FORT MYERS, Fla. – The second-seeded FGCU Eagles head to Newark, N.J., to face top-seeded NJIT in the ASUN Championship final Saturday night. The winner collects the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Eagles are seeking their fifth overall ASUN Championship crown and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 which saw the team make it to the second round.
The Green and Blue
FGCU got into the ASUN final with a 2-1 win over No. 3 North Florida Sunday afternoon at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Ivan Rosales (Houston, Texas/San Jacinto) netted the first goal in the fifth minute as the game-winner arrived off the left boot of
O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights Secondary HS) in the 71st minute. Mullings leads the Green and Blue attack with nine goals and 20 points. Meanwhile,
Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) has dished out five helpers along with four goals.
In his last nine games between the pipes,
Connor Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton) has gone 6-3-0 with two clean sheets.
ASUN First Team All-Conference
Shak Adams
Thomas Delplace
Ryan Medilah
O'Vonte Mullings
ASUN Second Team All-Conference
Kareem Riley
Ivan Rosales
ASUN All-Academic
Jahan Rajaee
Scouting the Highlanders
NJIT earned the top seed in this year's tournament after going 5-1-0 in the league. Rene White leads the team with 17 goals (tied for first in the nation) and 36 points as four other Highlanders have tallied at least five goals (seventh-ranked scoring offense in the country).
During the regular season, NJIT claimed a 2-1 victory over FGCU, scoring in the 84th minute. All-time, FGCU leads the series, 3-1.
FGCU Record Book
Points
| 1. |
|
76 - Albert RUIZ (34g 8a) - 2014-17 |
| 2. |
|
62 - Shak Adams (23g 16a) - 2016-present |
| 3. |
|
43 - Cristian RAUDALES (19g 5a) - 2008-11 |
| 4. |
|
38 - Arion SOBERS-ASSUE (12g 14a) - 2014-17 |
|
|
38 - O'Vonte Mullings (16g 6a) - 2018-present |
|
|
38 - Felipe DeSOUSA (18g 2a) - 2012-14 |
| 7. |
|
32 - Dylan SACRAMENTO (12g 8a) - 2015-17 |
| 8. |
|
31 - Dennis ZAPATA (10g 11a) - 2015-18 |
|
|
31 - Josey PORTILLO (8g 15a) - 2008-11 |
| 10. |
|
30 - Francesco DiSTEFANO (9g 12a) - 2008-11 |
|
|
30 - Scott HARRISON (12g 6a) - 2008-11 |
Goals
| 1. |
|
34 - Albert RUIZ - 2014-17 |
| 2. |
|
23 - Shak Adams - 2016-present |
| 3. |
|
19 - Cristian RAUDALES - 2008-11 |
| 4. |
|
18 - Felipe DeSOUSA - 2012-14 |
| 5. |
|
16 - O'Vonte Mullings - 2018-present |
| 6. |
|
13 - Henry PENAGOS - 2010-14 |
| 7. |
|
12 - Arion SOBERS-ASSUE - 2014-17 |
|
|
12 - Scott HARRISON - 2008-11 |
|
|
12 - Dylan SACRAMENTO - 2015-17 |
| 10. |
|
10 - Xavier SILVA - 2011-14 |
|
|
10 - Dennis ZAPATA - 2015-18 |
Assists
| 1. |
|
16 - Shak Adams - 2016-present |
| 2. |
|
15 - Josey PORTILLO - 2008-11 |
| 3. |
|
14 - Arion SOBERS-ASSUE - 2014-17 |
| 4. |
|
12 - Francesco DiSTEFANO - 2008-11 |
| 5. |
|
11 - Andres NAVAS - 2009-12 |
|
|
11 - Dennis ZAPATA - 2015-18 |
| 7. |
|
10 - Deion JONES - 2009-12 |
| 8. |
|
9 - Miguel JAIME - 2014-17 |
|
|
9 - Skylar WILKS - 2013-15 |
|
|
9 - William MORSE - 2009-12 |
|
|
9 - Miguel Perez - 2016-present |
Game-winning Goals
| 1. |
|
8 - Shak Adams - 2016-present |
|
|
8 - Felipe DeSOUSA - 2012-14 |
| 3. |
|
6 - Cristian RAUDALES - 2008-11 |
| 4. |
|
5 - Albert RUIZ - 2014-17 |
|
|
5 - Henry PENAGOS - 2010-14 |
|
|
5 - Xavier SILVA - 2011-14 |
| 7. |
|
4 - Robert FERRER - 2015-17 |
|
|
4 - Francesco DiSTEFANO - 2008-11 |
|
|
4 - Santiago ECHEVERRI - 2011-14 |
|
|
4 - O'Vonte Mullings - 2018-present |
|
|
4 - Arion SOBERS-ASSUE - 2014-17 |
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 26-18-7 (.570) record overall, including a 13-3-2 mark (.778) 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 140-107-54 (.553) record as a head coach in his fourteen plus seasons at the helm.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 80 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.
