FORT MYERS, FL – After a scoreless first half, the FGCU men's soccer team (7-3-1, 3-1-0 ASUN) tallied two goals in a little over 20 minutes in the second frame to shut out Liberty (5-5-1, 1-2-1), 2-0, Tuesday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex. With the win, the Green and Blue now hold sole possession of first place in the ASUN.

"I was a little surprised because they sat pretty deep and we didn't really have any answers, we weren't really dangerous and they did a great job of taking away space in the first half," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "The guys did a very good job coming out early in the second half and getting behind them. The goal was to get a clean sheet because defensively we've conceded five in the last three games. We were successful in doing that and I thought the guys defended pretty well."  

FGCU had its opportunities in the first half, firing 10 shots with four coming on goal but the Eagles would walk into the locker room knotted up at zero with the visiting Flames. Less than 10 minutes coming out of the break, O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/ Northview Heights Secondary) intercepted a Liberty defender just outside the 18-yard box, dribbling into the penalty area and dishing it to Ivan Rosales (Pasadena, Texas/Sam Rayburn/San Jacinto) for the easy tap-in. In the 69th minute, this time it was Mullings on the scoring side, pouncing on a shot from Rosales that was saved, making it 2-0 en route to the clean sheet.

FGCU controlled the majority of the possession in the first half, racking up five shots after the first 25 minutes, with three being denied by Liberty keeper Brogan Engbers. The next closest opportunity would arrive just four minutes before the half as a ball inside the five-yard box settled by Kamar Marriott (Tampa, Fla./Heritage) was secured.

Heading into the second period, FGCU ramped up the offense, firing four shots over an eight-minute period until finally getting on the board in the 54th. Pressuring the Flame's backline, Mullings broke through with a steal 20-yards from the goal, alluding the keeper with a pass to his right to Rosales for the score – his second of the year.

In the 69th minute, it was Rosales creating the attack, leading to FGCU's second goal. Playing with space, the Texas native roped a shot that was blocked from about 10-yards out. The rebound fell right in front of Mullings who finished with ease, making it his sixth goal of the year.

Liberty's closest threat came off a set piece in the 83rd minute. Isidoro Garcia sent a curling shot to Gustavo Vasconcelos' (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) right but a diving save from the Brazilian preserved the 2-0 triumph. He now moves to 6-2-1 this season while collecting his third clean sheet of the season.

FGCU ended the contest with a season-high 23 shots with nine coming on frame. Vasconcelos and his backline saw five shots come their way in the second period.


UPDATED ASUN STANDINGS

School	Pts	ASUN	Overall
FGCU	9	3-1-0	7-3-1
Jacksonville	6	2-0-0	2-9-0
Lipscomb	6	2-1-0	3-8-0
Liberty	4	1-2-1	5-5-1
UNF	3	1-1-0	2-8-0
Stetson	1	0-1-1	5-6-1
NJIT	0	0-3-0	5-7-0

 
UP NEXT
FGCU will hit the road and travel to Orlando, FL to face #19 UCF (8-2-1, 2-1-0 AAC) on Tuesday, October 16 at 7 p.m. Along with the #19-ranking, the Knights hold an RPI of 27. The Eagles lead the all-time series 3-1-2 winning the last two by scores of 3-1 and 1-0.   

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men's soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER
Jesse Cormier is in his second season as head coach of the FGCU men's soccer program after being hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. Cormier has guided FGCU to a 15-9-4 (.607) record overall, including an 8-6-3 (4-1-1 ASUN) mark in his 1st season with the team in 2017. The Eagles reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for the 7th-straight season (every year of eligibility), as Cormier coached a program-record 10 all-conference selections. Cormier was the head coach at his alma mater the University of Vermont for the previous 13 seasons. He won 14 games with the Catamounts in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. During his time with Vermont, Cormier guided the program to the America East Tournament in 12 of 13 seasons, making five title game appearances, winning two tournament crowns, claiming a regular-season championship and advancing to three NCAA tournaments, including a pair of Second Round appearances. Cormier holds an overall 129-97-51 (.558) record as a head coach in his fourteen plus seasons at the helm.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE
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