FORT MYERS, Fla. –  The No. 25 FGCU women's soccer team (16-3, 7-0 A-Sun) will take the field on Sunday afternoon against Kennesaw State (8-10-1, 3-4 A-Sun) in search of a third Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship. With a win the Eagles will be granted the league's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament making them the first program in school history with three NCAA appearances.

The Eagles have played into overtime in each of their 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, 2-0, and have outshot the opposition 61-26.

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. La Salle, USF and Texas A&M will all play for conference championships on Sunday as well.

NCAA TOURNAMENT
The NCAA Tournament first round matches will be held Nov. 14-16 at home sites. Should the Eagles advance to the NCAA Tournament 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. The selection show for the tournament will take place on Monday, Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. live on NCAA.com.

SEMIFINAL vs. NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Head coach Jim Blankenship earned his 100th win at the helm of the FGCU women's soccer team on Friday night in the form of a 3-1 victory over Northern Kentucky (9-8-3, 3-3-1 A-Sun) in the semifinals A-Sun Championship. While going 6-0-1 in A-Sun tournament play, the Eagles had compiled a remarkable streak of 579:34 minutes without allowing a goal in the A-Sun tournament that was snapped on Friday night. Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida), Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) and Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield HS) provided the goals for the Green and Blue who have now outscored NKU 13-1 in four meetings.

FGCU vs. KENNESAW STATE – OCT. 5, 2014
When these two programs met during the regular season, it was just six seconds into the third minute of overtime when a corner kick found its way to Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) who fired home her first score of the 2014 season to lift FGCU to a 2-1 victory on the road at Kennesaw State.

KENNESAW STATE
FGCU is 5-1-2 all-time opposite the Owls but have never met them in the A-Sun Tournament. KSU last defeated FGCU in 2007. Kennesaw State defeated Lipscomb in the first round of 2013 A-Sun Championship, but fell in the next round to Jacksonville on a 2-0 result. This marks the first time Kennesaw State is a No. 6 seed in the A-Sun Championship. The Owls are just the second team in A-Sun Championship history to advance to the Final match as a No. 6 seed. Mercer did so in the 2011 Championship but fell to FGCU in overtime, 1-0.

Riding momentum from their 5-0 victory over Jacksonville last week, KSU took No. 2 Lipscomb to double overtime on Friday night. Khatra Mahdi sent home the game-winning score in the 107th minute and advanced the Owls into the A-Sun Championship Final. Goalkeeper Olivia Sturdivant made three saves in the match to earn her fourth shutout of the 2014 season. She owns a 1.19 GAA and a .717 save percentage.

The Owls return eight starters from 2013's A-Sun Championship Semifinals team. Nicole Calder, Maggie Gaughan, Hannah Churchill, Gardardottir, Shannon Driscoll, Olivia Sturdivant, Iyani Hughes and Brittney Reed all return for KSU. Defender Reed was the only Owl player to make the All-Conference First Team. Gaughan was selected for the Second Team as a forward. Defender Abby Roth made the All-Freshman Team.

2014 SEASON
The magical, record-shattering season continues for the Green and Blue who have now won a program record 16 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 12 consecutive matches, outscoring their opponents 33-5 with seven shutouts, including a 15-2 advantage against A-Sun competition during the regular season. FGCU went 6-2 on the road during the regular season, a perfect 9-0 at home and extended its unbeaten streak against conference opponents at home to 26 games which is tied for the third longest such streak in the nation.

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.

TABBY TINDELL – 2014 A-SUN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tindell, the preseason A-Sun Player of the Year, has been as good as advertised this season. She ranks top seven in the nation in five offensive categories including game-winning goals (10 – First), points (43 – Fifth), Goals (18 – Third), Points Per Game (2.28 – Fourth) and Goals Per Game (0.944 – Seventh). Her 18 goals and 43 points both lead the A-Sun by wide margins over her own teammates and both are also FGCU single-season records. Her 18 goals have come on eight fewer shots than she took all of last season. She has set the FGCU all-time goals record with 33 in her career and is second only to Wacker with 77 points. Tindell has also showed a pension for distribution by handing out seven assists, which rank second in the A-Sun behind Wacker's 14.

She opened up the season with a bang by scoring two goals against Pac-12 foe Arizona then scored again five days later at Miami to give the Eagles a 2-0 start. She would score multiple goals in a match three more times before heading north to La Salle where she would score twice more to guide the Eagles to a 3-2 shootout victory in overtime. She has collected 12 points against A-Sun opponents this year with five goals and a pair of assists. During the Eagles record 11-game winning streak she has scored at least one point in each match. She was named the A-Sun Player of the Week three times this season and chosen to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week three times while also being ranked by TopDrawer as the No. 92 player in the nation. She is the first Player of the Year for FGCU since KC Correllus in 2010.

SHANNEN WACKER – 2014 ALL-A-SUN FIRST TEAM
Shannen Wacker (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa HS) has had a senior year to remember and will play in her final Atlantic Sun match on Sunday afternoon. The Parker, Colo. native has contributed a career-high tying 26 points this season, scoring six goals and handing out an FGCU single-season record 14 assists. Those 26 points rank second only to her teammate Tabby Tindell in the A-Sun and her 14 assists lead the league and are top-10 in the nation.

She assisted at least one FGCU goal in four of the first five matches, including a pair of helpers in a 4-0 win over Murray State. Her first goal of the season came on the road at nationally ranked Texas A&M then, the following weekend, scored two goals against UNF then handed out two assists against La Salle two days later to earn an A-Sun Player of the Week nod, the fourth of her career. She has picked up nine points against A-Sun opponents and assisted the game-winning goal in overtime against Stetson that clinched a perfect record for FGCU against A-Sun opponents. Wacker has started all 19 matches for the Green and Blue and has become the FGCU all-time points leader with 80 in her career and is second all-time with 27 goals and 26 assists. She has now appeared on an All-Conference roster in each of her four seasons at FGCU.

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 (Jenks, Okla./Jenks HS), Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena HS), Paulina Speckmaier , Ally Kasun and Shannen Wacker all received recognition on the A-Sun First Team. Melissa Arnold (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional HS) 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

 

2014 Atlantic Sun Standings
Team	A-Sun Record	Points	Overall
#1 FGCU	7-0-0	21	15-3-0
#2 Lipscomb	4-2-1	13	10-6-2
#3 Jacksonville	4-3-0	12	10-8-1
#4 North Florida	3-3-1	10	5-12-1
#5 Northern Kentucky	3-3-1	10	9-7-3
#6 Kennesaw State	3-4-0	9	7-10-1
Stetson	2-5-0	6	5-12-1
USC Upstate	0-6-1	1	3-13-1
#Seed in A-Sun Championship (Nov. 1-9)

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 100-35-17 overall record over the first eight seasons of the program's existence, including a 54-9-9 mark in the A-Sun.

A-SUN CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
Single-game tickets for 2014 A-Sun Women's Soccer Championship are available at a cost of $6 for adults, $3 for children (12 and under), $18 for a Family Pack (2 Adults, 2-5 Children under the age of 12) and $4 per person in a group of 15 or more. Students of an A-Sun institution get free admission with their Student ID. For more ticket information and additional deals, visit FGCUathletics.com/tickets, visit or call the ticket office at 239-590-7145.

#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.