FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's soccer team opens up ASUN play this Saturday when it hosts Jacksonville at Pickering Field. The match is slated for a 6 PM opening kickoff and it will be streamed through
Facebook Live. The Eagles enter the match with an 0-4-1 record, while Jacksonville is 1-3-0 on the year.
The Eagles are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at FAU on Tuesday night.
O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights) scored two goals for FGCU, but it was not enough as the Owls scored three unanswered goals, including the game-winner in overtime. Filip Jauk found the back of the net twice for FAU with the game-winner coming in the 98th minute.
Mullings' goals at FAU were his 23rd and 24th overall giving him the second-most career goals in program history, surpassing Shak Adams (23, 2016-19). The goals also meant he now has 54 career points putting him just nine shy of passing Adams there as well. Saturday's match will also mark the 50th career match for Mullings who has 44 starts overall.
Overall, Mullings leads FGCU with three goals on the season followed by
Timon Zech (Starnberg, Germany/Louisiana State Eunice College) who scored against UCF for his first marker with the Green and Blue.
Jacksonville is the defending ASUN champions after defeating the Eagles in last season's championship game. That match was originally started on Saturday, April 17 as a night game where FGCU took a 2-0 lead before heavy rains forced the abandonment of the contest due to unplayable conditions. As it did not reach the 70-minute mark, the game was restarted from the beginning on Sunday afternoon as a completely new contest and moved to Stetson. After a scoreless first half, the Dolphins scored twice in the second stanza to win the league title and berth to the NCAA Tournament.
This fall, the Dolphins have also had a slow start this season as they are just 1-3 with their lone win coming against Wofford on August 29th, a 5-1 victory at home. Reed Davis leads the team with two goals this season while five other players have one apiece.
In goal, Matt Levy has played the most minutes for the Dolphins and leads the team with 14 saves in three games played.
In the all-time series, the Eagles have a 12-5 advantage, including an 8-1 record in Fort Myers, but the Dolphins have won two straight in the series after FGCU had won the previous 12.
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. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's soccer and all 15 sport programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER
Jesse Cormier is in his fifth year as head coach of the FGCU men's soccer program in the fall of 2021 after being hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. Cormier has guided FGCU to a 29-26-12 (.522) 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 28 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 143-113-58 (.551) record as a head coach in his 16-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 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine 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 24 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 in each. 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--
