FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (3-3-0) is set to welcome Creighton (6-1-0) and Marshall (2-5-0) to the FGCU Soccer Complex this upcoming weekend. On Friday, Sept. 20, the Eagles will face off against the Bluejays in a 7 p.m. white out match that will feature a "Stars & Stripes Night" promotion; fans with a Military ID are eligible to purchase a ticket for $5. After the Friday night clash, FGCU will play Marshall at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. It will be "We Are FGCU Day" at the FGCU Soccer Complex and fans are encouraged to participate in a blue out. Both matches will be streamed on YouTube Live.
Head coach
Jim Blankenship is just one victory away from his 400th career win in 26 seasons of coaching. Only 16 active coaches in NCAA Division I women's soccer have surpassed 400 career wins and just three others among that group are also in their 26th seasons.
The Green and Blue
Senior
Marjorie Boilesen scored both goals in FGCU's most recent victory: a 2-0 win over Ball State at the FGCU Soccer Complex last Sunday (Sept. 15). Both sophomore
Kara Kyramarios (Titusville, FL/Titusville HS) and freshman
Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) picked up assists as the Eagles cruised to their third shutout of the season.
Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/West Florida), who leads FGCU with four goals this season, is just two away from checking into the top five of the Eagles' all-time scorers list. As of last weekend's match, she ranks fifth in program history with 59 career points.
Senior
Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) is one shutout away from taking over second place in the FGCU record book. She ranks third in both career saves (219) and goals-against average (0.78). Her career goals-against average currently stands as the fifth-lowest in ASUN Conference history.
With just one week until the start of ASUN play, the Eagles currently stand at fifth in the league standings.
FGCU vs Creighton
Friday's game will mark the first time that the two soccer programs have played one another. The Bluejays, who have already matched their total wins from last season with six, were recently tabbed the ninth-ranked team in the East Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
Creighton has left its home field at Morrison Stadium just once so far this season. The Bluejays travelled to Missouri to play the Kansas City Roos on Tuesday (Sept. 17) and claimed a 2-1 victory. The only match that Creighton has dropped so far was a 1-0 shutout at the hands of the Clemson Tigers, who are currently ranked 10th in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches, on Sept. 1.
Freshman Skylar Heinrich has been dominant up top for the Bluejays. The rookie leads the team with seven goals and two assists, good for 16 points. Creighton has outscored its opponents 15-7 through its first seven matches.
The Eagles have never played an opponent from the Big East Conference, which Creighton currently sits at the top of.
FGCU vs Marshall
The match against Marshall will mark the third-consecutive Sunday that the Eagles have squared off against a new opponent. So far, FGCU has defeated Northeastern and Ball State, each by a score of 2-0, on Sundays.
The Herd will travel to Fort Myers in search of its first road win of the season. Prior to taking on the Eagles, Marshall will play at FAU on Thursday, Sept. 19. The match against FGCU will be Marshall's second against an ASUN opponent; the team took on Lipscomb in Nashville on Sept. 6 and fell 2-0.
Marshall had a solid chance to knock off No. 9 Vanderbilt at the Commodores' home stadium two weeks ago (Sept. 8). Junior Mary Lawman put the Herd on the board in the ninth minute with a goal that handed the team a 1-0 edge. Vanderbilt responded with back-to-back goals, but senior Marah Abu-Tayeh forced the game into overtime after netting her second goal of the season with 12 minutes to go. The Commodores ultimately defeated the Herd in double over-time with a shot in the 108th minute that ended the match.
The scoring has been well-balanced for Marshall so far this season, as six different players have found the back of the net. Lawman leads the Herd with three goals on the season and junior Rene Ross paces the team with four assists. Sophomore Lindsay Langley has started all seven of Marshall's games between the pipes and has posted one shutout.
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. 20 - 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. 59 - Marjorie Boilesen (20g 19a) - 2017-19
6. 57 - AMBER McCALL (24g 9a) - 2007-09
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. 219 - Melissa Weck (49 GA, 219 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. 30.4 - 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, 5669 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 159-58-23 (.711) 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 399-128-34 (.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 –
