FORT MYERS, Fla. – Despite playing a man down for nearly 60 minutes, the FGCU men's soccer team (0-1-1) was able to battle USF (1-1-1) to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Thursday night on Pickering Field at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 5 as they host Mercer at 5 PM. The match will be part of a doubleheader with the women's team which will host Florida at Pickering Field.
 
"I thought we started pretty brightly with the first half being very even and we created some great chances," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "Each team had some chances to score, but obviously the red card changed the dynamic of the game – changed the tactics. Probably my biggest takeaway from tonight was the fight the guys had even in the face of playing a man down for 50-60 minutes. They were collected, they were unified, and they wanted to get a shutout. There's some good to build from, but we need to be more disciplined."
 
Overall, the Bulls posted 15 shots in the game while the Eagles tallied eight. Each side made four saves with FGCU playing junior keeper William Blake (Mobile, Ala./McGill-Toolen Catholic HS/West Alabama) in place of graduate Gustavo Vasconcelos (Recife, Brazil/Colegio GCE) who had to miss the game due to a red card against FIU. The Eagles held a 6-to-3 advantage in corner kicks including three in the second half and two in the second overtime.
 
The game saw 12 cards issued throughout the night including a pair of yellows to senior Shandel Senior (Kingston, Jamaica/Vere Technical HS/Daytona State). Senior's second card came in the 52^nd minute which forced him out of the match.
 
Each side opened the first 20 minutes of play with a pair of shots. FGCU's attempts came from senior O'Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario/Northview Heights Secondary) and graduate Miles Robinson (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park HS/Santa Clara/Portland), but USF keeper Kazuna Takase saved both. The Eagles tallied two more in the final four minutes of the opening half, but they were off frame.
 
In the second half, the Eagles tallied another pair of shots including one in the 88^th minute.
 
In overtime, the Bulls were able create three shots, but Blake cleaned up the two on-target chances in the final minute to force the second session.
 
The Eagles earned a set piece from about 25 yards out from the goal following a Bulls yellow card in the 107^th minute. Senior Ethan Dudley (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) sent a low, heavy strike on goal, but Takase was able to smother the ball to keep the match even. FGCU managed to earn a pair of corner kicks in the 109^th minute, but could not find the go-ahead goal.
 
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 enters 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 29-23-12 (.547) 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 143-111-58 (.551) 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 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--