TAMPA – For the fourth time in just five years of eligibility, the FGCU women's soccer team will compete in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament this weekend. The Green and Blue begins its trip to
The Dance Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. kickoff against The University of South Florida at Corbett Soccer Stadium.
After capturing their sixth-straight Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Title, the Eagles earned a convincing five-goal victory over Lipscomb University in Sunday afternoon's A-Sun Championship Final to take the A-Sun's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
The Eagles recorded their 11th shutout of the season and used five different goal scorers to defeat the No. 2 seed Lady Bisons and improve to 13-5-2 on the year. The championship marked FGCU's fourth title since becoming postseason eligible in 2011.
As a unit, the Eagles have outscored opponents 51-12 through 20 games this season and held a 23-3 goal advantage over A-Sun foes in the regular season. The team has taken 369 shots with 184 on target overall and have averaged 18.5 shots per game, while limiting opponents to just 6.2 shots per game overall and outshooting foes 24.9 to 3.9 in conference play. The FGCU backline has stopped 125 shot attempts this season, with senior goal keeper
Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena High School) and Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year
Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks High School) leading the way. Brown has stifled 49 shots on goal so far this season and has held opponents to 0.55 goals per game with a save percentage of .817.
2015 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year
Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School) leads the team and the league at 44 points on the season with 17 goals and 10 assists through 18 games, while
Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park County School/Rutgers), Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) and
Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School) have each added five goals. Overall, 15 different players have found the back of the net for FGCU, including senior captain
Shea Rhoney (Lithia, Fla./Newsome High School) who has added three goals and five assists during her senior campaign.
Tindell's goal Sunday served as the game winner for her seventh game-winning goal of the year and 22nd of her career. The junior has scored 17 goals this season with 52 through her three-year career and now leads the FGCU records in both categories, stands sixth in the A-Sun in career goals and holds the eighth position in the A-Sun records with 126 career points.
With their 82nd career games, seniors Blackwell, Kasun, Rhoney, Brown and
Kaitlin Parker (Palm Harbor, Fla./Clearwater Central Catholic High School) enter the A-Sun record books tied at 11th in games played, joining current assistant coach and former standout
Melissa Arnold. With one more game played, the group will join alum
Shannen Wacker in a tie for seventh.
The Eagles have used the same lineup in each of the 11 games since battling No. 4 West Virginia and have compiled a 9-1-1 record with that crew, including the road loss against the Mountaineers and the undefeated mark in conference play.
With the recent success, the Eagles moved ahead in the official NCAA RPI and now stand at 73 among the nation's 333 teams.
WHAT TO KNOWSaturday's contest can be viewed live and free of charge through GoUSFBulls.com and Bullscast. Fans can access the stream by visiting either teams' official website or by clicking
here. Live stats are also available through the NCAA Portal or 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.
TICKETSTickets for Saturday's First Round Matchup are available through the USF Box Office at a rate of $6. All seats are General Admission.
USFNo. 22 USF enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 15-3-3, a national ranking and an official RPI of 11. The team went 6-2-1 in American Athletic Conference action and defeated Memphis in the first round before sneaking by UCF with a 1-0 double overtime win in the semifinals. The Bulls ultimately took a draw with Cincinnati in the finals but fell in penalty kicks, giving the Bearcats the AAC's automatic bid and earning an at large bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls' record includes a scoreless draw with No. 8 Clemson as well as wins over Baylor, Connecticut, Houston and SMU.
Overall, USF has outscored opponents 38-13 and has shutout foes on 12 occasions this season. The squad averaged 17.1 shots per game, while allowing opponents to 9.5 attempts. Senior midfielder Olivia Chance leads the team with 28 points with a team-high nine goals and 10 assists. The assist mark ranks 12th nationally. Junior forward Leticia Skeete has added seven goals on the year with 17 points, with Trudi Carter contributing another 15 points with five goals and five assists.
Goal keeper Kat Elliott ranks amount the top-20 nationally with a .59 goals against average and has produced 10 shutouts on the season.
The Bulls are a familiar foe for the Green and Blue as the teams met during the regular season in 2014 and have faced off multiple times in exhibition play. The Eagles fell in Tampa by a 1-0 count in the only countable contest a season ago. The Eagles are also familiar with the Bulls' home stadium as the team earned wins over Mississippi State and LIU Brooklyn earlier this season as part of the USF Soccer Classic.
POSTSEASON ACCOLADESThe Eagles saw nine individuals honored in the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team announcement, highlighted by Tindell's nod as Player of the Year. Blackwell became the first A-Sun Player to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards, while Blankenship was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
In addition to the major awards, Tindell and Blackwell joined Kasun and Hudson on the First Team All-Conference, while Rhoney and Speckmaier were named to the Second Team All-Conference and freshmen
Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins High School) and
Darien Davis (New Port Richey, Fla./River Ridge High School) earned All-Freshmen Team accolades.
Following the A-Sun Tournament, Blackwell, Brown and Speckmaier earned All-Tournament Team recognition, while Tindell was named MVP for the second-straights year.
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 (52), game-winning goals (22) and shots on goal (139) 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 126 points in just 59 games. Tindell also entered the A-Sun Top-10 for career goals earlier this season and continues to climb the ranks in both goals and points, where she ranks eighth.
Brown takes over the record books with the top career mark in saves (264) and holds the program's and A-Sun's shutout record at 38. The veteran keeper also leads the program's goals against average at 0.67 and games played at 82.
FGCU PROGRAM RECORDS | | SHUTOUTS | | | | GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE | |
| 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 38 | | 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 0.67 |
| 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 | 38 |
| 2 | Mirela Ninic | Mercer 96-99 | 60 | | 2 | Stephanie Powers | FGCU 08-11 | 31 |
| 3 | Jenn Stephenson | Campbell 94-97 | 60 | | 3 | Anna Buhigas | Lipscomb 13-15 | 29 |
| 4 | Kara Fitzgerald | GSU 94-97 | 57 | | 4 | April Eilering | Stetson 03-06 | 25 |
| 5 | Stine Kloster | JU 97-00 | 53 | | | Staci Pugh | KSU 06-10 | 25 |
| 6 | Tabby Tindell | FGCU 13-15 | 52 | | | Erin Switalski | Campbell 01-04 | 25 |
| 7 | Keri Zwikker | JU 05-08 | 49 | | 7 | Molly Keating | FAU 00-03 | 23 |
| | Leeanna Woodworth | GWU 02-05 | 49 | | | Martha Chaney | Cent 93-95 | 23 |
| 9 | Chandra Yorgason | GSU 97-00 | 47 | | 9 | Alyssa Obrien | UCF 95-98 | 22 |
| 10 | Marit Foss | JU 97-00 | 39 | | 10 | Adriana Finelli | JSU 98-00 | 20 |
| | | | | | | Alexa Rooney | JU 08-10 | 20 |
| | | | | | | Julie Snaman | UCF 03-04 | 20 |
MORE ON TABBYWith eight goals in the last six games, Tindell moved ahead of Florida's Savannah Jordan among active Division I players in career points per game at 2.14 and now leads all active players. The junior trails only Jordan goals per game at 0.88 through her three year career. This season, Tindell ranks among the top-five nationally in points per game (2nd, 2.44), goals per game (4th, 0.94), shots on goal per game (3rd, 3.06) and game winning goals (4th, 7).
UP NEXTWith a win Saturday afternoon, the Eagles would advance to the Second Round for the first time in program history and would face the winner of Friday's Duke/James Madison game Friday, Nov. 20 in Gainesville. The second-seeded Florida Gators would serve as the host of the Second and Third Rounds before play advanced to the Quarterfinal rounds.
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIPA veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and now 2015, 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 nine seasons. Blankenship, who was ranked the no. 6 collegiate coach nationally by AllWhiteKit.com to begin the year, started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to nine double-digit win seasons, culminating with Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and now 2015. 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 went on to win the 2014 A-Sun tournament and host the first NCAA Championship event on campus. The Eagles earned their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the 2015 A-Sun Tournament Championship. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 114-41-19 (65.3 W%) overall record through the first nine seasons of the program's existence, including a 60-9-10 (76.2 W%) mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 354-112-30 (71.3 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.
