GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (2-3-0) dropped a 4-0 decision to Florida (3-4-0) on Thursday evening at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The Gators have been receiving votes in the national poll throughout the season, though they were not included in this week's rankings.

"We schedule tough games like this because it's a great opportunity for our program and for the players," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "Obviously, we would have liked to stay competitive throughout the game. We were limited up front and had trouble stopping their offense, which hurt us in the end."

The Eagles dominated the Gators in the opening minutes of play and were the first to record a shot, as senior Opal Curless got a great look on a set piece just over six minutes into the game. On its first offensive drive of the night, Florida found the back of the net to take an early 1-0 lead in the 14th minute of play.

The Gators added to their advantage in the 25th minute after capping off a well-balanced attack with their second goal of the night. The home team had another chance minutes later, but sophomore Ashlee Brentlinger (Middletown, DE/Padua Academy) blocked the Florida shot.

Redshirt-junior Megan Young had a great chance midway through the opening stanza, but her shot went wide. The Gators responded to Young's (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS) attempt with another strike of their own, which finished with their third goal of the night. Florida outshot FGCU 6-3 and took its 3-0 advantage into the break.  

Freshman Emily McCue made her Eagle debut between the pipes at the start of the second half. FGCU's back line kept the pressure off the rookie for almost 15 minutes until just after the 60-minute mark when the Gators tested the keeper with a pair of shots almost back-to-back. McCue (Victoria, BC/Burnaby Central Secondary School) came up with both saves, marking the first two of her FGCU career.

A Florida corner in the 69th minute set up the team's fourth goal of the night. Freshman Amanda Crisalli (High Springs, FL/Santa Fe HS) checked in after the goal, marking her first appearance for the Green and Blue.

Sophomore Alyssa Abbondandolo tallied one of the Eagles' best shots of the night as she tried to convert a ball from redshirt-junior Tori Dorr (Vero Beach, FL/Vero Beach HS), but Florida's keeper corralled it for her third save of the night. Freshman Kailyn Sheehan (Cary, IL/Cary-Grove Community HS) checked in to the game for the first time in her rookie campaign following the shot.

Both senior Petra Smetkova and freshman Lilly Lakich checked in for the final minutes of the match. It was Smetkova's (Korycany, Czech Republic/Klvanovo Gymnazium Kyjov) first appearance of the season and Lakich's (Lithia, FL/Newsome HS) first of her career.

Young led the Eagles' offense with a pair of shots, one of which was on goal. Curless (Mount Desert, ME/Syracuse), senior Silvana Gordon (Medford, NJ/Shawnee HS) and Abbondandolo (Cape Coral, FL/Oasis HS) each added one of their own. McCue finished her debut with three saves and allowed just one goal.

Up Next
FGCU will return to the Nest to host Ball State for a 1 p.m. clash on Sunday, Sept. 15. The match at the FGCU Soccer Complex will be the first meeting between the two programs. Ball State enters the weekend 5-0-0 and is one of 32 undefeated squads in the NCAA.

Career records of note:
Goals 
1. 66 - Tabby TINDELL - 2013-16
2. 28 - Shannen WACKER - 2011-14
3. 24 - Amber McCALL - 2007-09
4. 23 - Lindsey HAW - 2007-10
5. 22 - Paulina SPECKMAIER - 2013-16
6. 18 - Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19 
7. 17 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
8. 16 - Gina PETRACCO - 2008-11
9. 15 - Evdokia Popadinova- 2018-19 
10. 12 - Olivia ELIAS - 2008-11
12 - Ali ROGERS - 2012-16

Assists 
1. 30 - Tabby TINDELL - 2013-16
2. 28 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK - 2008-12
3. 27 - Shannen WACKER - 2011-14
4. 22 - Lindsay HAW - 2007-10
22 - Paulina SPECKMAIER - 2013-16
6. 19 - Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19 
19 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
7. 18 - Melissa ARNOLD - 2011-14
9. 15 - Holly FRITZ - 2017-18
15 - Caytlan MACKENZIE - 2007-10
15 - Meaghan MULLIGAN - 2015-17
15 - Camille KNUDSTRUP - 2015-18

Points 
1. 162 - Tabby TINDELL (66g 30a) - 2013-16
2. 83 - Shannen WACKER (28g 27a) - 2011-14
3. 68 - Lindsay HAW (23g 22a) - 2007-10
4. 66 - Paulina SPECKMAIER (22g 22a) - 2013-16
5. 57 - AMBER McCALL (24g 9a) - 2007-09
6. 55 - Marjorie Boilesen (18g 18a) - 2017-19 
7. 53 - Ally KASUN (17g 19a) - 2012-15
8. 44 - Gina PETRACCO (16g 12a) - 2008-11
9. 40 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK (6g 28a) - 2008-12
10. 37 - Holly FRITZ (11g 15a) - 2017-18
37 - Evdokia Popadinova (15 g 7)- 2018-19 

Saves 
1. 274 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 274 saves) - 2012-15
2. 261 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 261 saves) - 2008-11
3. 216 - Melissa Weck (46 GA, 216 saves) - 2016-19 
4. 55 - Kirsi KEENAN (16 GA, 55 saves) - 2007-10

Most shutouts 
1. 37.1 - Brittany BROWN - 2012-15
2. 31 - Stephanie POWERS - 2008-11
3. 29.4 - Melissa Weck - 2016-19 
4. 8 - Kirsi KEENAN - 2007-10

Goals against avg.
1. 0.67 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 7511 min) - 2012-15
2. 0.73 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 6401 min) - 2008-11
3. 0.78 - Melissa Weck (49 GA, 5579 min) - 2016-19 
4. 0.84 - EMILY BARRETT (5 GA, 538 min) - 2007-09

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 158-58-23 (.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 398-128-34 (.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.
 
-- FGCUATHLETICS.COM –