SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The FGCU women's soccer team (9-3, 2-0 Atlantic Sun) got rolling early on Friday night, jumping ahead to a 2-0, first half lead on the road at USC Upstate (2-8-1, 0-1-1 A-Sun) and would put this one lock down while adding an insurance goal in the second half to pick up a second shutout against an A-Sun opponent in as many tries. The Eagles are now 2-0 in A-Sun play for the fourth time in program history.

Tabby Tindell netted her nation-leading and FGCU all-time record breaking seventh game-winner of the season and 11th of her career to get things started for the Green and Blue on Friday night. She now has 13 goals this season, just two shy of her own program record of 15, an A-Sun best 30 points and 64 in her career which rank third all-time.

"That's a tough place to go win games and we were fortunate to put it all together tonight," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We were able to apply pressure early and Tabby and Paulina scored some spectacular goals to put us up which allowed our defense to take over. Playing on the road in this league is never easy and we have another tough one at Kennesaw State on Sunday that we need to turn our focus to now."

The Eagles have now scored precisely three goals in five-straight games and have gone unbeaten in their last 17 matches against A-Sun competition dating back to 2012 – including conference tournaments. Paulina Speckmaier scored her sixth goal of the season on Friday night which moves the sophomore into seventh place on the FGCU all-time goals list with 11 in her career and ninth on the all-time points list with 30. Paige Law scored her first goal in the Green and Blue late in the second half to complete the scoring.

The Eagles registered four shots in the first 16 minutes but it was Tindell in the 17th minute who broke free of the defense on a breakaway down the right side. Emma Blackwell dispossessed her mark on the FGCU half of the field and fed the Ocala native who carried the ball deep into Upstate territory and let loose a shot from the top-right side of the box that rang off two posts and into the back of the net to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 early.

In the 40th minute, Kaitlin Parker fed Speckmaier in the middle of the field who let her second shot of the contest fly from approximately 35 yards out and it would soar past the Spartan goalkeeper and home to secure a 2-0 advantage for the Green and Blue.

Both sides would make substitutions at that point and FGCU goalkeeper Brittany Brown would face a shot from Kenzie Major just prior to the halftime horn but she would make the save. FGCU would outshoot the Spartans 9-2 in the first half and 13-3 by the end of the game with an 8-1 corner kick advantage. Brown needed to make just two saves in this one to secure her sixth shutout of the season and 24th of her career.

The defenses dominated the action in the second half and Law would sub into the match for Tindell in the 75th minute still in search of her first FGCU goal. The sophomore would find it in the 84th minute when Melissa Arnold found Speckmaier on a cross who slid the ball to Law in the box who then deposited the final tally of the evening.

Since dropping a 2-0 result to No. 16 South Carolina on Sept. 14 on a neutral field, the Eagles have outscored their opponents 15-2 with four shutouts in five games, including a 6-0 advantage against A-Sun competition. FGCU is 5-2 on the road this season and will play one last match away from home in the regular season when it visits Kennesaw State on Sunday afternoon.

KENNESAW STATE
The Eagles battled KSU to a scoreless tie on the road last season and the Owls finished 2014 with a 9-9-1 overall record and a 5-3-1 mark in the A-Sun. This season KSU is off to a 3-7-1 start with wins over South Alabama, Austin Peay and Samford. Maggie Gaughn has paced the offense with five goals which are second only to Tindell in the A-Sun standings while Marit Sandtroeen has added a pair. The Owls were shutout at Lipscomb (7-4-1, 1-0-0 A-Sun) in their A-Sun debut, 3-0.

NATIONAL RANKS (Prior to Friday's Match)
1 - Game-Winning Goals – Tabby Tindell (6)
3 – Points – Tabby Tindell (28)
3 – Points Per Game – Tabby Tindell (2.55)
T3 – Goals – Tabby Tindell (12)
T4 – Goals Per Game – Tabby Tindell (1.091)
T9 – Assists – Shannen Wacker (8)

NEXT UP
FGCU will look forward to five-straight at home to close the 2014 regular season beginning with Northern Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 10. NKU was 6-10-2 last season but have yet to score a goal against FGCU. The Eagles are 2-0 all-time against the Norse and have outscored them 8-0. The Norse are 4-3-3 this season and tied USC Upstate, 1-1, in its A-Sun opener. NKU can boast victories over Eastern Illinois, IUPUI, Robert Morris and Francis Marion. Macy Hamblin leads the team with five goals and 12 points while Kelsey Laumann has contributed two goals and a team-high six assists.

Lipscomb will visit the FGCU Soccer Complex next on Oct. 12. The Bisons were one of FGCU's two ties in A-Sun play last season, both of which came on the road. The Eagles have never lost to Lipscomb. The Bisons have collected seven wins to date and are 1-0-0 with a win over Kennesaw State to begin A-Sun play. 2013 All-Conference selection Ellen Lundy paces the offense with four goals and one assist for a team best nine points while 11 others have contributed goals to the cause.

JIM BLANKENSHIP
A veteran of nearly two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the 2012 and 2013 A-Sun Coach of the Year, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the Atlantic Sun Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just eight seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to seven straight double-digit win seasons, culminating with Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back A-Sun tournament championships and became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 93-35-17 overall record over the first eight seasons of the program's existence, including a 49-9-9 mark in the A-Sun.

#WINGSUP
Fans are encouraged to download the brand-new Wings Up mobile app in conjunction with SuperFanU. The fully-customized loyalty-rewards platform allows fans to check in at each of FGCU's sporting events to earn points throughout the school year toward exclusive prizes that can't be offered anywhere else.

FOLLOW ALONG
For constant, news, photos, videos and updates you can follow the women's soccer team on Twitter @FGCU_WSoccer, on Instagram @FGCU_WSoccer or on Facebook: Facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.

TICKETS
Single-game tickets for FGCU Women's Soccer are available at a cost of $6 for adults and $3 for groups of ten (10) or more. Season tickets are also available. For more ticket information and additional deals, visit FGCUathletics.com/tickets, call or visit the ticket office at 239-590-7145.