SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Having already produced one of the program's best starts, the FGCU women's soccer team continues action for the 2015 season with a two-game test in California. The Eagles will take on Cal State Fullerton Friday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. EST and will follow with a 10 p.m. EST contest at San Diego State Sunday, Sept. 6. The team's first games outside the Sunshine State this season stand as the program's first-ever trip to California.
The Eagles improved to 3-0-1 on the year with wins over Mississippi State and LIU Brooklyn last weekend in Tampa. With four games without a loss, the team compares to the program's 2007 inaugural team that started the year 4-0.
After starting the year with a scoreless tie with Ole Miss, the Eagles have since sparked an offensive surge with 11 goals in the last three games.
Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic High School) paces the team with 10 points on the year with three goals and four assists through four games, while
Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) and
Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield High School) have each added two goals and an assist.
Overall, nine players have recorded points for the Green and Blue with goals coming from seven different players. The Eagles have outscored the opposition 11-0 through four games with 34 shots on goal.
The FGCU backline has stopped 25 shot attempts this season, with senior
Brittany Brown (Rochester, N.Y./Greece-Athena High School) leading the way. Brown has stopped 13 shots so far this season and has held opponents scoreless for 380 minutes.
HOW TO FOLLOWLive stats and live video will be available for both contests on the West Coast. Fans can access all links via the schedule page at FGCUAthletics.com or by clicking
here. Fans can also follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Twitter for updates as they become available.
WEEKLY AWARDSFollowing a flawless weekend, FGCU swept the Atlantic Sun awards as Tindell was named Player of the Week and Brown earned Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the league Monday afternoon. The weekly accolade stands as both player's first of the season. Tindell has been recognized an A-Sun record seven times, while Brown earned Defensive Player of the Year for the sixth time in her career for one shy of the A-Sun record.
Tindell guided FGCU's attack in Tampa this weekend, leading the Eagles to two wins and helping the program match it's best-ever start at 3-0-1. In Friday's tilt against the SEC's Mississippi State, Tindell fired off nine shots, seven of which were on target, and scored both of the team's goals. She added three assists in Sunday's 7-0 win over LIU Brooklyn. Brown stretched her season-long shutout to four games this weekend with another pair of clean sheets. She has held opponents scoreless for 380 minutes thus far with 13 saves and matched the all-time FGCU record with 31 career shutouts this weekend. The 31-shutout mark also tops the A-Sun's record book.
CAL STATE FULLERTONCal State Fullerton enters the weekend as one of the nation's 33 teams without a loss or tie this year. The team stands at 4-0 with wins over Liberty, George Washington, Idaho State and Utah for the program's best start since the 2008 season.
Led by 2014 leading scorer Rebecca Wilson, the team has outscored opponents 12-4 this year with 33 shots on goal. Wilson has provided five goals and two assists this season with junior Christina Burkenroad adding four goals and a single assist in four games. Sophomore keeper Jennifer Stuart has stopped 18 shots for the Titans in four games. As a rookie, Stuart allowed 17 goals in 17 contests.
Ninth year head coach Demian Brown returns seven starters from last year's squad that went 10-8-4. The Titans produced a 6-0-2 record in Big West play and ultimately fell to Stanford 5-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Friday marks the first meeting between the Eagles and the Titans.
SAN DIEGO STATEThe Aztecs enter the third week of the season with a record of 2-1. The team earned wins over then no. 16 Kentucky and Utah Valley but fell to Cal 2-0 in a rematch of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. SDSU will face Arizona Friday night before hosting the Green and Blue Sunday evening.
Ninth year head coach Mike Friesen's team went 15-5-2 last year with a 9-2 record in Mountain West play. The team fell to Cal 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after earning the Mountain West title.
The team lost one third of last year's point production to the graduation of its top-three scorers but has seen a strong performance from rookie Leah Pruitt to start the year. Pruitt leads the team with five points on one goal and three assists, while top returner Aliyah Utush has scored twice in three games. Melanie Vaughn has made nine saves in goal for the Aztecs this season after allowing 23 goals in 21 games a year ago.
The Aztecs are currently receiving votes in the NSCAA National Rankings and stand at no. 8 in the Pacific Region. Sunday's matchup will be the first between the two teams.
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 (38), game-winning goals (17) and shots on goal (93) and set the new program record in career points with a goal and an assist last weekend. Tindell passed previous leader
Shannen Wacker's 83 points and currently stands at 92 points in just 45 games. With two goals last weekend, Tindell also entered the A-Sun Top-10 for career goals.
Brown nears the top of the record books in several categories, including career saves (230, 2nd) and games played (66, 2nd) and matched
Stephanie Powers' record of 31 shutouts last weekend. Brown will take sole possession of the all-time leader position for both FGCU and the Atlantic Sun with one more shutout. The veteran keeper also leads the program's goals against average at 0.65.
PROGRAM RECORDS | SHUTOUTS | | | | GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE | |
| 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 31 | | 1 | Brittany Brown (12-15) | 0.65 |
| 2 | Stephanie Powers (08-11) | 31 | | 2 | Stephanie Powers (08-11) | 0.75 |
| 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 | 31 |
| 2 | Mirela Ninic | Mercer 96-99 | 60 | | | Stephanie Powers | FGCU 08-11 | 31 |
| 3 | Jenn Stephenson | Campbell 94-97 | 60 | | 3 | April Eilering | Stetson 03-06 | 25 |
| 4 | Kara Fitzgerald | GSU 94-97 | 57 | | 4 | Staci Pugh | KSU 06-10 | 25 |
| 5 | Stine Kloster | JU 97-00 | 53 | | | Erin Switalski | Campbell 01-04 | 25 |
| 6 | Keri Zwikker | JU 05-08 | 49 | | | Molly Keating | FAU 00-03 | 23 |
| 7 | Leeanna Woodworth | GWU 02-05 | 49 | | 7 | Martha Chaney | Cent 93-95 | 23 |
| 8 | Chandra Yorgason | GSU 97-00 | 47 | | | Alyssa Obrien | UCF 95-98 | 22 |
| 9 | Marit Foss | JU 97-00 | 39 | | 9 | Adriana Finelli | JSU 98-00 | 20 |
| 10 | Tabby Tindell | FGCU 13-15 | 38 | | 10 | Alexa Rooney | JU 08-10 | 20 |
| Tine Riis-Groven | JU 98-00 | 38 | | | Julie Snaman | UCF 03-04 | 20 |
| Amy Jones | UCF 93-96 | 38 | | | | | |
NSCAA RANKINGSThe Eagles currently rank 10th in the NSCAA's Southeast Region Poll. The team's opponents for the weekend are both currently receiving votes in the national poll, while Cal State Fullerton checks in at fourth in the West Region and San Diego State ranks eighth in the Pacific Region.
CLEAN SHEETSThe Eagles are one of 14 teams yet to allow a goal for the 2015 season with four posted shutouts on the year. The team stands as one of seven programs that have played at least four goals without allowing a goal; that group includes UNC, Duke, Rutgers, St. John's, Auburn and Lipscomb. Only Lipscomb – with a 3-0-2 record – has stifled opponents longer with 490 scoreless minutes.
Lipscomb matched the A-Sun record with five shutouts to start the season with a win earlier this week, joining the 1997 Centenary squad as the only A-Sun programs to achieve the feat. With a shutout Friday, the Eagles will match the conference record.
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. The three-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.
Entering 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 five 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 104-36-17 through nine seasons with a 53-9-11 A-Sun mark. FGCU's only women's soccer coach in program history owns a career record of 344-107-28.
UP NEXTAfter the West Coast trip, the Eagles return to the FGCU Soccer Complex for a pair of games against in-state foes. The team will take on Miami at home on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. and will play FIU Sunday, Sept. 13 with a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Sunshine State matches, the Eagles will travel to the West Coast for a pair of games in California for the first time in program history. FGCU will face Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Sept. 4 with an 8 p.m. EST kickoff and will take on San Diego State at 10 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 6.
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 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 104-36-18 overall record over the first eight seasons of the program's existence, including a 54-9-9 mark in the A-Sun. Blankenship's impressive career record of 344-107-29 over 24 seasons has come while leading FGCU, 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. TICKETSSingle-game tickets for FGCU Women's Soccer are available at a cost of $7 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. #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.
