FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's soccer team (4-5-2, 1-0-1 ASUN) came away with a nail-biting 3-2 victory over conference preseason favorite Lipscomb (2-5-1, 1-1-0 ASUN) Saturday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

The win moves FGCU into third place with four points in the ASUN as Stetson (6-5-1, 2-0-1) and UNF (3-3-2, 2-0-1) are both tied for first with seven points.

"We had a phenomenal first half, going into the break with a 2-0 lead, but in the second half, we didn't manage it so well," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We lost some of our composure in the second half and let them get back into it. Overall, I'm happy to come away with the three points against the defending conference champions. We'll put this game behind us, analyze it and be better for the next game when we come back."

O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights Secondary HS) caused problems early on for the Lipscomb back line as the sophomore nearly gave FGCU the lead but his shot in the box just skipped over the cross bar in the 17th minute. His constant pressure finally paid dividends in the 23rd minute as Mullings one-timed a pass from Ryan Medilah (Paris, France/San Jacinto) inside the box from the right-side for the 1-0 lead. 

Before heading into the half, freshman Aiden Jokomba (Anchovy St. James, Jamaica/Cornwall College) made it 2-0 courtesy of another pass inside the 18-yard box, this time from Noah Bushey (Spokane, Wash./New Mexico) from the left-side.

Despite being down 2-0, Lipscomb cut the deficit down to one with a goal in the 58th minute. The FGCU defense continued to hold its ground and finally go the much needed cushion in the 81st minute as Mullings collected his second goal of the night. The play started beyond midfield first with Chris Clement (Mallorca, Spain/Lycée Francais de Palma) who then passed it to Bushey past the midfield stripe. From there, he threaded a pass to Mullings who took the one on one matchup and delivered the right-footed shot to the back of the net.

Lipscomb turned the match into a nail-biter scoring in the 89th minute and nearly delivered the equalizer with seconds left on the scoreboard but starting keeper Connor Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton) made a diving save to his near post to preserve the 3-2 win for the Eagles.

All said the Eagles outshot the Bisons 17-15 with five of those shots coming on frame. Gavigan, who was making his first start of the year, came up with three saves, all in the second stanza. Mullings led the squad with a game-high five shots.

Up Next
FGCU will face No. 13 FIU (7-0-2) at the FGCU Soccer Complex this Tuesday night (Oct. 8). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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 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 completed his second 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 21-16-7 (.557) record overall, including a 10-2-2 mark (.786) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for eight-straight seasons (every year of eligibility), as Cormier has coached 16 all-conference selections since his arrival (program-record 10 in 2017). 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 135-105-54 (.551) record as a head coach in his fourteen plus seasons at the helm.

#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.