DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU men's soccer team (8-7-2, 4-1-1 ASUN) defeated Stetson (7-9-2, 3-2-1 ASUN) on the road Saturday night to secure the No. 2 seed in next week's ASUN Tournament.

In the process, they will host a quarterfinals match next Friday and play the winner Sunday afternoon in a time to be determined.

"Tonight was a tremendous win for the program. We needed a really good performance to beat a quality opponent like Stetson," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "Our guys trained really hard and well this week, and I think it showed in our ability to compete and have sustained quality for a full ninety minutes tonight. The strong character of the team and excellent leadership shined throughout. We saw great pride in the team and program."

The Eagles took a 2-0 lead within the first 26 minutes of play as senior Ivan Rosales (Houston, Texas/San Jacinto) netted the first goal in the 20th minute. Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) played the Houston native a ball atop the 18-yard box as he took a right-footed strike after a few dribbles for the score. With the assist, Adams has now tied the all-time FGCU record with 15 helpers. Six minutes later, sophomore O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights Secondary HS) made it 2-0 on an unassisted goal. The Ontario native was able to intercept a goal kick past midfield and then dribbled with pace all the way past the 18-yard box where he struck it past the keeper to the far post.

Stetson cut FGCU's lead down to one after scoring in the 35th minute. At the break, the Eagles and the Hatters were tied with eight shots apiece as FGCU fired five on frame.

In the opening stages of the second half, the Green and Blue capitalized on a foul by Stetson. In the 55th minute, Kareem Riley (Couva, Trinidad & Tobago/Presentation College San Fernando) launched a shot just beyond the end of the midfield circle into the box. Adams was in position for the play and headed it into the back of the net to give the Eagles a 3-1 advantage.

Following Adams' goal, the Eagles defense didn't yield a Hatter shot until the 73rd minute. Adams' collected his brace in the 82nd minute to add the goal cushion for the Eagles. Inside the penalty box, Ryan Medilah's (Paris, France/San Jacinto) shot was deflected as Adams' was there for the rebound and tally. Stetson made it interesting with a score five minutes later but the Eagles staved off the Hatters' comeback attempt en route to the 4-2 win.  

All said FGCU outshot Stetson 21-14 with 12 of those shots coming on frame. Medilah led the squad with five shots as Rosales fired a team-high three on frame. Connor Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton) secured five saves as the Colorado native moves to 5-3-0 this season.

Up Next
FGCU returns to the pitch next Sunday, Nov. 10 against the winner of No. 3 UNF/No. 6 Liberty at 1 pm. 

ASUN Standings
1. NJIT (15 pts, 8-4-4, 5-1-0)*
2. FGCU (13 pts, 8-7-2, 4-1-1)*
3. UNF (10 pts, 5-6-2, 3-2-1)*
4. Stetson (10 pts, 7-9-2, 3-2-1)*
5. Lipscomb (9 pts, 5-8-2, 3-3-0)*
6. Liberty (3 pts, 5-12-0, 1-5-0)*
7. Jacksonville (1 pts, 5-7-2, 0-5-1)
* - Clinched a spot in ASUN Championship

FGCU Assists Record
1.15 - Josey PORTILLO - 2008-11
1.15 – Shak Adams – 2016-present
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 - Skylar WILKS - 2013-15
9 - Miguel JAIME - 2014-17
9 - William MORSE - 2009-12

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 25-18-7 (.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 139-107-54 (.553) record as a head coach in his fourteen plus seasons at the helm.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 79 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.