FORT MYERS, FL – After coming off a 5-3 win over rival USF Saturday night, the FGCU men's soccer team will remain at home and welcome Cal State Fullerton for a mid-week tilt.  
OPENING KICK
Wednesday's mid-week matchup will be the first meeting between both teams. Cal State Fullerton enters The Nets as the Big West Conference (BWC) Preseason favorites – only the second time in program history the Titans have been picked atop the Preseason Coaches' Poll – and have yet to lose on the road (2-0-2).   

The Eagles will have both the reigning ASUN Player of the Week in Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS)  and also the Defensive Player of the Week in Raheem Somersall (Basseterre, St. Kitts/Southern Durham/Appalachian State).  Adams became just the fifth member in program history to net a hat-trick this past weekend while Somersall was responsible for disrupting 21 plays on the Eagle's backline.

Over the last three seasons, the Eagles hold a 17-6-3 record at home.

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.

SUNGLASSES GIVEAWAY
The first 50 fans and 50 Dirty Birds will receive a free pair of sunglasses. There will also be a poster singing after the match.

INSIDE THE FGCU LINEUP
Following his performance against the Bulls this past weekend, Adams now has produced a team-best eight points, to go along with his three goals and two assists. Freshman O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/ Northview Heights Secondary) is right there with him bagging three goals thus far with one assist. Through five matches, the Eagles boast six different scorers on their roster as junior Kareem Riley (Couva, Trinidad and Tobago/Presentation College San Fernando) leads the squad with three assists.

Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) – three starts this season in net – currently leads the ASUN in save percentage at .826 and has conceded just four goals, giving him a 1.33 goals against average (GAA).

The Eagles are currently ranked 40th in the RPI standings.

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 Adams 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 *
*Jacksonville is at home taking on UT Rio Grande Valley tonight at 7 p.m. while Lipscomb faces #7 Kentucky at home.

SCHOOL	PTS	ASUN	OVERALL
LIBERTY	1	0-0-1	3-3-1
STETSON	1	0-0-1	2-3-1
NJIT	0	0-0-0	5-2-0
FGCU	0	0-0-0	3-2-0
LIPSCOMB	0	0-0-0	1-4-0
JACKSONVILLE	0	0-0-0	0-6-0
UNF	0	0-0-0	0-6-0

 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
The Titans come into Fort Myers with an overall 2-3-2 record and as mentioned above, they have yet to falter in any road contests (2-0-2).  Samuel Goni leads the team with five points on two goals and one assist as he led the team in 2017 with 19 points. Meanwhile, Fullerton has five different players with at least one goal.

In net, keeper Paul-Andre Guerin has logged in nearly 700 minutes in seven matches, totaling 29 saves to go with his 1.29 GAA and a save percentage at .744.

Fullerton has scored after the 70th-minute mark in five out of its seven games this season, including three to force overtime.

Since Kuntz took over the Cal State Fullerton program five seasons ago, the Titans have made it to the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons and Fullerton's 44 wins are the most among Big West teams over the four year period.

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 105-70-27 (.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
           30 - Scott Harrison (12g 6a) - 2008-11
9.         29 - Dennis Zapata (9g 11a) - 2015-Present
10.       28 - Deion Jones (9g 10a) - 2009-12
 
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 five upcoming contests, including in-state foe FAU on Tuesday, Sept. 25 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 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 11-8-3 (.568) 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 125-97-50 (.562) 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.