JACKSONVILLE, FL- FGCU head coach Jim Blankenship couldn't have asked his team for much more on the opening weekend of ASUN play in Jacksonville.  After a 6-0 thumping of JU on Friday, the #25 Eagles (8-0-2, 2-0-0) came back with a dominating 4-0 win over North Florida (5-4-1, 0-1-1) on Sunday to remain one of 13 unbeatens remaining in the NCAA Division I ranks. 

"It was a great weekend" Blankenship said.  "We got points on the road and that is what we came up here to do.  I am pleased with how the kids played, it was a good overall performance.  We got a chance to play a lot of people and that is going to be a strength throughout the season with everybody contributing."

The Eagles came out the aggressors Sunday, showing fresh legs after their blowout over Jacksonville and North Florida's double overtime grinder against Stetson. FGCU put four quality shots together in the first 15 minutes of the half, a pair of them finding their mark on left, with the others just missing. 

Against a packed in Osprey defense, it took until the 31st minute for the Green and Blue to break through when Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Porto Seguro/West Florida) played a beautiful ball through the UNF defense and found Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Nikola Vaptsarov/Northwestern Ohio) on the other end for an easy chip shot goal, her ASUN leading eighth of the season to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. 

FGCU threatened to make it a 2-0 game in the 38th minute when Lindsey Patton (Jacksonville, FL/Oakleaf HS) beat the keeper on a header off of a corner, but an Osprey slid to the back post just before the ball crossed the goal line to keep it a 1-0 contest. 

Shots were 12-1 in favor of the Eagles at the half while FGCU drew seven first half corners to just one for UNF. 

Again, UNF played tight to begin the second half, but as time began to work against the Ospreys, the Eagles were able to stretch them out and find space in the attacking third. 

In the 64th minute, Zoey Spitzer (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast HS) lobbed a ball into the box and found Boilesen who beat the keeper with a header for her fifth goal of the season to make it 2-0. 

Just 10 minutes later the Eagles added onto their lead as Camille Knudstrup (Lakeland, FL/George Jenkins HS) drove a head high pass into the box to Patton who scored her second goal in as many games in her hometown of Jacksonville to make it 3-0 FGCU. 

The onslaught from the Eagles continued into the 80th minute when Alyssa Abbondandolo (Cape Coral, FL/Oasis HS) took a shot from a sharp angle on the right of the box and zipped it past the keeper for her second of the year to extend the lead to 4-0. 

The FGCU defense and goalkeeper Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) would do the rest from there to keep the clean sheet intact as the Green and Blue went on to win 4-0. 

The Eagles finished with 15 shots to just five for the Ospreys.  FGCU put eight of those shots on frame to a pair for UNF. 

Seven players registered points for the Eagles in the win including the four goal scorers.  Knudstrup and Silvana Gordon (Medford, NJ/Shawnee HS) each recorded two assists for FGCU. Weck stopped both shots she saw on goal for her 25th career shutout. 

FGCU improves to 8-0-2 overall on the season and begins ASUN play where they left off 2017 on top at 2-0-0.  UNF drops to 5-4-1 overall and 0-1-1 in ASUN action.
After a nearly month long hiatus, the Eagles will return to the FGCU Soccer Complex next weekend to host North Alabama Friday at 7 and Lipscomb Sunday at 1. 

ASUN RESULTS SUNDAY
NJIT 3 Liberty 1
FGCU 4 North Florida 0
Jacksonville 1 Stetson 0
Kennesaw State @ North Alabama (5 PM)
 
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 151-51-23 (72.2 W%) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 73-11-14 (81.6 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 391-122-34 (74.6 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.