FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team claimed a 2-0 victory over the FIU Panthers in the 2019 season opener at the FGCU Soccer Complex Thursday night.

"I was impressed by the way that the team played," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We came out, we were competitive and we stayed dialed-in throughout the game. There were a few times when we got a little out of rhythm, but we got back on track. I was happy to see such a big crowd tonight; it really makes a difference when he have the fans out here with us."

The Eagles dominated the game from kick-off. An early push by the Green and Blue offense resulted in a corner kick just after the seven-minute mark. Despite the home team missing the immediate opportunity from the kick, sophomore Alyssa Abbondandolo (Cape Coral, FL/Oasis HS) was able to connect with senior Marjorie Boilesen who found the back of the net, marking FGCU's first goal of the season and handing the home team an early 1-0 lead.

The FGCU back line of junior Zoey Spitzer and seniors Silvana Gordon, Lindsey Patton, and Opal Curless prevented the Panthers from taking a shot until almost 20 minutes into the game. A well-balanced attack off an FIU corner kick gave the visitors a great chance to score, but senior Melissa Weck made the save on a high ball shot into the top left corner by Ashley Adams.

The Green and Blue dominated the first half of the match and outshot the Panthers 10-3. Seniors Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) and Megan Young (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS) each tested the FIU keeper towards the end of the first period, but the team went into the break with just a 1-0 lead.

Just five minutes into the second half, Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/West Florida) tallied her second goal of the night, putting the home team up 2-0. Spitzer (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast HS) and freshman Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) were each credited with an assist as a fast break by the trio turned into the team's second goal of the season.

Spitzer, Gordon (Medford, NJ/Shawnee HS), Patton (Jacksonville, FL/Oakleaf HS), and Curless (Mount Desert, ME/Syracuse) continued to stifle the Panthers' offense and kept the pressure off Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS), who only had to make one save in the second half. The Eagles maintained possession for more than half of the match and held a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks, which helped seal the season-opening victory.

In addition to the outstanding performances by the Green and Blue returners, a pair of Eagles made their collegiate debuts. Both Lander Peck (Sanibel, FL/Bishop Verot) and Alisson Wessel (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles North) saw playing time in the match.



Up Next
The Eagles will remain at the FGCU Soccer Complex to host SEC foe Auburn on Sunday, Aug. 25. Kick-off against the Tigers is slated for 1 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN +. Auburn received votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll after receiving an at-large bid to last year's NCAA Tournament. It will be the second time in program history that the teams faced each other. They first met in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, the only postseason event that has been held on FGCU's campus.

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 157-55-23 (.710) 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 397-126-34 (.741) 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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