FORT MYERS, Fla. – After having to wait an extra week to begin its march toward an unprecedented 7th-straight ASUN regular-season title, the FGCU women's soccer team (7-4-0, 1-0-0 ASUN) rolled to 4-0 win over visiting USC Upstate (0-10-2, 0-2-0 ASUN) Friday night behind yet another historical performance from Tabby Tindell.
 
Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) played a part in all four goals as she scored twice and assisted on the other two to break the ASUN career points record of 148 (Marit Fox, Jacksonville, 1997-00). The senior now has 150 career points as she posted the third six-point game of her career. The six points are tied for the 4th-most in program single-game history.
 
Emilie Olsen (Frekhaug, Norway/Tertnes VGS) tallied the other two goals for the Eagles as she doubled her season output in that category in one evening. Freshman goalkeeper Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) secured her sixth shutout in 11 games to begin her collegiate career as she made three saves.
 
With just over 5 minutes remaining in the contest, lightning struck within an 8-mile radius of the FGCU Soccer Complex. The game was declared final as more than 70 minutes had been played, and both coaches were in agreement.
 
In addition to the aforementioned records for Tindell, the forward moved into a tie atop the ASUN record book for career goals with 61 (Shelley Marusak, Centenary, 1993-95), and also moved into a tie for the program's career assists record with 28 alongside Ashley Ciesielczyk (2008-12).
 
"I'm really pleased with the result," stated FGCU head coach Jim Blakenship. "It was a great start. We got two early goals, and they were really quality goals. I liked the way we played and pushed the tempo. It was important to get three points in our ASUN opener. It was also nice to see Tabby and Emilie both score twice and pick up right where they left, and I couldn't be more happy for Tabby to get the points record tonight."
 
For the match, FGCU out-shot the Spartans, 25-3, and dominated the corners, 12-1, as the Eagles ended up putting 12 shots on target.
 
The Eagles wasted little time in taking control of the match as Olsen delivered the opening punch just 85 seconds off the opening kick. From the middle of the pitch, Tindell delivered a pass to the right onto Olsen's run, and the Norwegian one-timed an effort from just inside the top of the box into the left netting.
 
Just minutes later, Tindell was taken down just inside the top of the 18 and stepped up to take the penalty kick. The lethal attacker drilled her first PK of the year just inside the right post.
 
In the 20th minute, Tindell once again displayed why she's one of the best strikers in the nation with a brilliant pair of moves to leave two Upstate defenders behind. The play began with a long ball up the left sideline by Meaghan Mulligan (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck HS/Tennessee). Tindell ran on to it, crossed over one defender just outside the box, dribbled past another inside the box, took one more touch and then shot back across her body and to the right of Upstate keeper Brooke Bailey.
 
The Green and Blue took that 3-0 lead into the halftime break as the Eagles out-shot the Spartans, 14-1, out-cornered them, 4-0, and forced Bailey into five saves in the opening 45 minutes.
 
The lead ballooned to four early in the second half when Olsen finished her second of the evening. Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida) played a ball to Tindell, who ended up with the primary assist as he passed to her left and Olsen ripped a shot from just beyond the top of the 18 off a diving Bailey's hand and into the top-right corner.
 
That was all the scoring the Green and Blue would need as the Eagles extended their winning streak to four – which is now tied for the 13th-longest in the nation.
 
The Eagles are now a dominant 25-0-1 in the last 26 regular-season home conference matches, the 3rd-longest active streak in the NCAA. FGCU has not lost a regular season home match in ASUN play since 2009. Additionally, FGCU is now unbeaten in 27-straight matches against conference foes in all competitions, the longest active streak in Division I. FGCU's last loss to any conference foe came Oct. 5, 2012, a 2-0 defeat at North Florida.
 
In addition to the women's soccer team, the FGCU men's soccer team has won seven in a row – the longest streak in the country – and the FGCU volleyball team has won 14 consecutive – the 2nd-longest run in the nation. Combined, the three programs have won an incredible 25 matches in a row.
 
The women's soccer team will look to extend its streak when it returns to the pitch on Sunday to face NJIT (5-5-1, 1-1-0 ASUN) at 1 p.m. The Highlanders opened their ASUN campaign with a 3-0 win at USC Upstate last Saturday before dropping a 3-2 decision at Stetson on Friday night. Sunday's match is a Pinkout. Shirts will be on sale at the match for $10 with proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
 
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. 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. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 122-46-19 (70.3 W%) overall record through the first 10 seasons of the program's existence, including a 61-10-10 (81.5 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 362-117-30 (74.1 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.