FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team played to a 0-0 tie with Ole Miss Friday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex to open the 2015 season. After 110 minutes of scoreless action, the Eagles and Rebels both begin the season at 0-0-1.
 
The match was a strong test for the Eagles, as the SEC foe returned with 10 starters from the 2014 season. FGCU controlled play in the midfield for the majority of the game but was held to a limited number of scoring opportunities by the Rebel defense.
 
"It was a good result," said head coach Jim Blankenship after the season opener. "We knew it was going to be tough game against a team that returned everybody. Defensively, they were very good and very athletic. I thought we played really well until the overtime. We ran out of gas late but early on we controlled play and had some chances. I give Ole Miss a lot of credit; they were very good defensively. They were organized and they locked things down."
 
Overall, the Green and Blue outshot the Rebels narrowly with an 11-9 advantage. Senior Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School) led the charge with four shots on the night and was responsible for both of the attempts on target. The visitors produced three shots on goal to the Eagles' two, with senior keeper Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece-Athena High School) making three saves on the night.
 
FGCU pressured the Ole Miss back line early on and produced two corner kicks in the first seven minutes of action. Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) got a head on the second corner but was unable to put the shot on goal while heavily marked by the Ole Miss defense.
 
In the ninth minute, Ole Miss earned its first scoring opportunity in transition. The Rebels took a free kick near midfield and produced a shot from 20 yards out that was blocked by senior defender Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks High School). The Rebels added back-to-back shots that challenged Brown near the 16-minute mark, but the veteran keeper maintained the scoreless tie for FGCU as the first half reached its midpoint.
 
Speckmaier and Ashley Parks (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette High School) produced strong scoring opportunities for the Green and Blue in the 24th and 26th minutes, respectively. Speckmaier fired a shot from long range that went wide, while Parks created a run down the left sideline before sending a shot just over the crossbar.
 
The Eagle offense continued to strike through the first half and challenged Ole Miss keeper Marnie Merritt in the 37th minute. A shot from the right side found Kasun at the far post, who fired a header for the Eagles' first shot on goal.
 
Despite the 0-0 score at the break, the Eagles held a 6-3 advantage in shots.
 
FGCU added four shots from four different players in the second half, including attempts from Speckmaier, new transfer Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park Country School/Rutgers) and veterans Kaitlin Parker (Palm Harbor, Fla./Clearwater Central Catholic) and Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School).
 
The Rebels' best chance to take the lead came in the 65th minute when Brown grabbed a save on a close-range shot from the right side. Both teams controlled the ball in the midfield late in regulation and during the first overtime period but were unable to produce any threats to their opponents.
 
Ole Miss held the shot advantage in the final period of action, but the FGCU defense stopped the Rebel advances from materializing. The visiting team produced a shot on goal in the 103rd minute that forced Brown off her line and added off-target shots in the 104th and 105th minutes.
 
The Eagles responded with a strong cross from the right side to reigning Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School), but the forward was tripped up by the heavy Ole Miss pressure. Kasun added one final attempt for the Green and Blue in the 107th minute but Merritt stopped the attempt to maintain the shutout.
 
FGCU held the advantage in shots, 11-9, and corner kicks, 8-6, while both teams were whistled for fouls on 12 occasions.
 
The Eagles continue the 2015 season Sunday, Aug. 23 with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Dayton. The preseason Atlantic 10 favorites fell to FIU in Miami Friday evening. The Flyers scored quickly, taking a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute but FIU responded in the 54th. The home team sealed the victory with a goal in the third minute of the first overtime period to push Dayton to a 0-1 record to start the year.
 
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A 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 102-36-17 overall record through the first eight-plus seasons of the program's existence, including a 54-9-9 mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 342-107-28 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.
 
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for FGCU Women's Soccer are available at a cost of $6 for adults and $3 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.
 
#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.