FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the fifth-straight season, the FGCU women's soccer will host the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Tournament at the FGCU Soccer Complex Friday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 8. As the regular season champion and No. 1 seed, the Eagles will take on No. 5 Stetson Friday in a 7 p.m. matchup.
The Green and Blue will also host the semifinal bout between No. 2 Lipscomb and No. 3 Jacksonville Friday at 4 p.m. with the winner of both advancing to Sunday's 1 p.m. A-Sun Championship Final. The winner of the Championship Final will earn the A-Sun's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
FGCU enters the weekend in search of a fifth-straight trip to the A-Sun Championship Final and ultimately a fourth A-Sun title and fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles currently possess a record of 11-5-2 after earning their sixth-straight Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship with a league record of 6-0-1. The Eagles have outscored opponents 41-12 through 18 games this season and held a 23-3 advantage over A-Sun foes in the regular season. The team has taken 324 shots with 159 on target overall and have averaged 18 shots per game, while limiting opponents to just 6.5 shots per game overall and outshooting foes 24.9 to 3.9 in conference play. The FGCU backline has stopped 105 shot attempts this season, with seniors
Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks High School) and
Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena High School) leading the way. Brown has stifled 46 shots on goal so far this season and has held opponents to 0.641 goals per game with a save percentage of .809.
2015 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year
Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School) leads the team and the league at 38 points on the season with 15 goals and eight assists through 16 games, while
Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep), Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School) and
Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park County School/Rutgers) have each added four goals. Overall, 14 different players have found the back of the net for FGCU, including
Shea Rhoney (Lithia, Fla./Newsome High School) who has added two goals and three assists during her senior campaign.
The Eagles have used the same lineup in each of the nine games since battling now No. 2 West Virginia and have compiled a 7-1-1 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 90 among the nation's 333 teams.
WHAT TO KNOWFriday's contest can be viewed live on ASun.TV with Brice Zimmerman and Neil Solondz on the call. The link, which offers the video stream free of charge, can be found at FGCUAthletics.com or by clicking
here. Live stats can also be found at FGCUAthletics.com 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.
FEED FGCUFGCU Athletics will be collecting unperishable food items at all home games during the month of November, beginning with Friday's postseason contest. Items donated will benefit students experiencing food insecurity on our campus. FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry, 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.
TICKETSTickets for Friday's semifinal matchups are available through the FGCU Ticket Office at a rate of $7 for adults and $5 for children and/or Military members with ID. Students with an ID from any A-Sun school will be admitted free of charge. The FGCU Ticket Office also offers a Family Pack that includes two adults and two children for $20. Tickets will allow fans to see both semifinal contests.
STETSONThe fifth-seeded Hatters continue postseason play after earning a 3-2 overtime win over No. 4 Kennesaw State last Friday. Stetson holds a record of 10-7-1 overall and finished the regular season with a mark of 3-3-1. The first-round victory stands as the team's first postseason win since the 2010 campaign.
As a unit, the Hatters narrowly outscored opponents 35-33 with 15.1 shots per game and have put 138 of 271 total shots on target during their first 18 games. Individually, First Team All-Conference member Sarah Collins leads the program with 12 goals and four assists on the year, ranking second only to Tindell in the conference statistics. Collins also ranks second with 28 points and 68 shots on the year. The Hatters have also seen strong offensive contributions from Adrianna Suarez who has added five goals and four assists so far. Defensively, the Hatters saw two players make Second Team All-Conference in Mara Keomanivane and Makeshia Lucien.
Janina Scharnbacher and Kahri Smith have split time in net for the Hatters this season with Smith playing against FGCU in the regular-season finale and Scharnbacher taking the field in the first round. The dup holds a combined goals against average of 1.82 and a save percentage of .696. Smith has allowed 24 goals in 1,030 minutes, with Scharnacher giving up nine in 601 minutes.
The Eagles and Hatters have faced off nine times previously, including the matchup just two weeks ago. The Green and Blue hold an 8-1 advantage with eight-straight wins since the 2008 season.
POSTSEASON ACCOLADESThe Eagles saw nine individuals honored in last week's 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.
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 (50), game-winning goals (21) and shots on goal (133) 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 120 points in just 57 games. Tindell also entered the A-Sun Top-10 for career goals earlier this season and continues to climb the ranks.
Brown takes over the record books with the top career mark in saves (263) and holds the program's and A-Sun's shutout record at 35. The veteran keeper also leads the program's goals against average at 0.67 and games played at 80.
FGCU PROGRAM RECORDS | | SHUTOUTS | | | | GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE | |
| 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 35 | | 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 | 35 |
| 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 | 50 | | | 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 seven goals in the last five games, Tindell moved ahead of Florida's Savannah Jordan among active Division I players in career points per game at 2.11 and now leads all active players. The junior trails only Jordain goals per game at 0.88 through her three year career. This season, Tindell ranks among the top-five nationally in points per game (3rd, 2.38), goals per game (5th, 0.94), shots on goal per game (2nd, 3.06) and game winning goals (5th, 6).
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 four-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 six 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 112-41-19 through nine seasons with a 59-9-12 A-Sun mark. FGCU's only women's soccer coach in program history owns a career record of 352-49-112-30.
UP NEXTWith a win Friday evening, the Eagles would compete for the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship in a 1 p.m. matchup Sunday afternoon. If the team is to win its fourth Conference Tournament Title, the Eagles will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The field for the 2015 NCAA Tournament will be announced Monday, Nov. 9 at 4:30 p.m.
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 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 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 112-41-19 (64.2 W%) overall record through the first nine seasons of the program's existence, including a 60-9-10 (74.6 W%) mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 352-112-30 (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.
