national level, as Curless was part of the U14 national team camp.
 
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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.