DeLAND, Fla. – With the 2015 Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship on the line, the FGCU women's soccer team will take on Stetson Saturday, Oct. 24 in a 7 p.m. contest. The Eagles and Hatters will meet in the regular season finale as the Green and Blue look to finish the year without a loss in league play.
The Green and Blue enter the weekend with a record of 10-5-2 after earning wins over previous league-leader Lipscomb and NJIT last weekend. The Eagles have outscored opponents 35-11 this season with a 17-2 advantage in conference play. The team has taken 300 shots with 142 on target overall and have averaged 25 shots per game, while limiting opponents to just 2.8 shots per game in conference. The FGCU backline has stopped 96 shot attempts this season, with senior
Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena High School) leading the way. Brown has stifled 41 shots on goal so far this season and has held opponents to 0.64 goals per game with a save percentage of .788.
Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School) leads the team and the league at 32 points on the season with 12 goals and eight assists through 15 games, while
Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) and
Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School) have each added four goals. Overall, 14 different players have found the back of the net for FGCU, including
Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park County School/Rutgers) who has added three goals and an assist in her first year with the Eagles.
WHAT TO KNOWOnly Saturday night's matchup stands between the Eagles and an unprecedented sixth-straight Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship. The Green and Blue still hold a one-point advantage over Lipscomb, who defeated Stetson 3-0 last week and plays NJIT Saturday afternoon, and will need a win Saturday evening (or a Lipscomb loss or tie at NJIT) to clinch the regular season championship. Further details about the conference standings are below.
Saturday's contest can be viewed live via Hatter Vision and can be found at GoHatters.com or by clicking
here. The live video stream requires a fee but fans can follow live stats free of charge by clicking
here. As always, fans can also follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Twitter for updates as they become available during the game and can find the team on Facebook and Instagram for further information.
STETSONThe third-place Hatters enter the weekend with a record of 9-6-1 and a conference record of 3-2-1. The team was selected to finish sixth in the A-Sun in the Preseason Poll and has earned wins over Jacksonville, USC Upstate and NJIT this year. As a unit, the Hatters have outscored opponents 31-25 with 15.6 shots per game.
Sophomore Sarah Collins leads the team with nine goals and four assists this year, with classmate Adrianna Suarez at five goals and three assists. In total, 11 players have scored for third-year head coach Manoj Khettry's squad. Freshman Januna Schardnacher and sophomore Kahri Smith have split time in net for the Hatters and have a combined goals against average of 1.55.
FGCU is 7-1 all-time against the Hatters with seven-straight wins. The Eagles fell in the first-ever meeting in DeLand but are undefeated since the 2008 season. Last time the Eagles traveled to DeLand, the Green and Blue earned a 4-0 victory with three goals from a freshman Tindell, while the Tindell scored a 100th-minute game winner in last year's overtime victory in Fort Myers.
THE STREAK(S)The Eagles maintain a 26-game unbeaten streak in regular-season A-Sun games that spans three seasons. The team's last loss in conference play was Oct. 5, 2012 at North Florida, 1,114 days ago.
THE A-SUN PICTUREThe Eagles maintain first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference after Sunday's victory over NJIT. The team has 16 points in conference play, one point ahead of second-ranked Lipscomb who holds a record of 5-1. The Eagles would clinch their sixth-straight regular season championship outright with a win over Stetson Saturday night – moving them to 19 points overall. The Eagles can also clinch the regular-season championship with a Lipscomb loss to NJIT Sunday afternoon as the Bisons would finish the season at 15 points. Complete scenarios are as follows:
If FGCU beats Stetson, FGCU wins the title outright, regardless of Lipscomb result
If FGCU ties Stetson, FGCU would need a Lipscomb loss or tie to NJIT
If FGCU ties Stetson and Lipscomb beats NJIT, Lipscomb would win the regular-season championship by one point
If FGCU ties Stetson and Lipscomb ties NJIT, FGCU would maintain the one-point lead and win the regular-season championship
If FGCU ties Stetson and Lipscomb falls at NJIT, FGCU would win the regular-season championship
If FGCU falls at Stetson, the Eagles would need a Lipscomb loss or tie to NJIT
If FGCU loses and Lipscomb ties NJIT, both teams would finish the regular season with 16 points. The Eagles hold the tie breaker with a head-to-head win
If FGCU loses and Lipscomb loses, FGCU would maintain the one-point lead and win the regular-season championship
The Lipscomb –NJIT game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 in Newark, N.J., while the Eagles and Hatters will face off at 7 p.m.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKTindell is on the launching pad to become FGCU's most prolific women's soccer player of all time. The junior currently holds the all-time record in goals (47), game-winning goals (20) and shots on goal (119) and set the new program record in career points with a goal and an assist in the season's opening weekend. Tindell passed previous leader Wacker's 83 points and currently stands at 114 points in just 56 games. Tindell also entered the A-Sun Top-10 for career goals earlier this season and continues to climb the ranks.
Brown nears the top of the record books in career saves (258, 2nd) took over as the program's and A-Sun's all-time leader in shutouts earlier this season. The veteran keeper also leads the program's goals against average at 0.70 and games played at 77.
FGCU PROGRAM RECORDS | | SHUTOUTS | | | | GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE | |
| 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 36 | | 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 0.70 |
| 2 | Stephanie Powers (08-11) | 31 | | 2 | Stephanie Powers (08-11) | 0.73 |
| 3 | Kirsi Keenan (07-08) | 8 | | 3 | Emily Barrett (07-09) | 0.84 |
| 4 | Emily Barrett (07-09) | 3 | | 4 | Kirsi Keenan (07-08) | 0.90 |
ATLANTIC SUN RECORDS| | GOALS | | | | | SHUTOUTS | | |
| 1 | Shelley Marusak | Cent 93-95 | 61 | | 1 | Brittany Brown | FGCU 12-15 | 36 |
| 2 | Mirela Ninic | Mercer 96-99 | 60 | | 2 | Stephanie Powers | FGCU 08-11 | 31 |
| 3 | Jenn Stephenson | Campbell 94-97 | 60 | | 3 | April Eilering | Stetson 03-06 | 25 |
| 4 | Kara Fitzgerald | GSU 94-97 | 57 | | 4 | Staci Pugh | KSU 06-10 | 25 |
| 5 | Stine Kloster | JU 97-00 | 53 | | | Erin Switalski | Campbell 01-04 | 25 |
| 6 | Keri Zwikker | JU 05-08 | 49 | | | Molly Keating | FAU 00-03 | 23 |
| 7 | Leeanna Woodworth | GWU 02-05 | 49 | | 7 | Martha Chaney | Cent 93-95 | 23 |
| 8 | Chandra Yorgason | GSU 97-00 | 47 | | | Alyssa Obrien | UCF 95-98 | 22 |
| | Tabby Tindell | FGCU 13-15 | 47 | | 9 | Adriana Finelli | JSU 98-00 | 20 |
| 10 | Marit Foss | JU 97-00 | 39 | | 10 | Alexa Rooney | JU 08-10 | 20 |
| | | | | | | Julie Snaman | UCF 03-04 | 20 |
MORE ON TABBYWith four goals in the last four games, Tindell moved ahead of Florida's Savannah Jordan among active Division I players in career points per game at 2.04 and now leads all active players. The junior trails Jordan am St. John's Rachel Daly in goals per game to rank third nationally at 0.84.
COACH BLANKENSHIPFor the second-straight year, FGCU women's soccer head coach
Jim Blankenship earned a position among the nation's top-10 collegiate coaches prior to the season's start. The three-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year holds the No. 6 position in the list compiled by AllWhiteKit.com for 2015. By creating sustained success at FGCU, Blankenship achieved a score of 69.61 in 2014 for a No. 10 ranking and improved to 74.05 this season to take the No. 6 spot. With the increase, Blankenship moved ahead of UNC's Anson Dorrance, Boston University's Nancy Feldman, Marquette's Markus Roeders, Penn State's Erica Walsh, Portland's Garrett Smith and Florida's Becky Burleigh.
In his ninth season with the Green and Blue, Blankenship has built FGCU into a yearly contender in the A-Sun and nationally. Blankenship-led squads have won each of the last five regular season championships and have captured the A-Sun Conference Championship in three of the last five seasons. With Blankenship at the helm, the Eagles have compiled a record of 111-41-19 through nine seasons with a 58-9-12 A-Sun mark. FGCU's only women's soccer coach in program history owns a career record of 351-49-112-30.
UP NEXTThe Eagles earned a bye in the first round of the 2015 A-Sun Tournament, which is set to begin Saturday, Oct. 31. The Green and Blue will begin the following weekend at the campus site of the highest remaining seeds. Complete tournament information will be available via FGCUAthletics.com as it becomes available.
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIPA 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, who was recently ranked the no. 6 collegiate coach nationally by AllWhiteKit.com, 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. The Eagles then won the 2014 A-Sun tournament and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus when it welcomed Auburn in front of a record crowd. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 111-41-19 (64.2 W%) overall record through the first nine seasons of the program's existence, including a 59-9-10 (74.6 W%) mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 351-112-30 (71.0 W%) over 25 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University. 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. #FEEDFGCUFGCU 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.
