GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A valiant defensive effort wasn't quite enough as the FGCU women's soccer team ended its season with a 3-0 defeat at #9 Florida in the First Round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles end the year 14-5-1 while the top-seeded Gators (16-4-1) advance to play the winner of Wisconsin and Marquette next week.

"I'm proud of our team," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "It's not the result we were hoping for but we knew what we were up against. Florida is a very good team. But tonight doesn't take away from a season where we've battled so much adversity. It was only two weeks ago we probably only had nine guys that could play but we put on the braces and the tape and this group never asked for a break. So while it wasn't the result we wanted, I couldn't be more proud of what we accomplished this season."

Playing without their starting holding midfielder and captain, and battling multiple additional injuries, the Green and Blue were forced to play in their own half for the majority of the match, but still had moments to find a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes. After holding the Gators scoreless, behind stellar performances from Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) and the FGCU backline, the hosts were the first to score in the 66th minute of play. The Gators tacked on two more in the second half while FGCU pushed forward in search of an equalizer.

Following a brief spell of limited possession for both sides within the first few minutes, the top-seeded Gators controlled the tempo in the early stages, setting the tone for a difficult 90 minutes. The Eagles however were sound defensively, limiting the quality of the final chance for Florida throughout the contest.

The centerback pairing of Lindsey Patton (Jacksonville, Fla./Oakleaf HS) and Ashley Parks (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette HS) was once again vital in FGCU's efforts, while marking backs Yazmin Velez (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) and Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS) were tasked with slowing continuous pressure.  

FGCU made the most of its opportunities in the first half, earning a corner in the 10th minute when Emilie Olsen (Frekhaug, Norway/Tertnes VGS) tried to play Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) in the box. UF was there to defend however, deflecting it out for a corner. Meaghan Mulligan's (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck High School/Tennessee) service was played into a dangerous spot, almost finding the head of Patton around eight-yards from goal but the freshman was narrowly beat out as Florida cleared the ball away.

Weck was first tested in the 13th minute, a Julia Lester shot that curled around the bar for a goal kick which in turn led to a quality chance for FGCU. After Tindell settled the ball around midfield, the Eagles used a spell of possession to switch the point of attack before working it back toward the center of the field. Just outside the 18-yard box, Tindell laid the ball off for Mulligan, who attempted to find the far post only for Kaylan Marckese to make the save.

FGCU continued to stand strong, highlighted by a pair of Weck saves, the first coming in the 18th minute as the freshman rose to escort a Briana Solis shot over the bar for a corner. With the Eagles pinned in, Weck made an additional save late to keep Betsy Middleton off the board, again producing a corner.

The backline of FGCU came to the aid on multiple occasions, including Patton who deflected a Savannah Jordan shot wide of goal.

The Eagles had a few opportunities to push forward but the final ball eluded the Green and Blue during the opening 45 minutes as the match remained scoreless.

The second half opened in similar fashion as the Gators earned an early corner resulting in Jordan winning a header that was saved by a well-positioned Weck. The Eagles then pushed forward as Tindell attempted to pick out Olsen along the right side only for the flag to go up on the freshman.

The pressure continued at both ends of the field with FGCU slowly gaining momentum. Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) and Tori Dorr (Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach HS) both made impactful runs in the offensive third but the final ball continued to elude FGCU.

Weck made two more saves over the next 10 minutes before Florida broke through in the 66th minute. The Eagles nearly responded immediately as Dorr found space along the right side and picked out Tindell who was isolated near the top of the box. The senior settled with her back to goal, turned and released a shot except it was blocked before it could test the goalkeeper.

Florida scored its second in the 78th minute and added another in the 83rd for the final 3-0 score line.

FGCU was outshot 22-2 in the contest while Weck ended the evening with nine saves, two shy of a career-high.

The loss brought an end to the careers of Lauren Knight (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township HS), Sarah Lowicki (Burlington, Ontario/Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School), Velez, Rogers, Tindell, and Speckmaier. The departing senior class tallied 72 wins including Roger's redshirt season in 2012, continued FGCU's run to seven-straight regular season titles, and delivered FGCU's first NCAA Tournament win in 2015 while making four NCAA Tournament appearances (including the redshirt season).

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.
 
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the ASUN Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 10 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to nine double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles and became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles went on to win the 2014 ASUN Tournament and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus. The Eagles earned their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship and won their first NCAA game at USF in 2015, while finishing 24th in the nation. In 2016, the Eagles made it three-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with a third-straight ASUN Tournament title. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 129-47-20 (70.7 W%) overall record through the first 10 seasons of the program's existence, including a 66-10-11 (81.8 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 369-118-31 (74.3 W%) over 25 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
 
#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.