FORT MYERS, FL- It's a big weekend on the pitch at the FGCU Soccer Complex as the Eagles host the Niagara Purple Eagles Friday at 7 PM followed by a 1 PM matinee tilt against the Michigan Wolverines Sunday.   

LAST TIME OUT- The Eagles earned a huge victory last Friday in Tuscaloosa downing Alabama 4-2 to earn the programs first road win over an SEC opponent in program history. 
 
FGCU raced out to a 2-0 lead at the half behind goals from Cassidy Morgan (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay HS) and Holly Fritz (Cape Coral, FL/Mariner HS/Florida State) before going ahead 4-0 early in the second half on tallies from Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Porto Seguro/West Florida) and Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Nikola Vaptsarov/Northwestern Ohio).  In net, ASUN Defensive Player of the Week Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) was on point, keeping the Tide off the board for the first 80 minutes of play for the Eagles. 
 
POLLS- FGCU got a little bit more respect in this weeks United Soccer Coaches South Region poll, moving up two spots to #6.  USF remains atop the rankings at 2-1-0 while SMU sneaks up to #2 at 2-1-1.  The Eagles are the only ASUN squad ranked in the poll.  
 
POWER 5 SUCCESS- The Green and Blue have not backed down from battles with the Power 5's over the past few years, posting a 7-8-1 record against those schools since 2014.  Of the eight losses, seven have come by just a single goal.  With their win over Alabama, FGCU has now recorded a win over a Power 5 in six straight seasons. 
 
ACTIVE NCAA LEADER- Averaging 0.55 assists per game during her FGCU career, Boilesen ranks first among all active NCAA Division I players in the category. After Boilesen, the list is Laadi Issaka (Mississippi Valley State) at 0.52, Bri Folds (Auburn) at 0.42, Ella Stevens (Duke) at 0.39, and Maria Sanchez (Santa Clara) at 0.36.  
 
THE NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES
The Purple Eagles are off to their best start since 2014, coming into Friday's contest at 2-1-0 in the early going.  After a disappointing 4-1 loss in their opener to Bucknell, they bounced back with a 2-0 win over Cleveland State and then a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Robert Morris Sunday at home. 
 
Freshman Annie Ibey has been at the forefront of the Niagara attack thus far as she leads the team with two goals and five points while ranking second on the team with 11 shots through three games.  This week she was rewarded for her efforts by being named the MAAC Rookie of the Week. 
 
Friday will mark the first meeting between the Eagles and the Purple Eagles.
 
THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
The Wolverines came into the 2018 season with renewed expectations after  rough 2017 that saw them finish 6-6-6 overall and miss the Big 10 Tournament for the first time in six seasons. 
 
They opened the year with three straight wins over Boston, Western Michigan, and Marquette before dropping a 3-1 decision to Louisville in Ann Arbor a week ago.  Thursday they hit the road for the first time in 2018 and were blanked 4-0 by Wake Forest. 
 
Michigan's offense was potent through four games, scoring nine goals including four from sophomore Nicki Hernandez who beat the keeper in all four of the Wolverines contests to start the season. 
 
Sunday also marks the first meeting between FGCU and Michigan. 

TICKETS
Single game tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for youth (age 3-15) and Military w/ID.  Season tickets are $55 each (one ticket to all 11 home games) which saves 28% off of the adult single game rate.  Fall Frequent Flyer Cards are $99 each and include 26 entries to regular season home women's soccer, men's soccer, and volleyball matches. Those 26 admissions can be used for multiple people in any combination and save 45% off the adult single game rate.  All Sports Passes are $172 and include a Fall Frequent Flier Card as well as Frequent Flier Cards for Baseball and Softball and save over 70% off of the adult single game rate. Contact the FGCU ticket office at 239-590-7145 for more information.

PROMOTIONS
This weekend will bring a host of promotions to the FGCU Soccer Complex including a Greenout, Azul appearances before the game and at halftime, and Shirts for Shots Friday night.  Sunday is youth day as all kids 12 and under get in free! There will also be free freeze pops for the first 300 fans, a Whiteout, Inflatable Games, Futbol Sunday, and more.  For a complete listing of promotions for the 2018 season CLICK HERE. 

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 145-51-21 (71.7 W%) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 71-11-14 (81.1 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 385-122-32 (74.4 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.