KANSAS CITY, Mo. – FGCU senior forward
Evdokia Popadinova has been named to the initial MAC Hermann Watch List for the 2019 season, as announced Thursday by the United Soccer Coaches. Popadinova heads into the upcoming season as one of the top-ranked offensive players in the nation; she finished her first season with the Eagles nationally ranked in multiple categories.
Comparable to football's Heisman Trophy, the MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is given annually to the most outstanding male and female players in the game.
Popadinova (Hadzhimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) is one of 61 players nationally on the list and is one of two from the ASUN to receive the honor. Lipscomb's senior forward Olivia Doak, the reigning ASUN Player of the Year, also made the list.
"It's so great for Evdokia to be recognized among the best players in the country," said head coach
Jim Blankenship. "We are really excited for her and are looking forward to her leadership this fall."
Last year, Popadinova turned in one of the strongest performances in FGCU history in her first season in Fort Myers. She was ranked in the nation's top 12 in game-winning goals (ninth, six), goals per game (12th, 0.74), points per game (ninth, 1.84) and total points (12th, 35). The three-time Bulgarian Footballer of the Year, she led the conference in points (35), goals (14), points per game (1.84) and goals per game (0.74). She finished the season with 14 goals, which tie for the fourth-most in FGCU single-season history, and her six game-winners also check in at fourth in the Green and Blue record book.
Popadinova becomes the third Eagle in as many years to be named to the Hermann watch list. Fellow senior
Marjorie Boilesen received the honor last season and men's soccer player
Albert Ruiz was tabbed two seasons ago. Ruiz eventually went on to be
one of the three finalists for the award and was present at the 2016 Award Banquet. Semifinalists will be announced in the beginning of December before the finalists (three men and three women) are selected at the end of the month. The winners will be announced at the Hermann Trophy Press Conference and Awards Banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 10.
After exhibition matches against Miami (Aug. 12) and FAU (Aug. 16), the FGCU women's soccer team will kick off the regular season at the FGCU Soccer Complex with a 7 p.m. game against FIU on Thursday, Aug. 22. Of the Eagles' 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 schedule is also highlighted by a game against the Auburn Tigers (Aug. 25), who the Green and Blue hosted in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. It is still the only postseason NCAA matchup to be held on FGCU's campus.
The Eagles will play nine games before diving into ASUN play and will open the conference season against North Alabama (Sept. 26) and Lipscomb (Sept. 29) who finished second and first, respectively, in last year's tournament. FGCU's ninth ASUN title in the past 10 seasons will be on the line this season, as the Eagles will be in pursuit of their seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament.
2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
Amirah Ali – Rutgers
Haley Berg – Texas
Malia Berkely – Florida State
Deyna Castellanos – Florida State
Samantha Coffey* - Penn State
Kaylie Collins – USC
Mikayla Colohan – BYU
Mara Cosentino – Colgate
Katie Cousins – Tennessee
Haley Crawford – James Madison
Kaylee Davis – Texas State
Savannah DeMelo – USC
Olivia Doak – Lipscomb
Serena Dolan – Memphis
Emina Ekic – Louisville
Grace Fisk – South Carolina
Elise Flake – BYU
Jessie Fleming# - UCLA
Bri Folds – Auburn
Rylee Foster – West Virginia
Paula Germino-Watnick – Georgetown
Madie Gibson – Monmouth
Andrea Hauksdottir – USF
Kelcie Hedge* - Santa Clara
Anna Heilferty – Boston University
Cyera Hintzen – Texas
Haley Hopkins – Vanderbilt
Jalein Howell – Florida State
Laurel Ivory – Virginia
Dominique James – North Texas
Alli Klug – Saint Louis
Clarissa Larisey – Memphis
Alexis Loera – Santa Clara
Catarina Macario** - Stanford
Sandy MacIver – Clemson
Lianne Mananquil – Rice
Phoebe McClernon – Virginia
Sinclaire Miramontez – Nebraska
Meagan Nally – Georgetown
Maya Neal – Tennessee
Taylor Otto – North Carolina
Lucy Parker – UCLA
Victoria Pickett – Wisconsin
Brianna Pinto – North Carolina
Evdokia Popadinova – FGCU
Lucy Porter – Hofstra
Kaleigh Riehl* - Penn State
Izzy Rodriguez – Ohio State
Alessia Russo* - North Carolina
Yazmeen Ryan – TCU
Ashley Sanchez – UCLA
Raimee Sherle – Boise State
Sophia Smith – Stanford
Alexa Spaanstra – Virginia
Frankie Tagliaferri – Penn State
Haley VanFossen – Arkansas
Evelyne Viens – USF
Ally Watt* - Texas A&M
Morgan Weaver – Washington State
Yujie Zhao – Florida State
# 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy Finalist
* 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist
** 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy Winner
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.
-- FGCUATHLETICS.COM –
