FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (4-1) jumped ahead in the first half and closed the door on Murray State (1-4) with three second-half goals to secure the team's fourth victory of the season and second-consecutive shutout.
Tabby Tindell added a pair of goals and an assist, becoming the fourth member of the FGCU 20 goals club while
Shannen Wacker handed out two more assists to increase her team leading total to five.
"Murray State is a dangerous team," head coach
Jim Blankenship said. "They have some pieces that presented a challenge for us but for the most part I thought our guys did a good job and as the game wore on I thought our guys put a stamp it with some outstanding goals. It was a good win for us. We were a little concerned in the beginning because we talked about this being a trap game since our schedule has been loaded with big names where you know your team is going to be up and ready. I thought our guys looked ready and handled it well."
Tindell scored to put the Eagles ahead in the 36th minute for her 20th career goal and later added her second score of the game in the 70th minute to move into a tie with
Wacker for third place on the program's all-time goals list. Wacker's pair of assists gives her sole possession of third place on the all-time assists list with 17 and inches the senior closer to the all-time points record, now just nine shy of Lindsay Haw's 68 points. Tindell now sits alone in fourth on the all-time points list with 48, finishing the week with three goals and two assists.
Not be forgotten was the first goal of the season by senior
Melissa Arnold on a penalty kick in the 67th minute that put FGCU ahead 2-0.
Paulina Speckmaier scored the fourth and final goal of the game, her third of the season and eighth of her career, moving her into a tie for eighth on the all-time goals list.
Julia Roddar and
Sarah Lowicki each added an assist on Sunday to register their first points of the season.
After a very slow start, the Eagles began to gather themselves late in the first half and it was Lowicki who made the first big play of the afternoon. The Ontario, Canada native served a long ball from midfield over the back line of the Murray State defense allowing Tindell to run onto the ball in stride before taking just a couple touches and firing the eventual game-winning goal into the back of the net. Tindell has scored the game-winner in each of the Eagles four wins this season and is now tied for second all-time in FGCU history with eight game-winning goals. By the end of the first half, the Green and Blue had outshot the Racers 11-3.
With rain beginning to fall over the FGCU Soccer Complex in the 67th minute, Wacker broke free down the left side and with just one defender to beat in the box was taken down and a foul was called, granting FGCU a penalty kick. Blankenship chose Arnold to take the kick and she delivered, depositing the try into the upper left-side corner of the goal.
Just three minutes later the Eagles put together a string of passes that began with Roddar finding Wacker moving down the left sideline. Wacker moved into the box and actually beat the keeper before feeding to a wide-open Tindell who eased a shot into the open net for her second score of the afternoon.
Rain was falling much more heavily in the 72nd minute when Wacker found Tindell on the right side of the field who needed just one-touch on the pass to find Speckmaier in the middle. From there Speckmaier quickly touched around her defender and hammered home the score to provide the fourth and final tally for FGCU.
By the end of it all, FGCU has outshot Murray State 22-12 and
Brittany Brown needed to make five saves to preserve her second-consecutive shutout.
Brooke Sill, Julia DiGiacomo and
Kaila Browe all made their season debuts in this one.
NEXT UPFGCU will visit No. 6 Texas A&M (4-0-1) in College Station, Texas on Sept. 11. Texas A&M finished the 2013 season with an 18-5-2 record and a 9-2 mark in the SEC before going on to win the SEC Championship. The Aggies advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 5 North Carolina 2-0. The Aggies finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. Texas A&M began the season with a 4-3 victory over Dayton before knocking off Stephen F. Austin, 1-0, No. 18 UCF, 3-0 and Illinois State, 4-1 all at home. Texas A&M then battled Arizona on the road to a 2-2 tie and will take on Arizona State before welcoming the Eagles.
FGCU will then return to Tampa, Fla. to square off with No. 9 South Carolina (4-1-0) on a neutral field Sept. 14. The game will take place at USF and will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Gamecocks were 17-4-2 overall last season advanced out of the SEC to the NCAA Tournament with an at-large selection where they would defeat Furman, 5-0 before falling to Stanford, 1-0 in overtime. South Carolina finished the season ranked No. 15 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. The Gamecocks are currently 4-1 with victories over East Carolina, 2-0, Samford, 2-0, Boston University, 1-0 and Milwaukee, 2-0 before falling to Clemson at home, 1-0. They defeated High Point 2-0 on Sunday afternoon and will take on USF before squaring off with FGCU.
#WINGSUPFans are encouraged to download the brand-new Wings Up mobile app in conjunction with SuperFanU prior to arriving at Sunday's match. 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 ALONGFor 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.
TICKETSSingle-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.
