TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Following his two-goal performance against Jacksonville last Saturday, junior forward
O'Vonte Mullings landed a spot on the College Soccer News Team of the Week.
The Eagles and the Dolphins combined for five shots in the first period – FGCU recorded three – but that changed in a matter of seconds to begin the second half. Just over 30 seconds in,
Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights) tallied the first goal, sprinting down the right side of the box and slotting the pass from
Alex Guichard (West Palm Beach, Fla./American Heritage HS/Charleston) under the keeper.
Two minutes later, a cross into the box from
Darius Kerr-Cooper (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary's HS) found the chest of
Markus Maurer (Friedrichshafen, Germany/Monroe College) who touched it over to Mullings for the right-footed finish and the 2-0 margin.
His two scores moved him into third all-time in points (44) for FGCU, trailing only Albert Ruiz (76) and Shak Adams (62).
"O'Vonte is multidimensional and can attack opponents in many different ways, he's good at creating, and is a clinical finisher when opportunities are presented," said head coach
Jesse Cormier. "I'm proud of how he is responding and positively influencing others to become a leader for us."
FGCU (1-1-2, 1-0-1 ASUN) will host North Florida (2-1-2, 0-0-2 ASUN) this Saturday, Mar. 13 at 1 p.m.
Team of the Week
Wilmer Cabrera, Jr. – Sophomore – Forward – Butler
Frantz Pierrot – Junior – Forward – Merrimack College
Alex Willis – Junior – Forward – Charlotte
Bryan Iliohan – Sophomore – Forward – California Baptist
O'Vonte Mullings – Junior – Forward – FGCU
Parker Grinstead – Freshman – Midfielder – Ohio State
Chris Donovan – Junior – Midfielder – Drexel
Callum Johnson – RS Senior – Midfielder – Clemson
Mouhameth Thiam – Sophomore – Midfielder – Oregon State
Drew Rabil – Senior – Defender – UNCW
Charlie Ostrem – Junior – Defender – Washington
Rimi Olatunji – Redshirt Junior – Goalkeeper – Providence
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 is in his fourth year 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 27-20-9 (.482) record overall, including a 14-3-3 mark (.700) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for nine-straight seasons (every year of eligibility), as Cormier has coached 23 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 141-108-55 (.462) record as a head coach in his sixteen-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 84 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.
