FORT MYERS, FL- Five players notched points and three scored goals for the FGCU Eagles (3-0-0) as they defended their home turf at the FGCU Soccer Complex Friday night with a 3-0 win over Niagara (2-2-0).

"It was a grinder" said Jim Blankenship.  "The result was great, but they were hard to crack and their system presented some problems for us.  Our kids did a phenomenal job of settling in at half and getting their feet under them for a strong second half."

It was a defensive battle early on as there were just three shots from the two teams combined in the first 24 minutes of play.

The Eagles got the scoring going in the 25^th minute as Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Nikola Vaptsarov/Northwestern Ohio) found Holly Fritz (Cape Coral, FL/Mariner HS/Florida State) just outside the box and she buried a spinning shot in the top 90 for her second of the year to put FGCU ahead 1-0. 

Much of the play for the final 20 minutes of the half occurred in the middle of the pitch as neither team was able to put together any quality chances as the game sailed to the horn at 1-0.

Niagara actually outshot FGCU five to three in the first half while each side put two shots on net. 

Eagles got a good look at goal early in the second half off of a corner from Frtiz but weren't able to capitalize, but they did capitalize moments later as Silvana Gordon (Medford, N.J./Shawnee HS) and Shay Jackson (Parkville, MO/Park Hill South HS) put together a good run before Jackson crossed one onto the foot of Popadinova for her third goal of the season to make it 2-0 FGCU. 

The Green and Blue continued to put pressure on the Purple Eagles with shot after shot as the game approached the 70^th minute.  Finally FGCU finished Niagara off with another well executed play as Opal Curless (Mount Desert, Maine/Mount Desert Island HS/Syracuse) played a ball from midfield to the top of the box where Jackson got a soft touch with her head to the foot of Gordon who didn't miss from short range to make it 3-0. 

Niagara would get three late shots off, one hitting the crossbar and two others sailing high as the Eagles finished off their clean sheet in a 3-0 victory. 

Gordon and Jackson led the Eagles off the bench as Gordon finished with a three point night on a goal and an assist and Jackson notched her first career multi-point game with a pair of helpers.  Popadinova scored for the third straight game for FGCU and now has eight points in three Eagle games to put her third in the ASUN with 2.67 points per night. Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) recorded her 21^st career shutout, making a pair of saves in the only two shots she saw on net in the contest. 

FGCU finished with a 13-9 shot advantage on the night and put six of those shots on net compared to just the two for the Purple Eagles.  The Eagles took six corners in the game while Niagara had just one, coming in the opening moments of the contest. 

UP NEXT
FGCU will have a short turn around as they return to the pitch on Sunday afternoon for a 1 PM matinee affair against the Michigan Wolverines.
The Eagles will look to continue their success against Power 5 opponents as they try to build upon a 7-8-1 record against them since 2014 as well as a streak of six straight years with a win over a Power 5.

SUNDAY PROMOTIONS
There will be a number of things going on at the stadium Sunday including 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

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.

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 146-51-21 (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 386-122-32 (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.