TAMPA – A pair of Gulf Coast men's soccer rivals square off on Saturday when FGCU (1-1-1) travels up I-75 to battle USF (4-2-0) at 7 p.m. from Corbett Stadium.
 
OPENING KICK
FGCU and USF have met each of the past six seasons, including twice in the 2012 season when the Eagles and Bulls played in the NCAA Tournament. USF owns a slim 3-2-2 edge in the all-time series, but FGCU is 1-0-1 in the last two meetings following a 2-0 win at home last year and 2-2 draw in Tampa in 2013.
 
Always a difficult team to face at home, USF is no different again this year as the Bulls are 4-0 on the year at Corbett Stadium and have out-scored their opponents, 8-1. However, FGCU has traditionally presented a challenge to the Bulls at home as the Eagles are 1-1-2 all-time, including a 2-1 victory in 2010 which ended USF's 30-game home unbeaten streak.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
The game will be video streamed through USF's subscription-based BullsCast platform which can be accessed by clicking here. Live stats are available by clicking here. Additionally, fans can track updates on Twitter by following @FGCU_MSoccer.
 
SEASON SNAPSHOT
Despite having several key players unavailable because of injuries, FGCU has still managed to open its season at .500 while playing three formidable opponents. FGCU has tied then-No. 3 Georgetown (0-0) – which earlier this month defeated No. 1 UCLA, 3-1 – dropped a road contest at now-No. 7 Wake Forest (1-0) and snapped the nation's longest unbeaten streak at 10 with a 3-2 triumph over Princeton.
 
The Eagles have already had two matches this year not played due to weather. On Sept. 2 against UCF, an impending second lightning delay with FGCU ahead, 2-0, led the game to be officially declared a "no contest" just seven minutes shy of being official. Then on Saturday versus Penn, the game never started as following more than three hours of rain and lightning delays it was canceled.
 
Because of the cancelations, FGCU's three games so far this year are tied for the fewest in the country. Ivy League members Columbia, Brown and Princeton (which start their seasons a week later than most) have only played three games as well. FGCU has already defeated Princeton this year and will travel to Brown for a game on Sept. 25.
 
A-SUN RANKS
Through the early stages of the season, FGCU is again leading the Atlantic Sun Conference in defense. One year after posting a league-best 0.71 goals-against average, FGCU has a 0.93 average in 290 minutes this season – the only A-Sun member under 1.00. The Eagles will be looking to post their third sub-1.00 GAA campaign in the last four years as in 2012 they finished with a 0.98 average.
 
Junior transfer Dylan Sacramento (Winnipeg, Manitoba/York University) tallied two goals in the win over Princeton, with five of his seven shot attempts being put on frame. With the four points through two games that he's appeared in, Sacramento is tied for second in the A-Sun with two points per game.
 
WHO'S IN NET
Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) remains questionable for Saturday's match after suffering a sprained ankle in the early stages of the second half last Thursday against Princeton. The redshirt senior – who led the A-Sun in goals-against average last season – is again pacing the league this year (0.72), in addition to leading the conference in save percentage (.833). Furthermore, he's one of only two keepers in the league with a shutout so far this year. If Ingham can't play, Sawyer Jackman (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East HS) would likely take his place in net as the freshman was scheduled to start the Green and Blue's match against Penn on Saturday before it was canceled.
 
SCOUTING USF
USF is coming off a 2-0 win over fellow A-Sun member UNF on Monday as the Bulls scored in each half. USF's two losses this year have come by 2-0 margins at then-No. 5 Notre Dame and then-No. 17 Indiana. The Bulls have either been ranked or receiving votes in the national polls each week throughout the season, but currently are not in any ranking.
 
The Bulls have reached the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last eight years, with the lone blemish in that streak coming last year when they fell just a penalty kick short (6-5) in the American Athletic Conference final to Tulsa. USF returns 13 letterwinners from last year's team which went 10-7-3 and welcomes an incoming class which was ranked as the third-best in the country by College Soccer News.
 
Kazeem Bartman leads an extremely balanced USF offensive attack with four points off a goal and two assists. Already this year, the Bulls have had eight different scorers of their eight goals. In net, junior Spasoje Stefanovic has logged all 540 minutes this year, posting a goals-against average of 0.83 and recording 19 saves and three clean sheets.
 
FGCU opened the season with the aforementioned 0-0 draw against then-No. 3 Georgetown. USF and Georgetown had their game two days later postponed because of weather, and the two teams squared off on a Monday morning with the Bulls emerging with a 2-0 victory.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a game-winning goal in the 89th minute against Princeton which made national headlines, freshman Preston Kilwien (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS/Campolindo HS) was named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week by league officials on Monday.
 
Making his collegiate debut, Kilwien provided the most dramatic moment of the back-and-forth contest as he delivered a left-footed shot from 35 yards out into the upper-corner of the net with 75 seconds remaining in regulation. Kilwien's goal was the No. 3 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays Thursday night, and on Friday afternoon it received coverage on Fox Sports 1 during halftime of a Bundesliga match and since has more than 150,000 views on YouTube.
 
INGHAM CHASING HISTORY – Watch A Feature Video On Ingham
Ingham earned his 20th career shutout to open the season against Georgetown, setting the FGCU program record and moving him within five of tying and six of breaking the all-time A-Sun mark. Additionally, Ingham – who was named the PDL Championship MVP this summer – is also closing in on the A-Sun record for lowest career goals-against average. A-Sun men's soccer history dates back to 1979. Ingham, who suffered a sprained ankle against Princeton last Thursday, is questionable against USF.
 
A-Sun Career Shutouts
1) Ryan Coulter: 25 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Jeff Cassar: 23 (FIU, 1992-95)
3) Aaron Johnson: 21 (Campbell, 2005-08)
4) Nathan Ingham: 20 (FGCU, 2011-Present)
 
A-Sun Career Goals-Against Average (minimum 2,000 minutes)
1) Ryan Coulter: 0.95 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Kyle Roelke: 1.00 (Belmont, 2004-05)
3) Nathan Ingham: 1.02 (FGCU, 2011-Present)
 
DID YOU KNOW?
The Eagles have an incredible overall record of 32-4-3 in all A-Sun regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All four of those conference losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 117 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 99 of them.
 
Additionally, FGCU owns the longest home regular-season conference unbeaten streak in the nation. FGCU has not lost a home regular-season A-Sun game since 2008, a stretch of 26 in a row in which the Eagles are unbeaten (23-0-3). Included in that run is a 19-game winning streak. FGCU's last home regular-season A-Sun loss came to Jacksonville, 2-0, on Oct. 19, 2008.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will remain on the road next week when it travels to the Rhode Island to face Brown, which is off to a 3-0-0 start to the season and ranked No. 21 in the nation by Soccer America. If the Bears – who play at Georgia State Friday night and Clemson Sunday – remain ranked, it will mark the third opponent already this year for FGCU which is nationally ranked.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are available starting at just $7 for adults, $5 for youth (3-12) and $20 for a family pack. More information, including additional special discounts and group rates, can be accessed by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/tickets or by clicking here. To purchase tickets, or for additional inquiries, call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men's soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.
 
COACH BUTEHORN
FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached 45 A-Sun All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just four years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three A-Sun Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented five-straight A-Sun regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets. Now in his 13th season as a head coach, Butehorn has a 109-88-23 (.548) overall record, 75-56-19 (.563) mark in his 9th season at FGCU and 44-17-5 (.705) record in A-Sun contests.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
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.