KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The postseason recognition keeps coming in for the FGCU women's soccer team, which placed three student-athletes on the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-Region Team, as announced by the organization on Monday afternoon. Seniors
Lindsey Patton and
Evdokia Popadinova earned First Team All-South Region honors, while classmate
Marjorie Boilesen landed a spot on the Second Team.
"I am extremely happy for these three and excited to see that they have received a tremendous honor in the postseason," head coach
Jim Blankenship said. "They have represented the team and the university so well during their time with us and I couldn't be more proud of them. They have all dedicated themselves to this season and to see them rewarded for that is wonderful."
This is the second-consecutive season that
Patton (Jacksonville, FL/Oakleaf HS) and
Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) have received first team recognition.
Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/West Florida) has made an All-Region team in all three of her seasons in Fort Myers; she has made the second team twice (2018-19) and the first team once (2017).
The trio helped lead
Blankenship's squad to the 2019 ASUN Regular Season title, the ninth in program history. All three landed spots on the All-ASUN First Team and were also named to the All-Academic Team. Popadinova became the fifth Eagle in program history to be named ASUN Player of the Year, while Patton became the seventh in Eagle in program history to earn ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Popadinova, who was also named to the Academic All-District First Team, led the Eagles with 11 goals scored in 17 matches. Additionally, the forward tallied two assists en route to earning a team-high 24 points on the season. She paced the league in regular-season conference goals (six) and points (13). She finished her career with the Green and Blue ranked second all-time in game-winning goals (11), third in career goals (25) and sixth all-time in points (59).
Patton, a four-year starter for FGCU, anchored the Eagles' back line that allowed the lowest number of goals during the regular season (14). The defender helped lead the team to a league-high eight team shutouts and limited opponents to an average of just eight shots per game. She wrapped up her FGCU career ranked sixth all-time in minutes played (6784) and eighth in games played (75).
A three-time all-region honoree, Boilesen led all ASUN players during the regular season with six assists. Throughout the season, she totaled 18 points off of five goals and seven assists. The midfielder notched a pair of multi-goal games and recorded two game-winners. Her 67 career points are good for fourth all-time, as are her career assists (25). She ranks fifth in program history in game-winning goals (nine) and seventh in career goals (21).
The ASUN Conference was represented by five different teams on the All-Region list: Lipscomb (four players), FGCU (three players), UNF (two players), Liberty (two players) and Kennesaw State (one player). The Eagles were the only team to place two student-athletes on the First Team.
2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-South Region
First Team
| Pos. |
Player |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
Elizabeth Moberg |
Jr. |
University of Memphis |
Port St. Lucie, Fla. |
| D |
Stasia Mallin |
Sr. |
University of Memphis |
Carmel, Ind. |
| D |
Dominique James |
Sr. |
University of North Texas |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| D |
Konya Plummer |
Sr. |
University of Central Florida |
Epsom, Jamaica |
| D |
Lindsey Patton |
Sr. |
FGCU |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
| M |
Mary O'Hara |
Sr. |
Florida Atlantic University |
Islip, N.Y. |
| M |
Thais Reiss |
Jr. |
University of North Florida |
Curitiba, Brazil |
| M |
Andrea Hauksdottir |
Sr. |
University of South Florida |
Kopavogur, Iceland |
| M |
Ambere Barnett |
So. |
Western Kentucky |
Rockport, Ind. |
| F |
Evelyne Viens |
Sr. |
University of South Florida |
L'ancienne-Lorette, Que. |
| F |
Clarissa Larisey |
Jr. |
University of Memphis |
Ottawa, Ont. |
| F |
Evdokia Popadinova |
Sr. |
FGCU |
Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria |
| F |
Megan Greene |
Sr. |
UNC Charlotte |
Fuquay-Varina, N.C. |
| F |
Peyton DePriest |
Jr. |
Middle Tennessee State |
Franklin, Tenn. |
Second Team
| Pos. |
Player |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
Kelsey Brann |
So. |
University of North Texas |
Humble, Texas |
| D |
Riley Orr |
Sr. |
UNC Charlotte |
Mooresville, N.C. |
| D |
Luisa Daikeler |
Fr. |
Florida Atlantic University |
Illerieden, Germany |
| D |
Alex Maxson |
Sr. |
Florida Atlantic University |
Naples, Fla. |
| D |
Mijke Roelfsema |
Jr. |
Rice University |
Den Haag, Netherlands |
| M |
Marjorie Boilesen |
Sr. |
FGCU |
Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| M |
Delaney Schultz |
So. |
Rice University |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| M |
Celiana Torres |
So. |
Southern Methodist |
Chicago, Ill. |
| M |
Ece Turkoglu |
Fr. |
Old Dominion University |
Istanbul, Turkey |
| M |
Leah Cernicky |
Sr. |
Lipscomb |
Mission Viejo, Calif. |
| F |
Pernille Velta |
Sr. |
Florida Atlantic University |
Kongsvinger, Norway |
| F |
Olivia Doak |
Sr. |
Lipscomb |
Shelbyville, Tenn. |
| F |
Allie Thornton |
Sr. |
Southern Methodist |
Arlington, Texas |
| F |
Miyah Watford |
Sr. |
Murray State |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Third Team
| Pos. |
Player |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
Melody Jayroe |
Jr. |
Liberty |
Plano, Texas |
| D |
Katia Hanger |
Fr. |
Lipscomb |
Alpharetta, Ga. |
| D |
Emily Roberts |
Jr. |
Old Dominion University |
Severn, Md. |
| D |
Hollyn Knight |
So. |
University of North Florida |
Melbourne, Fla. |
| D |
Elizabeth Doll |
Jr. |
Louisiana Tech |
Pearl River, La. |
| M |
Isabelle Contreras |
Sr. |
Kennesaw State |
West Palm Beach, Fla. |
| M |
Lianne Mananquil |
Sr. |
Rice University |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
| M |
Julia Grainda |
Sr. |
UNC Charlotte |
Cornelius, N.C. |
| M |
Maycie McKay |
Sr. |
Lipscomb |
Brentwood, Tenn. |
| F |
Talia Tapper |
Sr. |
Old Dominion University |
Virginia Beach, Va. |
| F |
Berklee Peters |
Jr. |
University of North Texas |
Keller, Texas |
| F |
Gabby Farrell |
Sr. |
Liberty |
Langhorne, Pa. |
| F |
Autumn Woodard |
So. |
Louisiana Tech |
Orange Park, Fla. |
| F |
Mackenzie Litzsinger |
So. |
Southern Illinois - Edwardsville |
Fenton, Mo. |
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, 2015 and 2019, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 13 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to 13 double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. 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 167-59-25 (.716) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including an 82-15-15 (.801) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 407-130-36 (.743) 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 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.
-- FGCUATHLETICS.COM –
