FORT MYERS, Fla. – Goals from senior Evdokia Popadinova and sophomore Ashlee Brentlinger boosted the FGCU women's soccer team (2-2-0) to a 2-0 victory over Northeastern (2-3-0) at the FGCU Soccer Complex on Sunday evening.

"We knew we had to show up to this game because Northeastern is a really good team," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "I was thrilled to see our team put together a full 90 minutes of hard work. We were able to keep the pressure on them throughout the game and we got a lot of second balls, which helped us get the win."

Both sides kept each other in check in the opening minutes of play as the Eagles and the Huskies were limited to one shot apiece through the 15-minute mark. Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) broke open the scoring for the Green and Blue after connecting with a pass from senior Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/West Florida) in the 20th minute that put the home team up 1-0 and snapped a four-match drought for the All-American.

Minutes later, the Huskies' Alexis Legowski fired one into the box but senior Melissa Weck dove on the ball to keep the visitors off the board. The Eagles' back line continued to stifle Northeastern's offense as the team took its 1-0 edge into the break.

FGCU continued to keep the pressure on the Huskies in the second stanza. Senior Silvana Gordon provided some pop off the bench for the Eagles and immediately tested the visiting keeper twice within two minutes of entering the match.

With just under 10 minutes left on the game clock, a free kick within the 20-yard line provided FGCU with a scoring opportunity. Senior Opal Curless (Mount Desert, ME/Syracuse) drilled the free kick off the Huskies' keeper and Brentlinger (Middletown, DE/Padua Academy) tapped the second ball into the back of the net for her second career goal.

"I was really excited for Evi, I mean she's just a world class athlete and she has taken a lot of responsibility for our results so far," Blankenship said. "I was happy that she scored and I know she feels relieved. It was also really exciting to see Ashlee score. We have been talking a lot about getting to the second ball and she was able to do that and score on it, which was great."

Though Northeastern attempted to respond with an on-frame shot of their own, Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) held on for her second shutout of the season. She finished the night with four saves and is just under two career shutouts away from claiming second in the FGCU record book.

Gordon (Medford, NJ/Shawnee HS) led the Eagles' offense with four shots, while Popadinova added three and both Brentlinger and redshirt-junior Megan Young (White Lake, MI/Walled Lake Northern HS) contributed a pair each. With tonight's win, FGCU now improves to .500 on the season.

Up Next
FGCU will hit the road to take on the Florida Gators up in Gainesville at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. The Gators received four votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll and were tabbed ninth in the Southeast Region Poll. The only time the Eagles have defeated Florida was a 1-0 victory in a 2015 exhibition match.



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. 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. 57 - AMBER McCALL (24g 9a) - 2007-09
6. 55 - 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
37 - Evdokia Popadinova- 2018-19 

Saves 
1. 274 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 274 saves) - 2012-15
2. 261 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 261 saves) - 2008-11
3. 216 - Melissa Weck (46 GA, 216 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. 29.4 - 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 158-57-23 (.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 398-127-34 (.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 –