LYNCHBURG, Va. – Entering the final weekend of the 2016 season before the beginning of Atlantic Sun play, the FGCU women's soccer team will feature both on the road and at home. First up for the Eagles is a road contest Friday afternoon against Liberty before the Green and Blue return home for a Sunday afternoon meeting with St. Bonaventure.
Friday's match, scheduled to start at 4 p.m., will be streamed live on the Liberty Flames Sports Network available through LibertyFlames.com. In addition, live stats will also be available via the Flames website.
When FGCU returns home Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest with St. Bonaventure, the Eagles will host a free post-match skills clinic. Fifteen minutes after the conclusion of the match, all kids 12 and under are invited to join the staff and team on the field for a free 30-minute clinic.
For fans who are unable to attend, the match will be streamed live on ASUN.tv and live stats will also be provided on FGCUathletics.com.
Tickets for individual matches remain at $7 for adults and $5 for youth and military. An All Sports Pass is again available at $100, which gives fans admission to all ticketed FGCU home regular season events, excluding men's and women's basketball. Group rates are also available for matches. For more information, please call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145. Tickets can also be purchased at FGCUTickets.com.
LAST TIME OUT
FGCU suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to UCF Sunday. Holding a 3-1 lead behind two
Tabby Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) goals and another from
Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida), the Eagles surrendered three goals in the final 30 minutes to the visiting Knights.
Lightning then brought an end to the match with less than five minutes remaining, ending any chance of an Eagle response.
With her three goals last week, Tindell took the team lead with four goals and two assists on the year. Meanwhile,
Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) is second on the team with two goals.
Meaghan Mulligan (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck High School/Tennessee) and newcomer
Emilie Olsen (Frekhaug, Norway/Tertnes VGS) are tied for the team lead with two assists.
Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) has logged every minute for the Green and Blue in goal, posting a 1.12 goals against average.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
After dropping the first three contests to start the year, including a 4-0 loss to then No. 4 Virginia, the Flames have won four-straight to run their record to 4-3. Liberty has not surrendered a goal since Sept. 2, a 3-2 win over Appalachian State, a span of more than 340 minutes. This isn't the first stingy defense FGCU has faced, however. The Eagles ended a run of nearly 340 minutes for the Miami Hurricanes last week in a 1-0 win for FGCU.
Similar to FGCU, Liberty has scored seven goals and allowed eight through seven matches. Isabella Habuda and Gabrielle Farrell have two goals each to their name in 2016, tying for the team lead. Sierra Lam has recorded three assists this season to lead the Flames.
In goal, Holly Van Noord has played the majority of the minutes for Liberty, posting a 1.17 goals against average. Van Noord has been in goal for the entirety of the shutout streak.
Friday marks the first meeting between the Eagles and Flames.
SCOUTING THE BONNIES
St. Bonaventure heads to Boca Raton Friday with a 2-3-1 record to take on the FAU Owls before making the trip to Fort Myers. After starting the season 0-2-1, the Bonnies have outscored opponents 10-2 over the past three matches, highlighted by a 6-0 win over Youngstown State. Marley Jarvis leads St. Bona with three goals and is helped along by a trio of goal scorers with two goals each.
Lauren Malcolm has started every match for the Bonnies, posting one clean sheet to bring her goals against average to 1.29. Malcom has posted a .800 save percentage through the first six games.
Sunday will be the first meeting between FGCU and St. Bonaventure.
#TINDELLTRACKER
Already atop the FGCU record books in goals scored (56) and points (136), Tindell now has her sights set on FGCU's assists record and multiple ASUN records as well. The senior forward has four goals and two assists already in 2016 and is now four assists away from tying FGCU's assists record of 28, currently held by 2013 graduate Ashley Ciesielczyk.
Should Tindell score five more goals, the Ocala-native will be tied atop the ASUN record book with 61 career goals. Should she add another goal to break the record or tally two more assists, Tindell will share the title of the ASUN's all-time points leader. Centenary's Shelley Marusak (1993-1995) is currently the all-time leading goal scorer in ASUN history while Jacksonville's Marit Foss (1997-2000) headlines the ASUN's points category.
ASUN Records
|
GOALS |
|
|
|
|
POINTS |
|
|
| 1 |
Shelley Marusak |
Cent 93-95 |
61 |
|
1 |
Marit Foss |
JU 97-00 |
148 |
| 2 |
Mirela Ninic |
Mercer 96-99 |
60 |
|
2 |
Kara Fitzgerald |
GSU 94-97 |
143 |
| 3 |
Jenn Stephenson |
Campbell 94-97 |
60 |
|
3 |
Shelley Marusak |
Cent 93-95 |
141 |
| 4 |
Kara Fitzgerald |
GSU 94-97 |
57 |
|
4 |
Mirela Ninic |
Mercer 96-99 |
140 |
| 5 |
Tabby Tindell |
FGCU 13-16 |
56 |
|
5 |
Tabby Tindell |
FGCU 13-16 |
136 |
| 6 |
Stine Kloster |
JU 97-00 |
53 |
|
6 |
Leeanna Woodworth |
GWU 02-05 |
135 |
| 7 |
Keri Zwikker |
JU 05-08 |
49 |
|
7 |
Jenn Stephenson |
Campbell 94-97 |
133 |
| 8 |
Leeanna Woodworth |
GW 02-05 |
49 |
|
8 |
Stine Kloster |
JU 97-00 |
126 |
| 9 |
Chandra Yorgason |
GSU 97-00 |
47 |
|
9 |
Keri Zikker |
JU 05-08 |
122 |
| 10 |
Marit Foss |
JU 97-00 |
39 |
|
10 |
Chandra Yorgason |
GSU 97-00 |
117 |
FGCU Program Records
|
GOALS |
|
|
|
POINTS |
|
| 1 |
Tabby Tindell (13-16) |
56 |
|
1 |
Tabby Tindell (13-16) |
136 |
| 2 |
Shannen Wacker (11-14) |
28 |
|
2 |
Shannen Wacker (11-14) |
83 |
| 3 |
Amber McCall (07-09) |
24 |
|
3 |
Lindsay Haw (07-10) |
68 |
| 4 |
Lindsay Haw (07-10) |
23 |
|
4 |
Amber McCall (07-09) |
57 |
| 5 |
Paulina Speckmaier (13-16) |
20 |
|
5 |
Paulina Speckmaier (13-16) |
56 |
| 6 |
Ally Kasun (12-15) |
17 |
|
6 |
Ally Kasun (12-15) |
53 |
| 7 |
Gina Petracco (08-11) |
16 |
|
7 |
Gina Petracco (08-11) |
44 |
| 8 |
Olivia Elias (08-11) |
12 |
|
8 |
Ashley Ciesielczyk (08-12) |
40 |
| 9 |
Shea Rhoney (12-15) |
10 |
|
9 |
Olivia Elias (08-11) |
36 |
|
Jess Swartzentruber (09-12) |
10 |
|
10 |
Shea Rhoney (12-15) |
33 |
|
ASSISTS |
|
| 1 |
Ashley Ciesielczyk (08-12) |
28 |
| 2 |
Shannen Wacker (11-14) |
27 |
| 3 |
Tabby Tindell (13-16) |
24 |
| 4 |
Lindsay Haw (07-10) |
22 |
| 5 |
Ally Kasun (12-15) |
19 |
| 6 |
Melissa Arnold (11-14) |
18 |
| 7 |
Paulina Speckmaier (13-16) |
16 |
| 8 |
Caytlan Mackenzie (07-10) |
15 |
| 9 |
Shea Rhoney (12-15) |
13 |
| 10 |
Olivia Elias (08-11) |
12 |
|
Gina Petracco (08-11) |
12 |
UP NEXT
ASUN play kicks off with an in-state rivalry for the Green and Blue. The Eagles welcome the Hatters of Stetson Friday to begin conference play and the quest for a seventh-straight regular season crown. FGCU also faces Fairleigh Dickinson Sunday to conclude the weekend.
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.
