FORT MYERS, Fla. – Recent Eagle graduate Opal Curless (Mount Desert, Maine/Syracuse) has signed to play professionally with MTK Hungária FC, a club based in Hungary's capital city. The former defender's new team plays in Simple Nöi Liga, which is the country's top premier women's league.

"We could not be more proud of Opal," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We are so excited for this new opportunity for her to showcase her abilities at the next level. Opal was a great ambassador for us both on and off the field and made a huge impact on our program during her time with us. I am sure she will have an incredible journey throughout her pro experience."

In her two years suiting up for the Green and Blue, Curless was a staple on the Eagles' back line. She started all 36 matches that she appeared in while at FGCU and played the full direction in all but two instances during her senior season. Her efforts in her final collegiate campaign aided the Green and Blue in allowing just 14 goals during the regular season, the lowest of any team in the conference. In addition to tallying an assist during the 2-0 victory over Northeastern, she helped boost the team to its league-high eight regular season team shutouts and the 2019 ASUN Regular Season Championship title.

Curless' defensive talents, as well as her performances in the classroom, earned her an Academic All-American nod from CoSIDA. The psychology major, who posted a 4.0 cumulative GPA, collected second team honors and became the second Academic All-American in program history. She was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team (District 4) and was one of a league-high five Eagles that earned spots on the ASUN All-Academic Team.

"I am so excited to have the opportunity to continue my soccer career," Curless said. "I cannot say enough how thankful I am for coach Blankenship, the women's soccer staff and my teammates at FGCU. I appreciate everything that they have done for me and I am thrilled to have the chance to continue to represent the program."

Curless is the third player to sign professionally this year, joining former teammates Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) and Marjorie Boilesen (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Western Florida), who are now playing with clubs in Denmark and France, respectively. Additionally, she joins an esteemed group of FGCU women's soccer alumnae that have gone on to play in the pros, which includes current assistant coach Ali Rogers, Tabby Tindell, Julia Roddar, Shannen Wacker, Emily Dolan and Varin Ness.

Founded in 2002, MTK Hungária FC currently has a roster of 23 players that represent multiple different countries. Curless earned the start in the team's most recent match against Diosygor VTK, which MTK Hungária FC defeated 2-0.

For complete coverage of FGCU women's soccer, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_WSoccer and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU women's soccer or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

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, 2015 and 2019, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 13 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to 13 double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. 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 167-59-25 (.716) overall record through the first 13 seasons of the program's existence, including an 82-15-15 (.801) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 407-130-36 (.743) over 26 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.

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IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
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FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--