FORT MYERS, Fla. –  The two greatest goal-scorers in program history guided the No. 25 FGCU women's soccer team (17-3, 7-0 A-Sun) to an Atlantic Sun Championship on Sunday afternoon. Tabby Tindell scored twice and Shannen Wacker added the insurance to propel the Eagles to a 3-1 victory over Kennesaw State (8-11-1, 3-4 A-Sun), making the women's soccer team the first program of any at FGCU to advance to a third NCAA Tournament.

The magical, record-shattering season continues for the Green and Blue who have now won a program record 17 games. Since dropping a 2-0 result to No. 16 South Carolina on Sept. 14 on a neutral field, the Eagles have won a program record 13 consecutive matches, outscoring their opponents 36-6 with seven shutouts, including a 15-2 advantage against A-Sun competition during the regular season. The Eagles are now 7-0-1 all-time in the A-Sun Tournament and 3-0-1 in the Championship match. FGCU had played into overtime in each of its three previous A-Sun Championship matches, coming out victorious over Mercer in 2011 and 2012 before falling in penalty kicks to Jacksonville last season. The Eagles have outscored opponents at this stage, 5-1, and have outshot the opposition 80-33.

Tournament Most-Valuable Player, Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) scored twice in the first half, picking up her nation-leading 11th game-winning goal and her sixth multi-goal game of the season while becoming the first player in program history to register a 20-goal season. She wasn't done there however as the sophomore would assist Shannen Wacker's (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa HS) goal in the second half to tie her season-high of five points. Tindell will now play in her first NCAA Tournament.

Wacker had memorable afternoon of her own, not only scoring her seventh goal of the season but also handing out her program single-season record 15th assist on Tindell's first goal. The senior now has a career-high 29 points in her final season and has assisted more goals this season than she had in her previous three seasons combined. Wacker will play in her third NCAA Tournament for the Green and Blue.

"We talked about this as where we want to be," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We want to be a team that you can count on in these kind of moments and I told the players that the commitment and the hard work will pay off but there's no guarantees. Last year we probably had one of the better teams we've ever had and we dominated the final but didn't get a goal and didn't get a result so they absolutely, all year, talked about getting it back … We have great leadership from Mel Arnold to Ally Kasun who is a natural monster, Emma Blackwell is a monster … and I'm proud of (Shannen) Wacker. When we needed a big one; there was Shannen … We're going to relish this moment. This is big for our team and our university and community. The support we get is amazing. We talk about wanting to be a program that can take the next step and hopefully we get rewarded for what we've accomplished so far."

The Eagles came out of the gates on a mission to bury the Owls and rarely let them cross the mid-line over the first 20 minutes. FGCU applied constant pressure before finally breaking through with a sequence that saw Melissa Arnold (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional HS) feed Wacker in the midfield who then fed Tindell, creating a clean breakaway to goal that the sophomore converted to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 in the 18th minute.

In the 39th minute, the Ocala, Fla. native struck again. Tindell wrestled a misplayed ball away from her defender and moved in on goal untouched yet again. She would chip the ball over the goalkeeper's head and the ball would bound past the end line for the score, putting FGCU ahead 2-0.

The Green and Blue would carry the 2-0 advantage into the break having outshot KSU 10-3. Goalkeeper Brittany Brown faced seven shots in all by the end of the match and would make three saves. The Eagles did not allow the Owls to take a corner kick for the entirety of the match and took six of their own.

In the second half the pressure slowly subsided for FGCU allow Kennesaw State to generate several chances. In the 72nd minute the Owls finally broke through the wall of the FGCU defense and it was Maggie Gaughan who collected a cross from Iyani Hughes and deposited her sixth goal of the season past a diving Brown to cut the lead in half.

The two sides would battle back-and-forth until, in the 83rd minute, Wacker carried the ball of the right side and fed Tindell in the box who then served a streaking Wacker for a one-touch shot that found the back of the net for the score. It was the senior's first goal in an A-Sun Championship game since 2011 when, as a freshman, she scored the game-winning goal for the Eagles in overtime. FGCU would hold off Kennesaw State the rest of the way and the celebration would begin.

For their stellar performances during the tournament, A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks HS), Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield HS) and Wacker joined Tournament MVP Tindell on the Championship Team.

2014 Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Championship Team 
Tabby Tindell, FGCU - Championship MVP
Shannen Wacker, FGCU
Emma Blackwell, FGCU
Ally Kasun, FGCU
Maggie Gaughan, Kennesaw State
Iyani Hughes, Kennesaw State
Danielle Gray, Kennesaw State
Macy Hamblin, Northern Kentucky
Aubrey Muench, Northern Kentucky
Emily Shuler, Lipscomb
Shelby Auterhoff, Lipscomb 
FGCU will now await the decision of the NCAA Tournament selection committee who will announce the tournament field on Monday (Nov. 10) at 4:30 p.m. live on NCAA.com. The Eagles will host a viewing party for the selection at Naples Flatbread & Wine Bar beginning at 4 p.m.

NCAA TOURNAMENT
The NCAA Tournament first round matches will be held Nov. 14-16 at home sites. The Eagles they may receive the opportunity, depending on where their final RPI lands/which seed they are awarded, to host a first round match. Each school with intentions of hosting an NCAA Tournament match needs to place a bid to do so for each individual round. If a higher-seeded opponent does not bid to host a match, the lower-seeded school will host. The top-16 teams in the nation, as perceived by the selection committee will receive seeds 1-4 with the remaining 48 teams being matched up accordingly based on RPI and region.

HIGHEST RPI
The latest NCAA Women's Soccer RPI was released on Monday afternoon and the Eagles fall in at No. 31 which is by far the best in the A-Sun and a program best this late in the season. The Green and Blue finished at No. 67 last season but have already surpassed their 2013 win total. An RPI that high gives the Eagles a legitimate chance at being an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament should they fail to win the A-Sun Tournament.

Before the season began, FGCU had seven teams on the 2014 slate that finished ranked inside the top 83 in the RPI, three of which were ranked 15th or better. Those seven teams included Arizona (83), Miami (73), La Salle (63), USF (53), Texas A&M (15), South Carolina (14) and UCF (13). Texas A&M currently sits at No. 3 in the latest RPI rankings and South Carolina falls in at No. 11 while inclement weather and lightning prevented FGCU from playing No. 17 UCF to begin the season. The Eagles claimed crucial victories over La Salle and Arizona who now rank at 23 and 27, respectively.

NATIONALLY RANKED #25 – TopDrawerSoccer.com
For the second week in-a-row the FGCU women's soccer team is nationally ranked; checking in at No. 25 in this week's TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's DI Top 25 Poll. The Eagles became the first A-Sun program to complete an undefeated and untied conference regular season since the year 2000.

The Eagles fall in behind No. 20 BYU (13-3-3, 7-0-1 WCC), No. 21 South Carolina (12-4-3, 5-3-3 SEC), who were the last team to beat the Eagles, No. 22 Rutgers (12-4-1, 8-4-1 B1G), No. 23 Kentucky (13-5-0, 8-3 SEC) and No. 24 Washington State (10-4-3, 5-4-1 Pac-12). La Salle (12-4-2, 8-0 A10), who the Eagles defeated 3-2 on the road, checks in at No. 29. FGCU is one of four ranked teams from the state of Florida along with No. 2 Florida State (16-1-1, 9-0-1 ACC), No. 9 Florida (14-4, 9-2 SEC) and No. 16 UCF (16-3, 8-1 American). Only California has as many schools listed in the Top 25. The Women's Top 25 poll in its entirety can be found here.

A-SUN POSTSEASON AWARDS
The Eagles matched their own A-Sun record, set a season ago, with six individuals named to the A-Sun All-Conference First Team. Alongside Player of the Year Tabby Tindell and Defensive Player of the Year Emma Blackwell, Brittany Brown, Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida), Ally Kasun and Shannen Wacker all received recognition on the A-Sun First Team. Melissa Arnold was the lone FGCU representative on the Second Team, giving the Green and Blue a league-best seven honorees.

*PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Tabby Tindell, FGCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Emma Blackwell, FGCU
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR – Anna Buhigas, Lipscomb
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Macy Hamblin, Northern Kentucky
COACH OF THE YEAR – Jim Blankenship, FGCU

RECEIVING VOTES - NSCAA
The Eagles received five votes in National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll on Tuesday afternoon, falling into the No. 34 spot. It is the third time this season that the Green and Blue have been considered in this poll. FGCU sits behind Washington (60 votes), Oklahoma State (19), USC (17), Santa Clara (14), Arizona State (8), Georgetown (7), Uconn (6) and Northeastern (5). Everyone is chasing No. 25 Michigan who received 69 votes this week. The entire NSCAA Top 25 poll can be found here.

FGCU OPPONENTS RPI
3 – Texas A&M
11 – South Carolina
23 – La Salle
25 – USF
27 – Arizona
31 – FGCU
154 – Kennesaw State
157 – FIU
159 – Miami
160 – Jacksonville
171 – Lipscomb
182 – Murray State
235 – Wofford
243 – Northern Kentucky
265 – North Florida
292 – CSU Bakersfield
280 – Stetson
318 – USC Upstate

NATIONAL RANKS (As of Nov. 6)
1 - Game-Winning Goals – Tabby Tindell (9)
4 – Points Per Game – Tabby Tindell (2.28)
5 – Points – Tabby Tindell (41)
6 - Goals – Tabby Tindell (17)
7 – Goals Per Game – Tabby Tindell (.944)
7 – Assists – Shannen Wacker (13)

A-SUN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Eagles can boast a league-best seven Player of the Week selections this season.
Aug. 25 – Tabby Tindell – Player of the Week
Sept. 2 – Ashley Parks – Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 8 – Tabby Tindell – Player of the Week
Sept. 22 – Tabby Tindell – Player of the Week
Sept. 29 – Shannen Wacker – Player of the Week
Oct. 6 – Melissa Arnold – Defensive Player of the Week
Oct. 20 – Brittany Brown – Defensive Player of the Week

JIM BLANKENSHIP – 2014 A-SUN COACH OF THE YEAR
A veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the 2012 and 2013 A-Sun Coach of the Year as well, 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 eight double-digit win seasons, culminating with Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. 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 101-35-17 overall record over the first eight seasons of the program's existence, including a 54-9-9 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.

#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.