FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team has unveiled its 2019 schedule as the team prepares for another run at the ASUN Championship title. The eight-time regular season champs, under the leadership of head coach Jim Blankenship, will play a challenging non-conference schedule before heading into league play.

Of FGCU's first six games, four will be against top-100 RPI teams from a season ago, including a club coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and multiple Power 5 schools. The non-conference slate includes eight matchups that will lead the Green and Blue into ASUN play.

"We're excited to get going and be back together as a team," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "This non-conference schedule is definitely one of the more challenging ones that we've had, which provides us with a great opportunity that myself and the rest of the coaching staff are excited for. We couldn't ask for a better way to prepare for conference play. Having a tough non-conference schedule is important to prepare us for the battles in the ASUN."

After exhibition matches against the University of Miami (Aug. 12) and FAU (Aug. 16), the Eagles will kick off their regular season on Thursday, Aug. 22 with a game against in-state foe FIU, which will be a green-out and features an FGCU Housing Challenge.

Three days later, FGCU will face off against Auburn (Aug. 25) in a match that will be streamed on ESPN+. Last year, the Tigers fell 2-0 to Minnesota in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The match against Auburn will be a white-out and there will be a World Cup fun zone with inflatables, as well as poster signing after the game.

Following the game against Auburn, the Eagles will head out to Michigan (Aug. 30) for just the second game in the history between the two teams and FGCU's first on the Wolverines' field. Last season, the Eagles defeated Michigan 3-2 in Fort Myers. The Wolverines went 8-3 at the U-M Soccer Stadium in 2018 and only dropped one non-Big 10 game at home.   

After the trip up north, the Green and Blue will return to Fort Myers to host the La Salle Explorers at the FGCU Soccer Complex for the first time. The teams faced off in Philadelphia back in 2014 and the Eagles claimed a 3-2 overtime victory against a La Salle squad that was receiving votes in the national polls at the time. Current assistant coach Ali Rogers started for the Eagles' team that went on to play in the NCAA Tournament later that season.

The Explorers will be the last familiar face that FGCU will take on in the non-conference docket. For the first time, the Eagles have matches against Northeastern University (Sept. 8), Ball State (Sept. 15), Creighton (Sept. 20) and Marshall (Sept. 22) on the schedule. All four of those games will be at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

In the middle of that spurt, the Green and Blue will head to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators (Sept. 12). It will be the first time the teams have faced each other since 2016. Of the six times the teams have faced off on the Gators' home pitch, the Eagles have only claimed one victory - a 1-0 decision at the start of the 2015 season. Last year, Florida advanced to the final round of the SEC Tournament before falling to Arkansas in overtime. The Gators finished the 2018 season ranked 57th in the RPI standings. 

The contest against Marshall will serve as the final tune-up before the Eagles dive into ASUN play with road games against North Alabama (Sept. 26) and Lipscomb (Sept. 29), who finished at the top of the conference last season. In the final game of the 2018 ASUN Tournament, the top-seeded Bisons defeated sixth-seeded North Alabama 3-2 in order to claim the first ASUN title in program history. Lipscomb finished the season receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll and checked in at No. 64 in the RPI standings. The Lions finished their first season in D-I play with double-digit wins.

Following the two-match road swing, the Eagles will return to the FGCU Soccer Complex on Oct. 6 to take on Jacksonville in the ASUN home opener. Last season, five different members of the Green and Blue scored as the team took down the Dolphins 6-0 in Jacksonville. This year's game will be a white-out and Eagle fans dressed accordingly will be eligible for prizes.  

From there, the Eagles will remain at home with games against Kennesaw State (Oct. 10), NJIT (Oct. 13) and UNF (Oct. 17). The match against Kennesaw State will be a pink-out and will serve as Cancer Awareness Night at the FGCU Soccer Complex. Prior to facing off against the Highlanders, the Eagles will celebrate Senior & Alumni Day.

After the four-game home stint, FGCU will hit the road to wrap up the regular season with games against Liberty and Stetson. The Eagles shut out both teams last season and outscored them by a combined total of 4-0.

The 2019 ASUN Women's Soccer Championship will be a six-team, single-elimination tournament contested over two weeks. Based on regular season conference play, the top six teams will advance to the tournament. The higher seed will host each game, beginning with the quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 1. The semis are set for Sunday, Nov. 3 and the 2019 ASUN Women's Soccer Championship game will be played at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, Nov. 9.  

This year, the Eagles will be on the hunt for their ninth ASUN title in the past 10 seasons. As a team, FGCU closed out the 2018 season ranked in the top-10 nationally in four different statistical categories: assists per game (2nd, 2.74), points per game (4th, 7.58), total assists (5th, 52) and scoring offense (9th, 2.42). 

For the full schedule, visit here.

2019 WOMEN'S SOCCER PROMO SCHEDULE
Aug. 22 vs FIU - #FORTNite & Housing Challenge (green out)
Aug. 25 vs Auburn – World Cup Celebration, Family Day, postgame poster signing (white out)
Sept. 5 vs La Salle – Dirty Bird Appreciation Night
Sept. 8 vs Northeastern – Eagles Futbol Doubleheader (blue out)
Sept. 15 vs Ball State – Eagles Bingo Day
Sept. 20 vs Creighton – Stars & Stripes Night (white out)
Sept. 22 vs Marshall – We Are FGCU Day (blue out)
Oct. 6 vs Jacksonville – ASUN Conference kickoff, postgame poster signing (white out)
Oct. 10 vs Kennesaw State – Cancer Awareness Night (pink out)
Oct. 13 vs NJIT – Senior & Alumni Day
Oct. 17 vs UNF – Women's Soccer VIP Night

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 156-55-23 (.716) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 76-14-14 (.798) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 396-126-34 (.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 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.
 
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