FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (1-2-0) dropped a 2-1 decision to La Salle (2-2-1) on Thursday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

"Overall, we walk away from this one pretty disappointed," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "Hats off to La Salle, they were able to change the momentum of the game in the second half and we just couldn't respond. The important thing is that we have a lot of games ahead of us and we will learn from this one."

Initially, the Eagles controlled the matchup against the Explorers. In the opening 10 minutes, both junior Cassidy Morgan (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay HS) and senior Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) launched on-target shots that were narrowly saved by the La Salle keeper. The team kept the pressure on the Explorers' defense and eventually freshman Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) found the back of the net for her first career goal off a pass from sophomore Ashlee Brentlinger (Middletown, DE/Padua Academy) in the 12th minute, handing the home team a 1-0 edge.

Through the first half, FGCU outshot its visitors 11-1. The Eagles' starting back line of senior Lindsey Patton (Jacksonville, FL/Oakleaf HS), senior Opal Curless (Mount Desert, ME/Syracuse), junior Zoey Spitzer (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast HS) and junior Syniah Clark (Cape Coral, FL/Ida Baker HS) kept the Explorers at bay until the 41st minute when La Salle tallied its first shot of the night.

Despite taking a 1-0 lead into the break, FGCU was unable to outlast the Explorers through the second half. La Salle's offense found its rhythm and continuously knocked on the Eagles' door, challenging senior keeper Melissa Weck. On their sixth shot of the half, La Salle scored its first goal as Maci Bower snuck one past a diving Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) to cap off a one-on-one opportunity in the 62nd minute. Redshirt-junior Megan Young (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS) responded minutes later with an on-frame test but was unable to get the ball past Claudia Jenkins.  

The Explorers' game-winning goal was scored in the 68th minute when Amirah Louketis connected with a pass from Kayla Miller-People. From there, La Salle held on as the scoreboard ran down. FGCU held the advantage in corner kicks (6-0) and shots (19-10) but was unable to string anything together in the final minutes of play. Weck wrapped up her night between the pipes with six saves, all of which came in the second half.

Up Next
FGCU will remain in Fort Myers to host the Northeastern Huskies in a 5 p.m. match on Sunday, Sept. 8. The game at the FGCU Soccer Complex will be a blue out and marks the first meeting in the history between the two programs.



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. 14 - 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 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
7. 18 - Melissa ARNOLD - 2011-14
18 - Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19 
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. 54 - 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

Saves 
1. 274 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 274 saves) - 2012-15
2. 261 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 261 saves) - 2008-11
3. 212 - Melissa Weck (44 GA, 206 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. 28.4 - 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. 0.75 - Melissa Weck (46 GA, 5534 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 157-57-23 (.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 397-127-34 (.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 –