FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the second time this season, FGCU women's soccer freshman Kajsa Lang (Kalmar, Sweden/Stagneliusskolan) has received recognition from TopDrawerSoccer.com, as she made the outlet's Freshman Top 100. The list, which was posted at the end of last week, features Lang at the No. 61 spot.

The rookie received a nod earlier this season from TopDrawerSoccer.com when she was named in an article featuring the "Freshmen to Watch in 2021". Four of the members of the 10-player list, including Lang, hailed from non-Power 5 institutions.

"What an outstanding recognition for both Kajsa and our program," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "She is someone that we were really excited to get on campus and she's already made a huge impact on our team. The experiences and successes that she had prior to FGCU have translated really well to her collegiate playing career."

Lang has already established herself as a crucial part of the Eagles' (7-2-2, 4-2-0 ASUN) backline and has played the second-most minutes on the team, behind only freshman keeper Mia Krusinski (Lewisville, Texas/Ursuline Academy of Dallas). The U19 Swedish National Team Captain has helped FGCU hold opponents to just eight goals, the second-lowest of any other team in the ASUN. Lang has additionally fired off eight shots and picked up her first career assist during the Eagles' first match against UNF (Feb. 27).

Of the 60 players ahead of her on the Freshman Top 100, just 15 are from non-Power 5 programs. The list features 30 total defenders.

Multiple Eagles have been recognized by TopDrawerSoccer.com this season. Krusinski kicked off her rookie campaign with a spot on the National Team of the Week after shutting out Utah State in her career debut. Additionally, sophomore Leah Scarpelli (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial/Penn State) received an honorable mention spot on the squad a few weeks later when she scored a goal and notched an assist during the victory over Jacksonville.

After picking up a 2-1 ASUN Quarterfinal win over Jacksonville this past weekend, the Eagles will now prepare to hit the road for a semifinal matchup at Kennesaw State. FGCU will take on the Owls at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 15. The winner will advance to Saturday's ASUN Championship.

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 174-61-27 (.716) overall record through the first 13 seasons of the program's existence, including an 86-17-15 (.801) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 414-132-38 (.743) over 26 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.

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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 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.


--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--