ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The FGCU men's soccer team (1-0-0) kicked off the 2019 campaign in upsetting-fashion taking down 13th-ranked Michigan (0-1-0) 4-3, highlighted by Ryan Medilah netting the program's sixth overall hat trick, scoring twice in the first half.  

The win becomes the first against a ranked opponent in the regular season since the Eagles defeated No. 8 UCF 2-1 in 2011.  

"I'm proud of our ability to compete in a very difficult environment," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "To build a two-goal lead against a top NCAA caliber team twice says a lot about our fire power, but I still think we are capable of playing better. Our passing and movement was lacking and we can certainly improve our defending. We will look to do that against No. 7 Michigan State Monday afternoon."

That fire power coach Cormier alluded to put the Eagles on the board early. In the sixth minute, Medilah (Paris, France/San Jacinto) headed a cross home from the right deliveredby Shak Adams (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) for the 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later, the France native bagged the brace, this time off a set-piece. Outside the right of the 15-yard box, Medilah rifled a low line drive that found the corner of the far post. Ahead 2-1, the home side cut the deficit down to one in the 31st minute and soon the match was tied 2-2 as the Wolverines struck again in the 43rd.

FGCU walked into the break with four shots on the board. Medilah collected his hat trick 12 minutes into the second half. It's the first since Adams netted one last season against USF in a 5-3 win. Maneuvering around the penalty area, he found a cross that bounced a few times only to head it into the back of the net near post. With a 3-2 lead, Ivan Rosales (Houston, Texas/San Jacinto) registered the eventual game-winning goal in the 80th minute, taking a pass from Medilah atop the box and curling it into the top right-corner.

Despite Michigan tallying a goal in the 89th minute, keeper Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) was critical down the stretch, coming up with two diving stops inside the final 10 minutes. He would finish with six saves, all coming in the second half.

All said FGCU recorded seven shots, five on goal as the Eagles final possession line read 40 percent.

Up Next
The road gets tougher for the Eagles as they make their way to East Lansing for a matchup against the No. 7 Spartans Monday afternoon at 2 pm.

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 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 18-11-5 (.594) record overall, including a 9-2-2 mark (.773) 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 132-100-52 (.553) record as a head coach in his fourteen plus seasons at the helm.

#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.