FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU men's soccer team (4-7-1, 4-3-0 ASUN) concluded the regular season in style, Saturday night, against Stetson (7-6-2, 4-3-0 ASUN), downing the Hatters in overtime, 2-1, at Pickering Field.
Junior
Aiden Jokomba (Anchovy St. James, Jamaica/Cornwall College) scored the game-winner in overtime, less than two minutes into the extra period. He had just entered the game to start overtime and on his first opportunity, he scored a beautiful goal from just outside the box into the corner of the net past the diving keeper.
"I thought the guys fought from start to finish," said head coach
Jesse Cormier. "Stetson is obviously a very good team. I thought our guys had a very high level of possession and controlled the tempo of the game, we were just looking for the finish at the end and
Aiden Jokomba provided it. The point of this experience is to peak at the right time and I think this team is starting to emerge. The energy is good, everybody is working for the team and we're looking forward to the playoffs."
The Eagles outshot Stetson, 11-7 while shots on goal was even at five apiece. The Hatters had a slight advantage in corner kicks with eight compared to seven for FGCU.
Senior
Marcos Da Paz (Recife, Brazil/Fayetteville Academy/Columbia International gave the Eagles the lead in the 20
th minute, scoring from a tough angle off a nice assist from senior
O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Northview Heights Secondary).
Stetson tied it up before the break with a goal off a corner kick in the 38
th minute.
In the second half, graduate student
Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) made a great save in the 67
th minute to keep the game tied, one of four on the night for Vasconcelos. The Eagles managed two shots on goal in the second half, but were unable to break the tie as the game headed to overtime.
In overtime, Jokomba sent everyone home happy with his game-winner. Senior
Steven Saunders (Rockledge, Fla./Merritt Island HS/Jacksonville) and graduate student
Miles Robinson (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park HS/Santa Clara/Portland) each picked up an assist on the play in their final game at Pickering Field.
The Eagles will be the #3 seed in next week's ASUN Tournament and will play the #6 seed Bellarmine at on the campus of Central Arkansas on Friday with a time still to be determined.
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. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's soccer and all 15 sport programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER
Jesse Cormier is in his fifth year as head coach of the FGCU men's soccer program in the fall of 2021 after being hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. Cormier has guided FGCU to a 33-30-12 (.520) record overall, including an 19-9-4 mark (.656) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for nine-straight seasons (every year of eligibility), as Cormier has coached 28 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 147-119-58 (.543) record as a head coach in his 16-plus seasons at the helm.
#FEEDFGCU
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 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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--
