FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (6-3-1, 1-0-1 ASUN) will be back in action at the Nest for a match against Jacksonville (0-8-3, 0-2-1 ASUN) on Sunday, Oct. 6. The clash at the FGCU Soccer Complex is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff and fans are encouraged to participate in a white out. The match will be streamed on YouTube Live.
The Green and Blue
With the first week of ASUN play under their belt, the Eagles are currently tied with Lipscomb for third in the league standings. FGCU defeated North Alabama 3-1 on the road in its conference opener (Sept. 26) before the team earned a 1-1 draw at reigning champion Lipscomb (Sept. 29).
Freshman
Louise Lillback was named
ASUN Player of the Week after having a hand in all three of the Eagles' goals in the victory over North Alabama.
Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) netted two of her own and assisted on senior
Evdokia Popadinova's goal, marking the first multi-goal game of her career and the highest points any FGCU player has tallied in a single game so far this season.
Senior
Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/West Florida) leads the team with 12 points and is tied with
Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) with a team-high five goals.
Popadinova is tied for 20th in the nation with three game-winning goals.
Sophomore
Ashlee Brentlinger (Middletown, DE/Padua Academy), redshirt-junior
Megan Young (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS) and
Lillback are tied for first in the league with three assists apiece. As a team, FGCU paces the conference in assists (19) and has allowed the second-lowest amount of goals (11).
Jacksonville at FGCU
Sunday's match will be the 16th in the history between the two teams, which the Eagles lead 7-2-6. FGCU has not lost to Jacksonville since 2008 and the team defeated the Dolphins 6-0 in last season's meeting.
The Dolphins will travel to Fort Myers in search of their first conference win after dropping a pair of matches to Liberty (2-0) and Kennesaw State (1-0). Most recently, the team earned a 0-0 draw on the road at Stetson (Oct. 3).
Jacksonville has been outscored by its opponents 21-3 throughout its 11 games this season. Freshman Olivia Abdallah is credited with all three of the Dolphins' goals, while three different players account for the team's three assists. The team has not scored since a 1-1 draw on the road against the Citadel (Sept. 22).
Senior Kristian Shores has started seven matches between the pipes for Jacksonville and has allowed 11 goals. In the team's contest against Stetson, she matched her season-high with 10 saves en route to posting her second shutout of the season.
League Standings
T-1. UNF (8-3-1, 2-0-0 ASUN)
T-1. NJIT (5-3-2, 2-0-0 ASUN)
T-3. FGCU (6-3-1, 1-0-1 ASUN)
T-3. Lipscomb (7-4-1, 1-0-1 ASUN)
T-5. Kennesaw State (6-6-0, 1-2-0 ASUN)
T-5. Liberty (5-5-2, 1-1-0 ASUN)
T-7. Stetson (2-7-2, 0-1-1 ASUN)
T-7. Jacksonville (0-8-3, 0-2-1 ASUN)
9. North Alabama (4-7-0, 0-2-0 ASUN)
Career records of note:
Goals
1. 66 - Tabby TINDELL - 2013-16
2. 28 - Shannen WACKER - 2011-14
3. 24 - Amber McCALL - 2007-09
4. 23 - Lindsey HAW - 2007-10
5. 22 - Paulina SPECKMAIER - 2013-16
6. 21 - Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19
7. 18 - Evdokia Popadinova- 2018-19
8. 17 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
9. 16 - Gina PETRACCO - 2008-11
10. 12 - Olivia ELIAS - 2008-11
12 - Ali ROGERS - 2012-16
Assists
1. 30 - Tabby TINDELL - 2013-16
2. 28 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK - 2008-12
3. 27 - Shannen WACKER - 2011-14
4. 22 - Lindsay HAW - 2007-10
22 - Paulina SPECKMAIER - 2013-16
6. 20 - Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19
19 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
7. 18 - Melissa ARNOLD - 2011-14
9. 15 - Holly FRITZ - 2017-18
15 - Caytlan MACKENZIE - 2007-10
15 - Meaghan MULLIGAN - 2015-17
15 - Camille KNUDSTRUP - 2015-18
Points
1. 162 - Tabby TINDELL (66g 30a) - 2013-16
2. 83 - Shannen WACKER (28g 27a) - 2011-14
3. 68 - Lindsay HAW (23g 22a) - 2007-10
4. 66 - Paulina SPECKMAIER (22g 22a) - 2013-16
5. 62 - Marjorie Boilesen (21g 20a) - 2017-19
6. 57 - AMBER McCALL (24g 9a) - 2007-09
7. 53 - Ally KASUN (17g 19a) - 2012-15
8. 44 - Gina PETRACCO (16g 12a) - 2008-11
44 - Evdokia Popadinova (18g 8a)- 2018-19
10. 40 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK (6g 28a) - 2008-12
Saves
1. 274 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 274 saves) - 2012-15
2. 261 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 261 saves) - 2008-11
3. 229 - Melissa Weck (52 GA, 229 saves) - 2016-19
4. 55 - Kirsi KEENAN (16 GA, 55 saves) - 2007-10
Most shutouts
1. 37.1 - Brittany BROWN - 2012-15
2. 31.4 - Melissa Weck - 2016-19
3. 31 - Stephanie POWERS - 2008-11
4. 8 - Kirsi KEENAN - 2007-10
Goals against avg.
1. 0.67 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 7511 min) - 2012-15
2. 0.73 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 6401 min) - 2008-11
3. 0.78 - Melissa Weck (52 GA, 5959 min) - 2016-19
4. 0.84 - EMILY BARRETT (5 GA, 538 min) - 2007-09
FALL SPORTS SINGLE-GAME, SEASON AND GROUP TICKETS ON SALE
Single game tickets for volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer are on sale now. Prices are $7 for adults and $5 for military/veterans (with ID) and youth (age 15 and under).
Season tickets (entry to each home game) are $55 for volleyball and women's soccer and $40 for men's soccer. Group tickets are $7 for groups of 15 or more and will include reserved seats, group recognition, a group activity and choice of FGCU gear or food. Fall Frequent Flyer passes, which includes a total of 30 entries to all three sports, are just $99.
For all inquiries, you can visit FGCUtickets.com, call 239-590-7145 or stop by the ticket office, which is open daily Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to all home events.
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 12 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 as they 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 162-58-24 (.713) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 77-14-15 (.800) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 402-128-35 (.742) over 26 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.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including both men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's basketball again in 2018-19. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in spring 2018 and have outpaced their institution's undergraduate student body GPA each of the past 20 semesters. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl in 2017.
-- FGCUATHLETICS.COM –
