FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team let a late lead slip away Sunday afternoon before lightning ruined any chance of a potential comeback. Leading 3-1, the Eagles (3-4) conceded three goals in the final 30 minutes to UCF (5-3), dropping a 4-3 decision to the Knights. With 3:41 left on the clock, lightning struck within the warning area and play would not resume.

"That's a tough way to go down," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "To have a 3-1 lead and not be able to close it out hurts. We had our chances to finish them off but we just couldn't. We'll learn from it and get ready for Thursday."
 











After nearly giving up an early goal, FGCU got on the board first with a Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida) header off of a cross from Meaghan Mulligan (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck High School/Tennessee). The Eagles doubled their lead on a Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) goal to make it 2-0 only for the Knights to score right before halftime to make it 2-1. Coming out of halftime, UCF pressed forward in search of the equalizer only for Tindell to score her second of the game. UCF began its comeback with a goal in the 62nd minute to make it 3-2 before tying the match with just over 10 minutes remaining and then the Knights took the lead in the 86th minute. Shortly after, lightning forced both teams to leave the field before the match was called. According to Rule 7.5, a match cannot be restarted more than three hours after the original start time of the match unless mutually agreed upon by both coaches.

The Eagles got off to a flying start after receiving a bit of luck. Just minutes after UCF's Saga Fredriksson struck the ball off the post, Emilie Olsen (Frekhaug, Norway/Tertnes VGS) gathered the ball along the right side, beat her mark and tested Vera Varis for the first time. The goalkeeper made the save but FGCU earned a corner in the process. Mulligan played the corner short to Tindell, who played it back out wide to Mulligan. The midfielder crossed it back across goal to Speckmaier, who smartly headed it home to put FGCU in front 1-0.

Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) was called upon in the 24th minute to make her first save and was put in a dangerous position again when a handball was called just outside the box. The Knight's Carol Rodrigues took the ensuing free kick and hit it over the bar.

Tindell had a shot blocked a few moments later but put herself on the scoresheet in the 28th minute. Tindell gathered an errant pass in the middle third of the field and beat the UCF backline to put herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The forward beat Varis with ease to double the Eagle advantage.
The Knights pulled a goal back in the final moments of the first half when Carlin Huegli finished her chance from the top of the box, cutting the FGCU lead to 2-1.

UCF attempted to tie the match early in the second half, earning two corners early in the half. FGCU dealt with both and doubled its lead again in the 57th minute. Olsen and Mulligan found Tindell along the left side and the senior showed her brilliance. After gaining possession, Tindell beat her mark and raced to the endline before cutting into the center of the box. The forward scored her second goal of the game, beating Veras at the near post to put FGCU in front 3-1.

It was all Eagles as Tindell again was alone with the 'keeper in the box but Veras, this time, made the save. Her rebound fell to the feet of Mulligan who also had a shot saved by Veras. Moments later, Tindell gathered the ball 40 yards from goal and tried to beat Veras who came 25 yards off her line. The goalkeeper managed to block the ball with her chest, avoiding touching the ball with her hands but again sent a rebound to an Eagle on the other side of the field. This time, Speckmaier collected it and tested Veras who was sprinting back toward goal but her shot went high.

The Knights refused to go away, again cutting the lead to just one goal in the 62nd minute. Rodrigues had a shot blocked at the top of the box, but gathered her own rebound and found the back of the net with her second effort.

Speckmaier had a shot saved in the 65th minute before Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) and Olsen had shots blocked in the 72nd minute of play as FGCU looked to regain its two-goal advantage.

The match turned in the 80th minute when UCF earned a free kick 35 yards from goal. Carrie Lawrence served the ball into the box, bouncing past multiple players. Bridget Callahan settled the service, turned and tied the match at three. Five minutes later, the Knights grabbed the lead off a corner. Despite Weck making the initial save on a bicycle kick attempt, Hannah DeBose finished off the rebound at the near post.

The match came to a stop with 3:41 seconds left on the clock when lightning struck within the seven-mile radius. The Eagles would never retake the field, falling 4-3 to the Knights.

Both teams finished with 13 shots and eight on goal. Weck made four saves in the match.

UP NEXT
FGCU is back in action Friday against Liberty at 4 p.m. in Lynchburg, Va. From there, FGCU returns home to face St. Bonaventure in the final non-conference match before Atlantic Sun play begins.

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 now 2015, 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 nine seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to nine double-digit win seasons, culminating with Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN tournament championships 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 host 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. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 117-45-19 (70.7 W%) overall record through the first ten seasons of the program's existence, including a 60-9-10 (76.2 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 357-116-30 (74.3 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.
 
#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.