SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A Lauren Greene penalty conversion and a pair of second-half goals from Cassidy Morgan secured a 3-1 win for the FGCU women's soccer team over USC Upstate Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Eagles (10-2-1, 3-0-1 ASUN) reach the 10-win mark for the 11th-straight season. Sunday's victory over the Spartans (6-7-1, 1-2-1) also runs FGCU's unbeaten streak to five matches and moves the Green and Blue into a tie for first place in the league.

"I'm really happy with the result today," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "It wasn't an easy trip at all so to get six points on the road is big. We had some really long moments where we played great soccer and we need to build on that. Now, we're looking forward to going home and getting ready for the next one."

The Eagles dominated play for the majority of the match, producing 14 shots in each half. Despite the discrepancy, FGCU had to wait until the 36th minute for Greene (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS) to break the deadlock. The senior converted from the penalty spot to send the Eagles into halftime with the lead. Morgan (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay HS) then scored the first of her two second-half goals in the 53rd minute. Five minutes after the Spartans scored to make it 2-1, Morgan tallied her second of the match to put FGCU back in front by a pair of goals.

USC Upstate's goal in the 64th minute of play ended a run of 480 scoreless minutes from the FGCU defense. The Eagles last allowed a goal in the 64th minute against Arizona State on Sept. 10.

FGCU hoped to get off to another strong start against the Spartans, earning three corners and producing three shots in the opening 13 minutes.

Both sides then hit the crossbar within a three-minute span. Holly Fritz (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS/Florida State) was the first, beating Brooke Bailey only for her shot to ricochet off the bar. Not long after, Autumn Gore had a chance against the run of play but her shot also hit the crossbar to keep the match scoreless.

Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway/Sogndal Vidaregåande Skule/Carson Newman), Fritz, Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Porto Seguro/West Florida), and Meaghan Mulligan (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck High School/Tennessee) continued to pester the Spartan goalkeeper, forcing her to remain busy from the 20th minute on. Mulligan's chance in the 34th minute produced FGCU's sixth corner of the half and ultimately the game's first goal.

Hope Van Wagner (Avon, Ind./Avon HS) served the ball into the box leading to a Spartan foul and on the ensuing set piece, Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS) was fouled in the box, drawing the whistle. Greene then stepped to the spot and scored her second goal of the season.

Leading 1-0 after 45 minutes, the Eagles would not wait long to increase the lead. Boilesen switched the attack to Morgan on the left in the 53rd minute and the freshman put on a wonderful display, putting the ball between the legs of her defender before smashing it past Bailey.

In front 2-0, Upstate grabbed a goal back in the 64th minute when Isabella Burns beat Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS), ending FGCU's shutout streak of 480 minutes and 38 seconds.

Morgan put any question of a comeback to rest when she netted a wonderful strike into the upper 90 to make it 3-1.

The Eagles continued to control play for the remainder of the match, not allowing the Spartans to get off another shot.

UP NEXT
ASUN play continues as the Eagles travel to Jacksonville to take on the Dolphins Saturday at 7 p.m.

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.
 
IRMA RELIEF DONATIONS
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, many individuals and families throughout Southwest Florida are still in desperate need of assistance. To aid in those relief efforts, FGCU Athletics will be collecting donations at all Eagle home games for the immediate future. Donation items most needed include: non-perishable food, clothing, household items and first-aid supplies. Additionally, those unable to attend upcoming home games can drop off donations in canisters located in the Alico Arena lobby. All donations will be given to those hardest hit in Lee and Collier counties.
 
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 139-49-21 (71.1 W%) overall record through the first 11 seasons of the program's existence, including a 69-10-14 (81.1 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 379-120-32 (74.2 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