FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 2nd- seeded FGCU men's soccer team (2-3-4) survived and is moving onto the ASUN Semifinals after coming from behind to defeat 3rd-seeded North Florida (4-3-3), tying the contest, 1-1, before taking down the Ospreys in penalty kicks, 5-3.
"I don't know what to say," said head coach
Jesse Cormier. "I've done this for 25 years and that was one of the most courageous displays of heart and unity from a team. These guys have been up against it and have gone through a lot of adversity lately. They came together and just kept fighting all the way to the end and I'm so proud of them. With the last couple of weeks being difficult, it has brought us together and made the guys understand what a team is. UNF is such a good team that they brought that out in us tonight and the guys responded beautifully."
It was a battle right from the start and heading into the half as both squads walked into the break facing a scoreless draw. FGCU edged UNF in shots, 4-2, as each team had one shot on goal.
FGCU caught a bad break in the second half as an own goal put the visitors on top, 1-0, in the 59th minute. Over the next 12 minutes, the Eagles ramped up the offense, launching five shots as
Marcos Da Paz (Recife, Brazil/Fayetteville Academy/Columbia International) nearly found the equalizer in the 69th minute. Da Paz once again gave FGCU another great look but his chip from outside the 18-yard box was denied at the high post in the 78th minute. FGCU would play a man down the rest of the way due to a straight red card in the 80th minute.
The press from FGCU eventually broke through with a foul in the box as
Ethan Dudley (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) converted the penalty kick for the equalizer in the 87th minute. Keeper
Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) ensured there would be overtime, securing a save two minutes later.
In overtime, UNF outshot FGCU, 5-3, producing two shots on goal to FGCU's one. From there, the Eagles converted all five of their penalty kicks with
Martin Veys (Caen, France/Nebraska Omaha) bagging home the game-winner. Vasconcelos blocked the second shot he saw en route to the 5-3 penalty kick ending.
On the night, FGCU outshot UNF, 20-15 with six shots coming on frame led by Dudley who launched seven (three on frame). Da Paz was right behind him with six shots (three on frame) of his own. The corner kicks favored UNF, 10-9.
In between the pipes, Vasconcelos secured five saves, tying a season-high.
Up Next
FGCU will face the top-seeded Bellarmine Knights out of the North Division next Thursday, Apr. 15 at 4:05 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla.
Saturday Night ASUN Results
#2 Lipscomb def. #3 Liberty, 2-0
#1 Jacksonville def. Stetson, 3-0
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 28-22-11 (.555) record overall, including a 15-5-4 mark (.708) 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 142-110-57 (.552) 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 85 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 40 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 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall 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.
