NASHVILLE, TN- All good things must come to an end.  Unfortunately for the FGCU Eagles (13-4-2) that came true on Sunday afternoon as they dropped their ASUN Semifinal contest to Lipscomb (13-4-2) 1-0 to bring their 2018 season to an end.

"It was a difficult day and a tough way to have the season come to an end" head coach Jim Blankenship said.  "I thought we played well and created plenty of opportunities, but credit to Lipscomb, they made the play when they needed to."

FGCU and Lipscomb met for the fourth straight season with the loser's season on the line Sunday.  The Eagles came out ready to go, playing with the wind in the first half on a blustery day in Nashville.  They put two shots on net in the first six minutes, quickly testing the ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year Kate Mason for the Lady Bisons. 

The Eagles continued to attack, playing nearly the entire first 20 minutes in the Lipscomb end, but couldn't break through as the game remained scoreless at the midway point of the first half. 

It was a stalemate from there into the half as neither team got a single shot off for the final 24 minutes of the period as they went to the break scoreless. 

FGCU got off all five shots taken in the first half and took both corners given in the first 45 minutes. 

Playing with the wind in the second half, Lipscomb finally showed some life as the second half got underway.  The Lady Bisons got their first shot off in the 48th minute and had their first real scoring chance in the 56th minute when Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) came up huge on a point blank chance from Lipscomb to keep it a 0-0 game. 

The Green and Blue answered with a pair of shots of their own and drew a pair of corners in the 66th minute to put pressure on the Lady Bisons.

The Eagles had a golden opportunity to net the go ahead goal in the 69th minute as Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Porto Seguro/West Florida) put a strike on net, but Mason made a game saving stop to keep FGCU off the board. 

Moments later the Eagles drew a corner and felt in control, but they never could have prepared for what was to come next.  Off of the FGCU corner, Lipscomb got a clean clear, quickly turning into a break going the other way for the Lady Bisons.  A three on two quickly turned to a three on one as an Eagle defender unsuccessfully attempted to break up the run near midfield.  Things got worse as a second Eagle defender also whiffed on a breakup attempt and in the blink of an eye, Lipsomb had a trio of attackers running at Weck unmarked.  Weck came out of the goal to try to cut off the angle and got a glove on the Lady Bisons shot, but it trickled into the net after the contact to give Lipscomb a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute. 

Playing with their backs to the wall, the Eagles pushed the pace into the win, getting three shots on goal in the next eight minutes, but again couldn't get any past the keeper as they continued to trail 1-0 with the clock closing in on the 10 minute mark. 

The Green and Blue pressured twice in the final 10 minutes, but again couldn't break through and as the final horn sounded, it was Lipscomb celebrating a 1-0 win to end the Eagles season.

All numbers on the box score besides the goal count pointed towards a dominating performance by the Eagles.  FGCU led shots 13-4, shots on goal 7-2, and corners 5-1, but it was Lipscomb's late goal that nullified all of those numbers. 

FGCU sees their season come to an end at 13-4-2 as they failed to reach the ASUN Finals for the first time in program history.  All four of the Eagles losses in 2018 came in 1-0 contests.  The loss also marks the Eagles first regulation loss in the ASUN Tournament in program history.  Lipscomb improves to 13-4-2 with the win and with the combination of North Alabama's second straight upset win over NJIT, the Lady Bisons punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament heading into the final.

2018 SEASONS FOR THE FGCU RECORD BOOKS
Evdokia Popadinova- 35 points (4th)
Marjorie Boilesen- 9 assists (7th)
Evdokia Popadinova- 1.84 points per game (4th)
Evdokia Popadinova- 14 goals (4th)
Evdokia Popadinova- 0.74 goals per game (5th)
Evdokia Popadinova- 6 game winning goals (4th)
Melissa Weck- .853 save percentage (3rd)
Melissa Weck- 0.59 goals against average (2nd)
Melissa Weck- 13 wins (6th)
 
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 11 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 156-55-23 (71.6 W%) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 76-14-14 (79.8 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 396-126-34 (74.3 W%) over 26 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.