FLORENCE, Ala. – The FGCU women's soccer team (6-3-0, 1-0-0 ASUN) picked up its first ASUN Conference win of the season, handing North Alabama (4-6-0, 0-1-0 ASUN) a 3-1 loss Thursday night at the Bill Jones Athletic Complex. Freshman Louise Lillback finished the night with two goals and an assist, marking her best performance as an Eagle so far.

"Tonight, we had a great second half and I was happy to see that the players responded to what we talked about at halftime," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "I'm really pleased with our overall effort and the result we were able to get. Getting points on the road is always a good thing and we look at this win as one down, a lot to go."

Though the teams went into the break scoreless, FGCU outplayed the Lions in the opening 45 minutes. Senior Evdokia Popadinova took her first shot of the night just three minutes into the first half as the Eagles' offense immediately put the pressure on North Alabama's back line. Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) and sophomore Ashlee Brentlinger each tallied shots on-frame that were narrowly saved by the Lions' keeper. FGCU outshot North Alabama 6-2 before halftime.

The Eagles were able to get past the Lions' goalie in the second half as Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) put the team on the board in the 52nd minute. Brentlinger (Middletown, DE/Padua Academy) and redshirt-junior Megan Young (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS) assisted on the shot that gave FGCU its initial lead. Less than two minutes later, Popadinova found the back of the net from almost 30 yards out after collecting a pass from Lillback, notching her fifth goal of the season and putting the team up 2-0.

North Alabama's Shelby Wall chipped away at the Green and Blue lead in the 58th minute with a shot that she snuck by senior Melissa Weck. Lillback responded with her second goal of the night, knocking in a pass from sophomore Kara Kyramarios (Titusville, FL/Titusville HS) that re-extended the team's lead to 3-1. The shot marked Lillback's first multi-goal game of her career.

The Lions made another attempt on Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS), but the keeper made her second and final save of the night as the Eagles held on to their win.

The victory over the Lions marks FGCU's first road win of the season and the team's three goals are the most they've scored in a single game this year.

Up Next
The Eagles will continue the road swing with a match against reigning ASUN champ Lipscomb on Sunday, Sept. 29. Kick off against the Bisons is slated for 2 p.m. at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. It will be the 17th meeting in the history between the two programs, which FGCU leads 10-3-3.

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. 19 - 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. 46 - Evdokia Popadinova (19g 8a)- 2018-19 
9. 44 - Gina PETRACCO (16g 12a) - 2008-11
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. 225 - Melissa Weck (51 GA, 225 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 (51 GA, 5939 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 162-58-23 (.714) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including a 77-14-14 (.798) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 402-128-34 (.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 –