TAMPA, Fla. – Two years removed from the program's first NCAA Tournament victory, the FGCU women's soccer team returns to the site of the win when the Eagles take on the #25 USF Bulls Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Green and Blue make their sixth NCAA trip in seven seasons of eligibility following their sixth ASUN Tournament title in seven seasons. The match can be stream live through GoUSFBulls.com and live stats will also be available.

For those looking to make the trip to Tampa, tickets can be purchased in advance or the day of the match through GoUSFBulls.com.  

SERIES HISTORY
FGCU and USF have played only twice in either the regular season or post-season with each side coming away with a victory. USF defeated FGCU in the first non-exhibition between the two teams in 2014 before the Eagles claimed their historic 2-1 NCAA Tournament win in 2015.

The Green and Blue made the trip to Tampa for an exhibition in August where the teams played to a 2-2 draw over three 30-minute periods. FGCU took a 2-0 lead after the first 30 minutes but USF tallied a goal in each of the next two stanzas to draw level.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU's road to the NCAA Tournament took a new path as the Eagles had to travel for the first time in program history. The Eagles handled No. 6 Jacksonville to open play in Nashville, eliminating the Dolphins with a 2-0 victory but Sunday's Final was a much tougher task.

Facing the top-seeded Lipscomb Bisons, FGCU fell behind 2-0 before storming back with goals from Holly Fritz (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS/Florida State) and Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS) to force overtime. In the second OT, Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway/Sogndal Vidaregåande Skule/Carson Newman) netted the winner to book FGCU's ticket to the tournament.

Following the match, Fritz, Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park County School/Rutgers), and Ashley Parks (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette HS) were named to the All-Tournament Team with Ness taking home MVP honors.

EAGLES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
FGCU is 1-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with its lone victory coming in 2015 against USF. Previously, FGCU has faced Florida (2011, 2012, 2016) three times and played host to Auburn in 2014.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
FGCU was rewarded with an ASUN-record 11 all-conference honorees last week following an eighth-straight regular season title. Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) and Parks were named the ASUN's Goalkeeper and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively to headline the honorees.

In addition to the aforementioned Parks and Weck, six Eagles were named to the First Team. Hudson, Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Porto Seguro/West Florida), Patton, and Fritz earned First Team honors alongside the superlative winners.

Knudstrup and Ness brought home Second Team accolades while Cassidy Morgan (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay HS), Zoey Spitzer (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS), and Hope Van Wagner (Avon, Ind./Avon HS) were named to the All-Freshmen Team.

#25 USF
USF upset #5 UCF to earn the AAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls finished the season 12-3-2 and 7-1-1 in the American and jumped to No. 15 in the RPI following the victory. 

Eleven Bulls have scored this season for USF, led by Evelyne Viens' 11 goals. Five of Viens' goals have been match-winners. In total, USF has scored 33 goals and limited opponents to 20.

Kai Elliot has played in 17 matches, compiling nearly 1500 minutes for USF. Elliot enters the tournament with a 1.15 goals against average.

ASUN WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
FGCU ended the season with seven weekly award winners, the most of any program in the ASUN.

The list of award-winners include:
Aug. 21 – Lindsey Patton (Defensive Player of the Week)
Aug. 28 – Marjorie Boilesen (Player of the Week)
Sept. 5 – Holly Fritz (Player of the Week)
Sept. 11 – Melissa Weck (Defensive Player of the Week
Oct. 2 – Nikki Hudson (Player of the Week)
Oct. 9 – Zoey Spitzer (Defensive Player of the Week)
Oct. 16 – Camille Knudstrup (Defensive Player of the Week)
 
WHERE THEY RANK
FGCU is well represented both as a team and individually among the nation's statistical leaders heading into the weekend. Below is a full listing of FGCU's team and individual national ranks.

As a team:

Category	Rank	Value
Points Per Game	2	8.56 Pts/Gm
Assists Per Game	3	3.00 A/Gm
Total Points	3	154
Total Assists	4	54
Scoring Offense	4	2.78 G/Gm
Total Goals	4	50
Shutout Percentage	15	61.1%
Win-Loss-Tie Percentage	16	.806
Goals Against Average	22	.598

 
Individually:

Category	Player	Rank	Value
Assists Per Game	Holly Fritz	5	0.56 A/Gm
Total Assists	Holly Fritz	7	10
Assists Per Game	Marjorie Boilesen	11	.5 A/Gm
Points Per Game	Marjorie Boilesen	14	1.72 Pts/Gm
Total Assists	Marjorie Boilesen	15	9
Total Points	Marjorie Boilesen	19	31
Goals Against Average	Melissa Weck	26	.579
Shutouts	Melissa Weck	28	9.2

 
LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE
At 14-3-1 overall, FGCU is closing in on yet another potentially historic campaign. A closer look at the schedule shows just how impressive the season has been.

Two of FGCU's losses have come against RPI Top 100 programs, including the No. 3 overall team in terms of RPI and the #3 team overall in the latest coaches poll, South Carolina. The 2-1 loss to the Gamecocks was controversial, ultimately decided by a penalty decision late in the match.

The Eagles' second loss, a 2-1 decision to Arizona State, nearly went in FGCU's favor. The Green and Blue had multiple chances early against the Sun Devils but they could not find the back of the net early.

FGCU's biggest win this season is a 1-0 result at RPI No. 26 Arizona. The Wildcats are currently receiving 44 votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Association poll.

ASUN DOMINATION
Since joining the ASUN conference, the Eagles have been the gold-standard. For eight-straight seasons, the Green and Blue have lifted the ASUN regular season trophy and for five of the last six seasons, FGCU has earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Under Jim Blankenship, the Eagles hold a 71-11-14 record against conference foes in the regular season, a record that only improves when the conference tournament is included (13-0-1).

As part of that impressive run, the Green and Blue were unbeaten over the course of 49 matches against conference foes, including the conference tournament.  From 2012 to 2017, the streak was the fourth-longest in NCAA history.

FGCU also maintains an impressive home record against ASUN foes. The Eagles are 31-1-3 in their last 35 regular season home conference matches. The run of 34-straight unbeaten prior to Tuesday's loss was third-longest in the country at the time.

Below is FGCU's record during the regular season and the conference tournament:

	ASUN Regular Season			ASUN Tournament
Year	W	L	T	W	L	T
2007	7	4	0	-	-	-
2008	5	2	3	-	-	-
2009	6	2	2	-	-	-
2010*	8	0	2	-	-	-
2011*&	7	1	1	2	0	0
2012*&	7	1	1	2	0	0
2013*	7	0	2	1	0	1
2014*&	7	0	0	2	0	0
2015*&	6	0	1	2	0	0
2016*&	6	0	1	2	0	0
2017*&	5	1	1	2	0	0
Overall	71	11	14	13	0	1

_{*Indicates ASUN Regular Season Title
& Indicates ASUN Tournament Title and NCAA Tournament berth}

INCOMING CLASS RECEIVES PRAISE
The 13 newcomers brought in by head coach Jim Blankenship ranks among the best incoming classes in the United States. According to a frequent researcher and respected soccer-community member, FGCU has the 17th-best incoming class across all Division I programs. This class, according to Soccerhunter on BigSoccer.com, has FGCU in front on programs such as Florida, Wake Forest, and USF.

The newcomers have already made an impact tallying 34 goals and 30 assists.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Eagles come in at 11th in the Southeast Region alongside the likes of South Carolina, Florida, UCF, Alabama, and Arkansas. Of the 15 teams ranked in the regional poll, 12 made the NCAA Tournament out of the Southeast Region. Of those teams, four are from the state of Florida.

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 11 double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. 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. A year later, the Eagles became the first ASUN women's soccer program to make four-straight NCAA Tournaments with another tournament title in 2017. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 143-50-21 (71.4 W%) overall record through the first 11 seasons of the program's existence, including a 71-11-14 (81.3 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 383-121-32 (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.