MORGANTOWN, W.V. –  With an excellent defensive showing, the FGCU women's soccer team was narrowly edged by a 1-0 score against no. 4 West Virginia Sunday afternoon at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. With the loss, the Eagles move to 4-5-1 in nonconference action, while the nationally-ranked Mountaineers improve to 9-1.
 
The Eagles produced strong offensive chances, with five shots in the first half and nine overall, but were held scoreless in their second-straight game. The FGCU backline held the Mountaineers to three shots in the first half and just two shots on goal in the second stanza. WVU produced its strongest attack in the 48th minute and took a 1-0 lead as the team's top scorer found the back of the net at the far post. FGCU added four shots in the second half and allowed just one other WVU true threat for the remainder of the game but was unable to match the home team's goal total.
 
"We played to our potential today and I'm extremely proud of the team," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "We rose to the challenge and discovered our strengths. I thought we outplayed them for a majority of the game and that was most obvious in the first half. We made a mistake that enabled their goal, but I thought we grew today, individually and as a team."
 
Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School) led the Eagles with four shots on the day with one that challenged the Mountaineer goal keeper, while the Eagles also saw shots on goal from Shea Rhoney (Lithia, Fla./Newsome High School) and Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep).
 
Senior goal keeper Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena High School) made four saves in 90 minutes of action.
 
Overall, the Mountaineers – who average over 20 shots per game – produced 13 shots compared to the Eagles' nine. The Green and Blue held a 2-1 advantage in corner kicks and were whistled for 12 fouls against to the Mountaineers' 10.
 
The teams traded offensive opportunities in the opening minutes of the game as Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) ran down the right sideline and challenged the WVU left back in the corner. Rogers' cross was broken up by the defense, eliminating the chance but starting the Eagles with a strong possession.
 
West Virginia responded quickly with a run through the middle but senior centerback Emma Blackwell (Jenks, Okla./Jenks High School) broke up the opportunity and fed the midfield immediately. Blackwell's clear enabled the team's first shot of the day as Speckmaier fired one from the top of the penalty box in the fourth minute that was blocked by the backline.
 
The Eagles earned a corner kick in the 12th minute after another run through the middle. Speckmaier's kick found Rhoney at the top of the box where the senior defender produced a great header toward the net. The WVU keeper was challenged on the attempt but stopped the shot to maintain the scoreless tie.
 
Brown made her first save of the game in the 18th minute when WVU created a shot opportunity from the right sideline. Brown scooped up the chance with ease and distributed back to the Eagle midfield.
 
The Eagles continued to pressure the WVU backline with offensive threats and created a strong chance in the 33rd minute as Speckmaier fired a left-footed shot from the top of the box that forced the Mountaineer keeper off her line. The Green and Blue's best opportunity in the game came in the 35th minute on the team's second corner kick. Speckmaier found the far post on the kick where Kasun controlled the ball and took a shot. Kasun's chance hit the goal post before ricocheting out of bounds to stifle the chance.
 
Kasun created another break for the Eagles in the final minutes of the half but her cross to Speckmaier was broken up by the strong WVU backline. After two quick shots on goal by the home team, the Eagles went into the break with a scoreless tie against West Virginia but maintained a 5-3 advantage in shot opportunities.
 
West Virginia took control of the match to open the second half as a run down the left sideline created a chance in the box. The Mountaineers fed their leading scorer in front of the net and saw as she found the back of the net at the far post to give the home team a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.
 
Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park County School/Rutgers) responded for the Green and Blue with a strong run through the WVU midfield. Hudson took a left-footed shot from 20-yards out but the attempt went wide with 40 minutes left to play.
 
WVU continued to pressure the FGCU defense but the backline held strong and forced all opportunities off target. The Mountaineers produced eight shots that went wide or high in the second half but were held to the 1-0 advantage through the final minutes.
 
The Green and Blue will return to Southwest Florida for the start of the Atlantic Sun Conference season next weekend. The Eagles will host North Florida in the A-Sun opener on Saturday, Sept. 26 with a 7 p.m. kickoff in their quest for an unprecedented sixth-straight A-Sun title. The team is currently riding a 28-game win streak in home games against conference opponents as the team has not dropped an A-Sun game at the FGCU Soccer Complex since Oct. 3, 2009. The streak stands as the nation's third longest of its kind.
 
The team will then travel to Jacksonville to face the JU Dolphins on Friday, Oct. 2 before taking on Wake Forest in a neutral match Sunday, Oct. 4 in Macon, Ga. The 3:30 p.m. kickoff the Wake Forest will stand as the team's final nonconference contest before picking up with the rest of the A-Sun schedule.
 
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 105-41-18 (65.1 W%) overall record through the first eight-plus seasons of the program's existence, including a 54-9-9 (75.0 W%) mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 345-112-29 (70.9 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.
 
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for FGCU Women's Soccer are available at a cost of $7 for adults and $5 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.