TAMPA –  The FGCU women's soccer team earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory Saturday afternoon as the Eagles defeated the University of South Florida 2-1 in the First Round at the Corbett Soccer Stadium. The Eagles move to 14-5-2 on the season and advance to the Second Round where they will face Duke Friday, Nov. 20 in Gainesville, while No. 22 USF ends the season at 15-4-3.
 
After allowing an own goal in the second minute of the contest, the Eagles battled back and drew two penalty kicks later in the first half. Senior captain Shea Rhoney (Lithia, Fla./Newsome High School) and junior Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida) converted penalty kicks in the fifth and 37th minute, respectively, for the Eagles to take the lead before the break. Senior goal keeper Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena High School) made five saves for the Eagles as the Green and Blue held strong in the second half and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament win.
 
"I am so incredibly proud of this team," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "We went into this game saying, 'Why not us?', but we knew that we would have to go out and make that happen. I thought our team did a great job with that. Brittany Brown was unbelievable. The entire backline was under a tremendous amount of pressure and they thrived with this opportunity. The team truly fights and battles for each other and I am so happy with the effort of our entire team."
 
Overall, the Bulls - who entered the NCAA Tournament with an official RPI of 11 - outshot the Eagles 22-11 with six shots on goal but Brown was up to the test and held USF scoreless in the second half. The Eagles produced 11 shots, including the two penalty attempts, from five different players, led by senior Kaitlin Parker's (Palm Harbor, Fla./Clearwater Central Catholic High School) four strikes.
 
The game opened with a quick attack from the home team. The Bulls pushed forward on the kickoff and challenged Brown in the box. The veteran keeper came off her line to cut down the angle and blocked the USF shot attempt. The Bulls drove a corner kick into the six-yard box where an FGCU clear attempt went under the crossbar and found the back of the net to give USF a 1-0 lead in the second minute.
 
Despite the own goal, the Eagles pressed on and pushed into the USF defensive zone on the kickoff. Parker's first shot of the game was a header that went high just before the Eagles drew a foul in the penalty box in the fifth minute. Rhoney lined up at the penalty mark and sent a low shot to the right corner to even the contest at 1-1 before fifth minute of play was completed.
 
The strike served as FGCU's first-ever goal scored in an NCAA Tournament contest and became the first goal scored by an Atlantic Sun Conference team in an NCAA game since the 2004 season.
 
USF held the offensive advantage through the first half and continued to challenge Brown and the backline but two-time Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks High School) led the defense as it stifled USF's early chances. Midway through the first half, the Bulls' were awarded a free kick just two yards outside the penalty box but the shot was punched over the net by Brown. In the next five minutes, the Bulls created another three shots on goal but Brown was everywhere she needed to be and stopped all USF attempts.
 
Once again, the Bulls were called for a foul in the box as 2015 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School) was taken down as she dribbled through the USF defense. Speckmaier lined up the penalty shot in the 37th minute and chipped a shot to the right corner to give the Green and Blue a 2-1 lead.
 
The Bulls added a pair of shots that went wide in the last minutes of the first half, but the Eagles went into the break with the 2-1 advantage.
 
Tindell opened the second stanza with a shot that sailed high before Parker challenged the USF keeper with three-consecutive shots in the next four minutes. Parker's offensive surge accounted for three of the USF goalie's four saves on the day but she was unable to extend the lead.
 
Trailing by one goal on their home field, the Bulls continued to press but the FGCU backline's intensity increased in the second half as the Eagles continued to stop all advances. In the 69th minute, USF fired three-consecutive shots over a 10-second period but the blasts were blocked by Brown and freshman defender Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins High School) before the third sailed high to alleviate the threat. USF challenged Brown once more in the 72nd minute but again the keeper stopped the chance.
 
As time faded, the Eagles remained strong in the backfield and maintained the one-goal advantage. USF added one last effort - a shot that hit the post in the 87th minute – but the Green and Blue held on to the lead and earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
 
With the first-round win, the Eagles advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round and will face No. 20 Duke Friday, Nov. 20 in Gainesville. The third round is slated for Sunday, Nov. 22 in Gainesville as well. The Blue Devils – who hold an official RPI of 13 – defeated James Madison 5-0 Friday night in the first round.
 
Game notes: With the win, the Eagles become the third FGCU team to advance in the NCAA Tournament, joining 2013 men's basketball and 2015 women's basketball…2015 marks the team's fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having previously lost at Florida (2011, 2012) and falling to Auburn at home (2014)…in their 83rd career game, seniors Blackwell, Kasun, Rhoney, Brown and Parker hold a place in the A-Sun record books tied at seventh in games played, joining recent alum Shannen Wacker…Tindell remains atop the FGCU all-time records with 52 career goals and 126 career points…Tindell stands at sixth in the A-Sun record books in goals and tied for eighth in points…Tindell also ranks second nationally with 2.44 points per game this season and fourth with 0.94 goals per game…the game time for the matchup with Duke is TBD.
 
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A 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 and won their first NCAA game at USF in 2015. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 115-41-19 (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 355-112-30 (71.3 W%) over 25 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For 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.
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU 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.