FORT MYERS, FL – The FGCU men's soccer team returns for its second home game of the year when the squad welcomes rival USF Saturday night as former and founding head coach Bob Butehorn returns to The Nest for the first time since taking over the Bulls program in 2016.  
OPENING KICK
Saturday night's matinee will be the 12th all-time between both teams as the Eagles and Bulls battled to a 1-1 draw last season at Corbett Stadium with FGCU playing with 10 men the final 71 minutes.

As mentioned above, Saturday will also mark FGCU's first meeting at home with former head coach Bob Butehorn making his return to The Nest. Butehorn served as the Eagle's head coach from the program's inception in 2007 through 2016.

During his tenure, Butehorn guided the Eagles to six-straight ASUN regular-season titles (2010-2015) while capturing four ASUN Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in – 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

BLUE OUT
Fans are encouraged to wear blue to Saturday night's contest and also head over to the Recreation Outdoor Complex (ROC) for the 'Rally at the ROC'.

TICKETS
Single game tickets for this weekend 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 percent 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 percent 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 percent off of the adult single game rate. Contact the FGCU ticket office at 239-590-7145 for more information.

INSIDE THE FGCU LINEUP
Freshman O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/ Northview Heights Secondary) leads the FGCU offensive attack with six points off a team-best three goals, firing a total of 11 shots with six coming on frame. Meanwhile, Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) along with Chris Clement (Mallorca, Spain/Lycee Francais de Palma) have added two assists apiece to the charge. In last weekend's 2-0 road shutout of Georgia Southern, Kamar Marriott (Tampa, Fla./Heritage) and Joao Burti (Sao Paulo, Brazil/South Kent/Iowa Western) netted their first goals of the season, giving the Green and Blue a trio of scorers this year.

In the aforementioned match, keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos'(Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) clean sheet performance included five saves as he earned his first-career FGCU win, garnering ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honors, also the first of his career.

Vasconcelos – two starts this season – currently leads the ASUN with a 0.5 goals against average and also in save percentage at .938.

The Eagles are currently ranked 48th in the RPI standings.

ALL-TIME VS USF
All-time, USF holds a slim 4-3-4 edge in the series with FGCU, but over the past seven meetings, the Eagles are 2-1-4.

FGCU's first victory in the series came in 2010 with a 2-1 triumph when USF was ranked #13 in the nation. That victory came at USF in the season opener as the Green and Blue used two 2nd-half goals to snap USF's 30-game home unbeaten streak (26-0-4) and earn their first win over a ranked opponent in the program's history.

ASUN OVERVIEW
FGCU was narrowly picked 2nd in the ASUN preseason coaches' poll earlier this month, making it the first time since 2012 the Eagles were not selected as the preseason league favorite. Senior Preston Kilwien (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS) was installed as league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while junior Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) and senior Dennis Zapata (Orlando, Fla./University HS) joined Kilwien on the preseason all-conference team as FGCU's three selections were the most of any team in the league.

The Green and Blue finished just behind defending tournament champion Lipscomb in the preseason poll with 41 points while the Bisons had 42 points. Lipscomb received four 1st-place votes, while FGCU had one, 3rd-place Jacksonville (28 points) also had one and 4th-place NJIT (25) additionally picked up a top vote. Stetson (5th, 23 points), league newcomer Liberty (6th, 22 points) and North Florida (7th, 15 points) rounded out the preseason poll.

AROUND THE ASUN

SCHOOL	PTS	ASUN	OVERALL
LIBERTY	1	0-0-1	3-3-1
STETSON	1	0-0-1	2-2-1
NJIT	0	0-0-0	5-1-0
FGCU	0	0-0-0	2-2-0
LIPSCOMB	0	0-0-0	1-3-0
JACKSONVILLE	0	0-0-0	0-5-0
UNF	0	0-0-0	0-6-0

SCOUTING THE BULLS
The Bulls enter Fort Myers with a 2-4-0 record after two-straight wins against Ohio State (1-0 road victory) and their latest win being a 4-1 triumph over FAU at home. In that win, three different USF players tallied a goal, with Alex Ziz netting a brace. USF will have the reigning American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week in Tomasz Skublak back in their lineup after he sat out against FAU due to a red card he picked up against Buckeyes.

USF's roster features four different goal scorers as Ziz and Skublak each have two apiece along with four points each. Har Devenish-Meares is the Bulls primary keeper, making all six starts in net, boasting a 1.17 goals against average and 22 saves.  
USF began the 2018 slate receiving votes in the national poll after finishing in the top 50 of the RPI last year with a 6-6-4 record. So far this season, the Bulls have faced three opponents with a top-25 ranking.

BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM
Since the program's first two seasons in 2007 and 2008, FGCU has posted a winning record each of the past nine years. All-time, the Eagles are 104-70-27 (.598) in 11 seasons, including a dominant 56-19-8 (.746) record in ASUN contests. In just seven years of D-I postseason eligibility, FGCU has won four ASUN Tournament championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016 – and won an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season championships from 2010-15. In 2017, the Eagles continued a stretch of never being seeded lower than 2nd and have reached at least the semifinals in all seven eligible seasons.

FGCU CAREER RECORDS
POINTS
1.         76 - Albert Ruiz (34g 8a) - 2014-17
2.         43 - Cristian Raudales (19g 5a) - 2008-11
3.         38 - Arion Sobers-Assue (12g 14a) - 2014-17
            38 - Felipe DeSousa (18g 2a) - 2012-14
5.         32 - Dylan Sacramento (12g 8a) - 2015-17
6.         31 - Josey Portillo (8g 15a) - 2008-11
7.         30 - Francesco DiStefano (9g 12a) - 2008-11
9.         28 - Deion Jones (9g 10a) - 2009-12
10.       27 - Dennis Zapata (8g 11a) - 2015-Present
ASSISTS
1.         15 - Josey Portillo - 2008-11
2.         14 - Arion Sobers-Assue - 2014-17
3.         12 - Francesco DiStefano - 2008-11
4.         11 - Dennis Zapata - 2015-Present
            11- Andres Navas – 2009-12
6.         10 - Deion Jones - 2009-12
7.         9 - Skylar Wilks - 2013-15
            9 - Miguel Jaime - 2014-17
            9 - William Morse - 2009-12
10.       8 - Donovan Henry - 2010-12

INSIDE THE SCHEDULE
All told, the 2018 slate features 16 games, including 10 non-conference matchups to prepare the Eagles for what they hope is a fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in only eight seasons of eligibility. Of those 10 non-league contests, an incredible five are against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.

The FGCU Soccer Complex will host six upcoming contests, including a matchup with an NCAA Tournament opponent from 2017 in Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Sept. 19. At 7 p.m.

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 guided FGCU to an 8-6-3 (4-1-1 ASUN) record 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), and Cormier coached a program-record 10 all-conference selections. Hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history, Cormier was the head coach at 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 123-97-50 (.562) record as a head coach.

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.