FORT MYERS, Fla. – After seeing the nation's longest winning streak come to a close, the #11 FGCU men's soccer team bounced back in dominating fashion, defeating USC Upstate 3-0 Saturday night. With the victory, the Eagles (11-3-1, 3-1-0) keep the potential for a seventh-straight ASUN Conference regular season title alive while the Spartans fall to 3-9 overall and 1-4 in conference play.

"My whole message was we have wins and losses and setbacks in your life but it's all about how you respond to things," said head coach Bob Butehorn. "I was very happy. We stuck a new goalkeeper in there and a new centerback in there, so it looked like we were maybe a little lethargic at first but really we just wanted to gain possession early. It's also good to get a win on senior night. We continue to bring in quality human beings and these three are among them. You always get a little emotional this time of year but I'm happy we won tonight for them."

The Eagles methodically began the match after making three changes following Tuesday's defeat, attempting to regain its rhythm. Following a few Spartan attempts, it was the Eagles who broke through, with Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/UE Cornella) tallying the first of his two first half goals in the 27th minute. The forward doubled his total in the 31st minute, giving him a nation-leading 16 on the season and the most in a single season in ASUN Conference history since 2006. in the 31st minute, giving him a nation-leading 16 on the season and the most in a single season in ASUN Conference history since 2006. Arion Sobers-Assue (Miami, Fla./DeMatha Catholic) earned the assist on both goals, pushing his season total to seven, tying an FGCU single-season record. Sobers-Assue wrapped up the scoring with a goal of his own in the second half for the 3-0 final.

Prior to the match, Santiago Ortiz (Cali, Colombia/Montverde Academy), Justin Gavin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Treasure Coast/Eastern Florida State College) and Jack Blatchford III (Douglas, Mass./Douglas/Bentley University) were honored for their respective careers at FGCU.

After both sides exchanged set piece opportunities through the first 20 minutes, USC Upstate was the first to pose a threat in the 23rd minute as Joel Bunting beat FGCU goalkeeper Jared Brown (Aurora, Ontario/St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS) but not Ortiz who cleared Bunting's shot off the line. With the match scoreless, FGCU looked no further than Ruiz for the game's first goal.

Sobers-Assue got the play going, finding Ruiz making a diagonal run into the box. The forward fired a shot into the lower right corner of the goal, past a diving Davis Smith for his 15th of the season.

The Eagles didn't wait long for a second, as Ruiz completed his brace in the 31st minute of play. After Sobers-Assue had a shot saved by Smith, Ruiz was in perfect position to finish off the rebound, putting FGCU in commanding position.

The Eagles had the final two attempts of the half, with Sobers-Assue putting a shot over the bar and Gavin unleashing an effort from distance that was blocked.

As the second half began, it was the Green and Blue to again strike. With 53 minutes gone, Sobers-Assue was on the other end of an Eli Roubos (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights Secondary/Oregon State) pass following a turnover at midfield. The forward turned and fired a shot from 20 yards out, finding the lower left corner of the goal for the 3-0 advantage.

Upstate's lone chance of the second half came off a corner, but the resulting header from Tim Luck went well over the bar, never bothering Brown in goal.

With time winding down, FGCU nearly made it 4-0 to the home side, but Rielee Mohsin's (Stuart, Fla./Martin County/Nichols College) would-be goal was waved off, as he was ruled to be in an offside position.

FGCU's final move of the night saw Blatchford III enter the match for the final minutes.

The Green and Blue outshot USC Upstate 13-7, while Brown made three saves as he and Blatchford III combined for FGCU's third clean sheet of the year.

UP NEXT
The Eagles have two matches remaining in the regular season, the first Oct. 25 against Jacksonville. After the contest with JU was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, the Eagles and Dolphins will meet Tuesday in Jacksonville as FGCU looks to remain in contention for a seventh-straight ASUN title.

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 six professional players and 54 ASUN All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just five years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three ASUN Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets. Now in his 14th season as a head coach, Butehorn has a 126-93-26 (.566) overall record, 92-61-22 (.586) mark in his 10th season at FGCU and 51-18-6 (.716) record in ASUN 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.