NEWARK, NJ- FGCU (9-2-2, 3-2-0) fired 18 shots at the NJIT (10-3-1, 4-1-0) goal Thursday afternoon, but couldn't get any of them past the Highlanders keeper as they watched their second straight ASUN contest end in a 1-0 defeat.
"It obviously wasn't the result we were looking for" head coach
Jim Blankenship said. "It just makes the rest of our conference games that much more important now as we are forced to chase results."
FGCU dominated possession in the first half as NJIT seemed content to play back and defend their net.
Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Nikola Vaptsarov/Northwestern Ohio) put the Eagles first shot on net in the 8th minute, a good look from inside the 18, but couldn't squeak it past the keeper, a chance that later FGCU wouldn't take for granted.
The Green and Blue continued to pepper the Highlanders with shots, but rarely were able to put them on net as just one shot over the next 30 minutes found its mark and was forced to be saved as the game remained scoreless.
The Eagles put two more shots on net late in the first half, but again, couldn't beat the keeper as the game sailed to the break scoreless.
FGCU finished with eight first half shots, four on goal, while NJIT with just one long shot that didn't find its mark.
Just 1:28 into the second half, the Eagles had their best scoring chance of the night, but a shot that appeared to be headed to the back of the net for a 1-0 lead, instead rang off the crossbar for a near miss to keep things scoreless.
Moments later, an Eagle foul deep in the NJIT attacking third proved deadly as the Highlanders lofted a ball into the box on the free kick and buried it on the other end to take a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute.
FGCU continued to take their rips at the Highlander goal, but also continued to struggle putting the shots on net, managing just a single shot on goal over the final 38 minutes as they dropped their second straight 1-0 contest.
The Eagles outshot the Highlanders 18-7 in the game, but only held a 5-3 advantage at the end of the afternoon in shots on goal.
Popadinova and
Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, FL/George Jenkins HS) combined for all five of FGCU's shots on goal while
Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) made a pair of big saves late to keep the Eagles in the game.
The Eagles fall behind the pace in the ASUN standings with the loss, dropping to 9-2-2 overall and 3-2-0 in conference action. NJIT sets a program record with their 10th win, improving to 10-3-2 overall and keep pace in the league standings at 4-1-0 with 12 points.
FGCU won't have much time to lick their wounds as they take the pitch again Sunday in Georgia when they take on ASUN co-leaders Kennesaw State in a 1 PM first kick.
ASUN RESULTS THURSDAY
NJIT 1 FGCU 0
Kennesaw St. 2 Stetson 0
UPDATED ASUN STANDINGS
| School |
Pts |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. Kennesaw St. |
12 |
4-1-0 |
11-3-0 |
| NJIT |
12 |
4-1-0 |
10-3-1 |
| 3. Lipscomb |
9 |
3-0-0 |
8-3-2 |
| 4. FGCU |
9 |
3-2-0 |
9-2-2 |
| 5. North Alabama |
6 |
2-1-0 |
8-5-0 |
| 6. Jacksonville |
3 |
1-3-0 |
1-10-1 |
| 7. Stetson |
1 |
0-3-1 |
3-7-3 |
| North Florida |
1 |
0-3-1 |
5-6-1 |
| 9. Liberty |
0 |
0-2-0 |
1-9-0 |
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 152-53-23 (72.0 W%) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 74-13-14 (81.0 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 392-124-34 (74.5 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.
