ATLANTA – Seniors Evdokia Popadinova and Melissa Weck swept the weekly awards for the ASUN, taking home both Player and Defensive Player of the week accolades, as announced by the league Monday afternoon. These are the first two awards for the FGCU women's soccer team (5-3-0) this season.

"I am pleased for Evi and Weck," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "They had outstanding games this weekend and they both deserve to be recognized." 

Popadinova's (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) performance up top for the Eagles helped push the team to back-to-back victories over Creighton (Sept. 20) and Marshall (Sept. 22). Over the course of the two-match frame, she tallied three goals and one assist, good for seven points.

On Friday, Popadinova scored the first goal of the night just 12 minutes into the match before assisting freshman Louise Lillback's (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) second half-shot that boosted FGCU to a 2-1 win over the Bluejays, who entered the match with the No. 8 RPI in the nation. The forward dominated Sunday afternoon's competition against Marshall and netted both of the team's goals, one in each stanza. The first shot capped off an unassisted drive to the box and she knocked the second one in with her head after collecting a cross from redshirt-junior Megan Young (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS), who had sent in a pass from junior Syniah Clark (Cape Coral, FL/Ida Baker HS).

This is the first ASUN weekly award for Popadinova, who was a First Team All-Conference selection and a Second Team All-American a season ago.

Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) collects her fourth ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honor after allowing just one goal over the course of the weekend. The keeper made a combined total of four saves in the matches against Creighton and Marshall.

During the game against the Bluejays, Weck faced nine shots and stopped three. She allowed just one goal, which came within the final 10 minutes of the match. On Sunday, she made one save and faced four shots from Marshall en route to colleting her fourth shutout of the season. The four shutouts tie for the fourth-most in the NCAA this season.

In her final season between the pipes for FGCU, Weck has established herself as one of the top keepers in program history. With 31.4 career shutouts, she ranks second all-time. Her career goals-against average (0.77) and number of saves (223) each rank third in the team record book. The 2017 ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year, she has been named to a postseason all-conference team in each of the three previous seasons.

Up Next
FGCU will open up ASUN league play with a two-match road swing against North Alabama (3-5-0) and Lipscomb (6-3-0), who finished in the top two of the conference a season ago. The Eagles will take on the Lions in an 8 p.m. match on Thursday, Sept. 26 before heading up to Nashville to take on reigning ASUN champ Lipscomb at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29.

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. 18 - Evdokia Popadinova- 2018-19 
8. 17 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
9. 16 - Gina PETRACCO - 2008-11
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. 20 - 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. 60 - Marjorie Boilesen (20g 20a) - 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
44 - Evdokia Popadinova (18g 8a)- 2018-19 
10. 40 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK (6g 28a) - 2008-12

Saves 
1. 274 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 274 saves) - 2012-15
2. 261 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 261 saves) - 2008-11
3. 223 - Melissa Weck (50 GA, 223 saves) - 2016-19 
4. 55 - Kirsi KEENAN (16 GA, 55 saves) - 2007-10

Most shutouts 
1. 37.1 - Brittany BROWN - 2012-15
2. 31.4 - Melissa Weck - 2016-19 
3. 31 - Stephanie POWERS - 2008-11
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. 0.77 - Melissa Weck (50 GA, 5849 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 161-58-23 (.713) 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 401-128-34 (.742) 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 –