NASHVILLE, Tenn. – While the challenge may be different the goal remains the same for the FGCU women's soccer team. For the first time in the program's history, the Eagles hit the road for the ASUN Championships in search of its fourth-straight NCAA appearance. First up for the Eagles, who enter as the No. 2 seed, is a semifinal match with the No. 6 Jacksonville Dolphins who upset No. 3 Stetson in the quarterfinals.
The winner between FGCU and Jacksonville will face the winner of No. 1 Lipscomb and No. 4 Kennesaw State. Should the Eagles win Friday and Sunday, they will return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row and sixth time in seven years.
FGCU and Lipscomb split a share of the ASUN regular season title, but due to Lipscomb's win at FGCU earlier in the season, Lipscomb earned the right to host via the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Eagles and Dolphins are set for a 5 p.m. Eastern time start Friday in The Music City with the final set to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern. All matches will be aired on ESPN3.
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU earned its first win over Jacksonville in the River City on Oct. 14 behind a dominating performance. The Eagles scored five times in the win, marking the fourth time this season the Green and Blue have scored five or more times in a match.
With the win, FGCU improved to 5-2-6 all-time against Jacksonville. The Eagles' only two losses to Dolphins came in the first two meetings between the two sides in 2007 and 2008.
LAST TIME OUT
The Eagles ended the season on a high-note, honoring their eight seniors while also securing an eighth-straight ASUN regular season title. FGCU finished off a 3-0 victory behind goals from
Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway/Sogndal Vidaregåande Skule/Carson Newman),
Lindsey Patton (Jacksonville, Fla./Oakleaf HS) and
Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS) and with the help of Kennesaw State, finished with a share of the ASUN title.
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
Ashley Parks (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette HS) 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.
Nikki Hudson (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park County School/Rutgers),
Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Porto Seguro/West Florida), Patton, and
Holly Fritz (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS/Florida State) 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.
ASUN TOURNAMENT HISTORY
FGCU is 11-0-1 all-time in ASUN Tournament play though this will be the Green and Blue's first appearance as a No. 2 seed. FGCU's only setback came in 2013 when the Jacksonville Dolphins defeated FGCU 5-3 in penalties.
The Eagles have outscored opponents 28-4 in ASUN Tournament games and have never conceded more than once in a single contest.
When it comes to overtime in tournament play, the Eagles are 2-0-1 though FGCU has not faced an overtime situation since 2013.
Only UCF has more tournament titles than the Eagles. The Knights left the ASUN with eight tournament crowns. Furthermore, only Jacksonvile has more wins in the ASUN Tournament among current ASUN members despite having 12 fewer appearances.
No. 6 JACKSONVILLE
A pair of Sope Akindoju goals proved to be the difference in JU's upset of Stetson last week. Akindoju now has a team-leading seven goals on the season along with two assists. Zoe Zinis adds four goals in the attack while Joelle D'Entremont has scored twice.
Brittany Hundley proved her worth during the regular season, making 69 saves in 12 matches. Hundley enters the semifinal with a 1.89 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)
RPI WATCH
FGCU dropped slightly in the latest RPI, checking in at No. 34. Among non-Power 5 programs, the Eagles have the eighth-highest RPI. In comparison, when FGCU hosted Auburn in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014, the Eagles were No. 26.
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 |
| Assists Per Game |
3 |
3.00 A/Gm |
| Points Per Game |
3 |
8.63 Pts/Gm |
| Total Assists |
4 |
48 |
| Scoring Offense |
4 |
2.81 G/Gm |
| Total Goals |
5 |
45 |
| Total Points |
5 |
138 |
| Shutout Percentage |
15 |
62.5% |
| Goals Against Average |
18 |
.555 |
| Win-Loss-Tie Percentage |
24 |
.781 |
Individually:
LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE
At 12-3-1 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. 2 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 (No. 93), 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. 19 Arizona. The Wildcats are currently receiving 19 votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Association poll.
ASUN STANDINGS
|
ASUN Record |
Overall Record |
| School |
Pts |
W |
L |
T |
W |
L |
T |
| No. 1 Lipscomb* |
16 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
| No. 2 FGCU* |
16 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
| No. 3 Stetson* |
11 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
| No. 4 Kennesaw St.* |
10 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
| No. 5 UNF* |
9 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
9 |
6 |
1 |
| No. 6 Jacksonville* |
6 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
10 |
0 |
| NJIT |
6 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
9 |
8 |
0 |
| USC Upstate |
4 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
10 |
1 |
*clinched a berth in the ASUN Championships
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 (11-0-1).
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 |
- |
- |
- |
| Overall |
71 |
11 |
14 |
11 |
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 30 goals and 26 assists through the regular season.
REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Eagles come in at 13th in the Southeast Region alongside the likes of South Carolina, Florida, UCF, Alabama, and Arkansas. FGCU currently has not received a vote in the national poll.
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, 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
141-50-21 (71.1 W%) overall record through the first 11 seasons of the program's existence, including a 71-11-14 (81.1 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of
381-121-32 (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.
