FORT MYERS, Fla. – In its final regular-season series at the FGCU Soccer Complex, the FGCU women's soccer team will welcome Atlantic Sun Conference foes USC Upstate and Kennesaw State this weekend. The Eagles will take on the Spartans Friday, Oct. 9 in a 7 p.m. tilt and will face the Owls of KSU Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.
The Green and Blue enter the weekend with a record of 6-5-2 after earning a double-overtime draw at Jacksonville and defeating Wake Forest 2-1 last weekend. The team holds an Atlantic Sun Conference mark of 1-0-1. The Eagles have outscored opponents 21-10 through 13 games this season with 201 total shots and 90 shots on goal. The FGCU backline has stopped 90 shot attempts this season, with Brown leading the way. Brown has stifled 39 shots on goal so far this season and has held opponents to 0.73 goals per game with a save percentage of .796.
Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School) leads the team at 22 points on the season with eight goals and six assists through 11 games, while
Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) has added three goals and two assists for eight points. Overall, 10 different players have found the back of the net for FGCU, including
Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) and
Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School), who have each added two goals and one assist this season.
WHAT TO KNOWFriday night will serve as Senior Night for the women's soccer program as the team recognizes six student-athletes playing in their final regular season series at the FGCU Soccer Complex. Prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff, the Eagles will honor Brown and Kasun as well as
Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks High School),
Emily Dolan (Wilmington, Del./Carter School of Wilmington),
Kaitlin Parker (Palm Harbor, Fla./Clearwater Central Catholic High School) and
Shea Rhoney (Lithia, Fla./Newsome High School) for their contributions to the Green and Blue.
Live stats for both games will be available through FGCULiveStats.com with a free video stream via a brand new streaming kit available at FGCUAthletics.com. Fans can also follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Twitter for live updates during the game and can find the team on Facebook and Instagram for further information.
USC UPSTATEUSC Upstate travels to Fort Myers this weekend with a record of 2-9-1 overall and an A-Sun mark of 1-1. The Spartans have lost eight of their last nine contests with the exception of a 2-0 win over the newest A-Sun member NJIT. The squad fell 2-1 to Lipscomb last weekend. Overall, fourth-year head coach Abby Minihan's team has been outscored 14-10 and has produced 101 total shots compared to its opponents' 210.
Freshman Kate Winegarner paces the team with 10 points after recording four goals and two assists in her first 12 collegiate games. Goal keeper Ellen Bright leads the A-Sun with 81 saves on the year and holds a goals against average of 1.57.
The Eagles are 7-0-1 all-time against the Spartans dating back to the 2007 season. The Eagles earned a 3-0 road win last year and defeated the Spartans 7-0 the last time the teams clashed in Southwest Florida. In eight matchups, the Eagles have yet to concede a goal against the Spartans.
KENNESAW STATEIn a rematch of last season's A-Sun Conference Championship final, the Kennesaw State Owls travel to Fort Myers Sunday afternoon. The Owls are 4-7-1 this season with a 1-1 record in conference play after falling to Lipscomb in double overtime and defeating NJIT 6-1.
Kennesaw State has narrowly outscored opponents this year, 29-28, with 190 shots including 92 shots on target. 2014 Atlantic Sun First-Team member Brittney Reed scored seven goals in the team's first three games but has been out of competition since. Reed's goal total still paces the squad, while Cassidy Kemp has added six goals and two assists and six others have found the back of the net. UAB transfer Ashley Zambetti has led the team in net with 34 saves this season and has allowed 2.29 goals per game.
The Eagles hold a 6-1-2 record over head coach Rob King's Owls dating back to their first meeting in 2007. The Eagles earned two wins over KSU last season, including a 3-1 win in the conference championship match.
THE STREAK(S)The Eagles maintain a 22-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, 1,099 days ago. The Green and Blue also maintain a 27-game unbeaten streak at the FGCU Soccer Complex in conference games. That streak ranks fourth in the nation, behind only Boston University's 32, North Texas' 31 and West Virginia's 29.
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 (43), game-winning goals (18) and shots on goal (102) 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 104 points in just 52 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 (256, 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 73.
FGCU PROGRAM RECORDS | | SHUTOUTS | | | | GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE | |
| 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 33 | | 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 | 33 |
| 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 |
| 9 | Tabby Tindell | FGCU 13-15 | 43 | | 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 TABBYTindell currently ranks second among active Division I players in career points per game at 2.00, trailing only Florida's Savannah Jordan, and ranks second in career goals per game at 0.83. The junior also tops the A-Sun in goals per game, assists per game, points per game, total assists and total points.
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 107-41-19 through nine seasons with a 54-9-12 A-Sun mark. FGCU's only women's soccer coach in program history owns a career record of 347-112-30.
UP NEXTThe Eagles will continue the Atlantic Sun slate next weekend with a two-game road swing. The Eagles will take on Lipscomb in Nashville, Friday, Oct. 16 and will travel to New Jersey to take on new conference foe NJIT Sunday, Oct. 18 in a 1 p.m. matchup. The team will conclude the regular season Saturday, Oct. 24 with a 7 p.m. tilt in DeLand against Stetson.
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 107-41-19 (65.1 W%) overall record through the first eight-plus seasons of the program's existence, including a 55-9-10 (75.0 W%) mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 347-112-30 (70.9 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. TICKETSSingle-game tickets for FGCU Women's Soccer are available at a cost of $7 for adults and $5 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. #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.
