JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU men's soccer team (3-4-2, 0-0-1 ASUN) opened up conference play with a 1-1 double overtime draw versus UNF (2-3-2, 1-0-1 ASUN) Saturday night at Hodges Stadium. The Eagles are now 9-1-3 all-time in conference openers (6-1-3 when opening up on the road).
"It was an amazing effort from our guys tonight," said head coach
Jesse Cormier. "Despite the extreme circumstances we continue to face, the guys were superior in possession, dynamic in attack and fought to win key moments to get the important point on the road. I'm very proud of the team as a whole. We came together at a very important time tonight."
Jahan Rajaee (Gainesville, Fla./F.W. Buchholz HS) gave UNF's keeper his first real test of the night in the 12 minute as the senior hit a left-footed volley that was thwarted with a diving save to the far post. The scoreless affair was finally broken up in the 28th minute, courtesy of
Shak Adams' (Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge HS) second goal of the year. Dribbling with pace after fighting for possession, Adams launched a shot from 20-yards out to the far left post to find the back of the net.
FGCU outshot UNF 5-1, with two coming on frame heading into the intermission (five different Eagles recorded a shot).
Holding onto the one goal advantage in the second stanza, the tide turned onto UNF's side as
TC Anderson (Gainesville, Fla./F.W. Buchholz HS) was booked with a red card in the 60th minute. Just over 10 minutes later, the home side struck with the equalizer in the 71st minute. Keeper
Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) secured four saves in the second half as FGCU played with 10 men.
The Green and Blue defense faced six combined shots in the overtime periods as none came on target. On offense, FGCU registered one shot while also collecting a corner. In all, the squad launched nine shots with three coming on goal.
Max Edwards (Woodbridge, Va./Radford College) and
Ivan Rosales (Houston, Texas/San Jacinto) led the way with two shots apiece. Vasconcelos finished the match with five saves.
Up Next
FGCU will face I-75 rival USF (5-2-0) on the road Tuesday (Oct. 1) night. Kickoff is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
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 20-15-7 (.560) 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 134-104-54 (.551) 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.
