| FGCU Men's Soccer Game Notes & Information (ASUN Semifinals) |
| Game |
No. 2 FGCU (2-3-4) vs No. 1 Bellarmine (4-3-0) |
| Date // Time |
Thursday, Apr. 15 // 4:05 p.m. |
| Location |
Jacksonville, Fla. // Southern Oak Stadium |
| ASUN Bracket |
Here |
| Live Statistics |
Here |
| Watch |
Here (ESPN +) |
| Twitter |
@FGCU_MSoccer |
| Instagram |
FGCU Men's Soccer |
| Facebook |
FGCU Men's Soccer |
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 2nd-seeded FGCU men's soccer team will square off against the North Division's top-seeded Bellarmine Knights for a spot in the ASUN Championship final Saturday night at Southern Oak Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The winner will face either Jacksonville (No. 1 South seed) or Lipscomb (No. 2 North seed).
A victory will give the Eagles a second-straight appearance in the league final after making it in 2019. A consecutive appearance would be the first since 2011-12.
The Green and Blue
FGCU finds itself in the semifinals after taking down North Florida Saturday night in penalty kicks, 5-3. The Eagles conceded an own goal in the 59th minute before knotting the contest, 1-1, on a penalty kick conversion from junior defender
Ethan Dudley (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) in the 87th minute. In overtime, UNF outshot FGCU, 5-3, but the tables turned in penalty kicks as all five Eagles converted with keeper
Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GGE) blocking the second attempt he saw.
On offense this season, four Eagles have registered double-digit shot numbers with
O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights) leading the charge at 17. He also leads FGCU in goals (four), shots on goal (12), and points (eight). In the assist column, eight Eagles have produced a helper, led by freshman
Darius Kerr-Cooper (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary's HS) with two.
Vasconcelos has started all nine games between the pipes this season, snagging 33 saves with a 1.21 goals-against average.
Bellarmine
In its first season in Division I, the Knights came out of the three-team North after posting a 3-1 ASUN record, earning a first-round bye. Juan Ballas has three goals in seven games to go along with 19 shots. Haziq Zed is right behind Ballas scoring two goals. Two keepers have split time in net this season – Connor Range and Matthew Brozovich. Range notched the start in the regular-season finale securing five saves in the 2-1 overtime win over Lipscomb.
ASUN Postseason Record
FGCU holds a 5-4 record all-time in the conference semifinals. This will be the first meeting between both teams.
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.
