BOCA RATON, Fla. – A strong defensive effort and a timely goal from graduate student Zoey Spitzer (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) led the FGCU Women's Soccer (3-4) team to a 1-0 victory over Florida Atlantic (2-4-2), Sunday afternoon.

After a scoreless first half, Spitzer found the back of the net in the 58^th minute for the lone score of the contest. Sophomore Leah Scarpelli (Brick, N.J/Brick Memorial/Penn State) sent a free kick into the box, where the ball eventually found the foot of Spitzer, who fired a shot just under the crossbar, well out of the keeper's reach.

"Fantastic result against a really good team on the road," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "I thought the team played really, really well and Zoey [Spitzer] had a phenomenal goal. I was also really impressed with how our girls handled the pressure at the end of the game and as I've said before, I feel like we are getting better and better every game. I'm proud of them for their effort and its rewarding for them to get the result they deserve."

The Eagles took 11 shots, seven of which were on target while they held FAU to just eight shots and only three on goal, a season-low allowed for the FGCU defense. The Green and Blue also had a 7-4 advantage on corner kicks.

For Spitzer, her goal was her second this season as she became the first Eagle this year to find the back off the net multiple times. It was also the first assist of the season for Scarpelli.

In goal, junior Katie Sullivan (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS/Creighton) made three saves as she earned her second shutout of the season.

The Eagles had a couple of chances in the first half to jump ahead. The first opportunity came in the 27^th minute when sophomore Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) tried a backheel shot off a cross. The keeper made the save, but the ball bounced to freshman Olivia Lindstedt (Gluumslov, Sweden/Malmo Idrottsgymnasium), who tried tapping it in, but the Owl keeper corralled it and kept the game scoreless.

Scarpelli followed a couple minutes later when she took a shot off a free kick in the 33^rd minute. The ball looked destined for the upper corner, but the keeper again made the save and punched it over the bar.

After Spitzer's goal in the second half, the Eagle defense remained strong and allowed just two shots in the final 33 minutes.

FGCU will return to action next Sunday when they host South Florida to close out the non-conference season. Kickoff from Pickering Field is set for 4 p.m.

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 177-66-27 (.707) overall record through the first 15 seasons of the program's existence, including an 86-17-15 (.801) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 417-137-38 (.737) over 31 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 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just ten seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 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, 2020 Fall, and 2021 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.