DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU women's soccer team (6-2-2, 4-2-0 ASUN) closed out its 2020-21 regular season slate with a 1-0 road win at Stetson (1-6-1, 0-5-1 ASNU) on Friday night. Freshman Ashley Labbe (Lake Worth, Fla./Suncoast HS) powered the team with her second career goal, netting an unassisted game-winner in the 17th minute.

The Eagles have locked up the ASUN South Division's second seed and will face No. 3 Jacksonville in the ASUN Quarterfinal on Saturday, April 10 at the FGCU Soccer Complex. No. 4 Stetson will travel to No. 1 UNF. Game times have yet to be determined.

"I'm happy with our performance," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "We got three points on the road and that's always a good feeling. I thought we came into the game with good energy and played with intensity in the first half. I have to give credit to Stetson because they were able to turn it back on us a little in the second, but we handled that well. We will look forward to the start of playoffs next week."

FGCU had control of the ball immediately following kick-off and Labbe fired off her first shot of the night just three minutes into the game. Sophomore Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) had a look of her own a few minutes later and was able to put some power behind it, but her attempt sailed to the left.

The Hatters were the first to notch an on-frame attempt, as Jackie Fiacco tested freshman Mia Krusinski (Lewisville, Texas/Ursuline Academy of Dallas) in the 15th minute. The rookie made a diving save to prevent Stetson from taking an early lead.

Less than three minutes later, Labbe awarded FGCU with the 1-0 advantage when she found the back of the net for the second time in as many games. Though the Eagles were able to take their lead into the break, they were outshot 5-6 by Stetson in the opening half.

FGCU continued to dictate the pace of the game after the break. Lillback's second shot and a Green & Blue corner kick kept the pressure on Stetson's backline. After about 10 minutes of the Eagles dominating the ball, Stetson's Maggie Struble was able to take the team's first shot of the second half, but it was wide.

Following Struble's attempt, Stetson earned a slight change in momentum and was able to relieve some of the pressure the team had been facing. The Hatters went on to test Krusinski three separate times during the second half, but the rookie maintained her clean slate.

Freshman Malaya Melancon (Naples, Fla./First Baptist Academy) had FGCU's last chance to extend the lead in the 84th minute when she took a shot, but she was unable to get it on-frame. The Eagles were ultimately able to hold on for the win, as Melancon's look was the last of the game.

Krusinski finished her night with six saves en route to picking up the sixth shutout of her rookie career. The keeper has not allowed a goal since the team's 1-0 loss to UNF (March 13).
 
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.

ASUN Roundup
South Division Standings

School	ASUN	Points	Overall
No. 1 UNF	5-0-0	15	8-1-0
No. 2 FGCU	4-2-0	12	6-2-2
No. 3 Jacksonville	1-3-1	4	1-8-1
No. 4 Stetson	0-5-1	1	1-6-1

North Division Standings

School	ASUN	Points	Overall
No. 1 Lipscomb	6-0-1	19	7-2-1
No. 2 Kennesaw State	4-3-0	12	5-7-0
Liberty	2-3-3	9	3-4-5
Bellarmine	2-3-2	8	2-5-2
North Alabama	0-5-2	2	1-7-2

Recent Results
Thursday, April 1
Virginia Tech 5, Liberty 3

Upcoming Games
Saturday, April 3
Jacksonville at UNF - Noon
Kennesaw State at North Alabama - 2 p.m.
Bellarmine at Lipscomb - 7 p.m.

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 173-61-27 (.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 413-132-38 (.743) over 26 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
#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.


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