TAMPA, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (2-1-0) dropped its first result of the 2014 season at USF (1-2-1) on Sunday evening, falling 1-0 in a tightly contested match. USF paced the play for the majority of the game and spoiled several late chances by the Eagles while scoring the difference making goal early in the second half.

In the first ever meeting in the regular season between these two programs, USF outshot the Green and Blue 15-4 and forced FGCU goalkeeper Brittany Brown to make seven saves, the third-most in a single game in her career, including several in spectacular fashion.  

"It was obviously a disappointing result," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We didn't play our best soccer but give credit to them. They really stretched the field and I felt like we really gave them way too much time and space on the ball. In the second half we got better but we were up against it after they scored a nice goal. We just have to learn from this. Even though we didn't play our best we were still in the match at the end and had a chance to equalize but their keeper made a great save."

USF set the pace for the majority of the first half but late in the frame the Bulls began to apply extreme pressure on the FGCU defense. With less than 10 minutes to play, Brown found herself one-on-one with Kate Loye and slid to make a stop with her feet before Loye could gather for a shot. Just a few minutes later Brown was alone again and this time the shot slid past the diving goalkeeper but wide. Before the rolling ball made it beyond the end line a second Bulls forward gathered it, missed the open net with her shot and instead fired it across the goal mouth.

USF outshot the Green and Blue 11-2 by the end of the first half, forcing Brown to make a total of five saves. The Eagles would not force USF goalkeeper Thordis Aikman, who was making her season debut, to make a single save while mustering just two shots that were well off the mark.

When the second half got underway it was more of the same for FGCU. USF controlled the pace of play from the whistle and the first goal of the game would come in the 50th minute. Leticia Skeete of USF challenged Brown again forcing the junior to come out and make an initial save. The ball would come loose from Brown's grip however and Skeete moved onto the loose ball and eased it into the back of the net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.

FGCU began to put together some offense but time and again their rallies would be halted by the USF back line. Julia Roddar and Tabby Tindell managed just one shot each while Kaitlin Parker fired twice including the best chance of the game for the Green and Blue. In the 84th minute, Parker broke free down the right side and came one-on-one with the USF goalkeeper but her shot would be blocked and carom out of bounds for an FGCU corner kick. Melissa Arnold delivered the ensuing kick but the ball would be cleared away from any threatening position.

As the clock dipped below two minutes a scrum for the ball in front of the benches escalated into a pair of red cards being issued, one for each team. Both squads would have to play with just ten players on the field the rest of the way. Sarah Lowicki was sent off with the red card for FGCU and Sienna Brooks picked up the card for the Bulls. The clock would wind down without another legitimate chance for FGCU, sealing the 1-0 defeat.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Green and Blue will conclude its three-game road swing with a visit to Florida International on Wednesday (Sept. 3) for a 7:30 p.m. tilt. The Eagles hold a 4-2-1 advantage in the all-time series including a 1-0 victory at the FGCU Soccer Complex last season - giving FGCU a three-game win streak in the series. FIU finished 2013 with a 7-12 record and a 5-5 mark in Conference USA. They are off to a 2-2 start this season with a 0-2 loss to Arizona, a 3-0 defeat of North Florida, a 0-1 loss at No. 15 Santa Clara and a 1-0 defeat of Pacific.

Murray State visits the FGCU Soccer Complex on Sunday (Sept. 7) to split five road games for FGCU. These two programs have met once before in 2007 and the Racers came away with a 3-2 victory. Murray State closed 2013 with a 6-10-1 mark and a 3-7 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Racers are 1-2 so far this season with a 2-3 loss to Arkansas State, a 2-1 defeat of Georgia State and a 1-5 loss at Dayton. Murray State will visit FIU on Sept. 5 before visiting FGCU.

FOLLOW ALONG
For constant, news, photos, videos and updates you can follow the women's soccer team on Twitter @FGCU_WSoccer, on Instagram @FGCU_WSoc 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.