DELAND, Fla. – Still in the hunt for the ASUN title, the FGCU women's soccer team picked up a crucial win on Wednesday, defeating Stetson, 3-1. The Eagles improve to 9-5-1 and 7-1-1 in ASUN play while the Hatters fall to 6-10-1 and 3-5-1 in league play.
With the win, FGCU now has 22 points in the ASUN standings, tied for second with Lipscomb and just one point behind Liberty with only one game remaining in the regular season. A win by the Eagles on Saturday against Central Arkansas would secure the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the ASUN Tournament.
"It was a big result for us tonight," said head coach
Jim Blankenship. "We didn't play well the other day and tonight was a good bounce back for us against a good Stetson team. Leah and Louise continue to perform at very high levels which is very good for us heading into the final game and the postseason."
It was also the 100th ASUN victory in just 16 seasons for the Eagles, all of which have been under the leadership of Blankenship. The Eagles are 100-20-16 in those 16 years in conference and are just the second ASUN school to reach the century mark behind Jacksonville, who have 106 wins in 25 seasons.
Juniors
Leah Scarpelli (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial HS/Penn State) and
Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) each scored for the Eagles while sophomore
Ashley Labbe (Lake Worth, Fla./Suncoast HS) collected an assist.
FGCU outshot the Hatters 25-10 including a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal while also taking six corner kicks to Stetson's three.
The Eagles took the lead in the 15th minute as Stetson knocked the ball into its own net.
In the 24th minute, sophomore
Katelyn Kauffman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Norwin HS/Pitt) appeared to double FGCU's lead as she put the ball in the back of the net, but she was called offside.
The Eagles kept attacking and finally got that second goal in the 36th minute on a free kick from Scarpelli. The junior stepped up to the ball and fired a shot from about 30 yards out and into the top right corner of the net above the keeper's hands for her fourth goal of the season.
The score remained 2-0 into the break, but out of the locker room, the Hatters got a goal back in the 51st minute.
Not panicking, FGCU responded in the 65th minute. Labbe received the ball off a heavy touch from the Stetson player around midfield and sent it forward toward Lillback. With the flag staying down, Lillback only had to defeat the goalkeeper, which she did, firing a shot into the back of the net for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Lillback on the Rise
Most Career Goals
| 1. |
66 |
Tabby Tindell |
2013-16 |
| 2 |
34 |
Louise Lillback |
2019-present |
| 3. |
28 |
Shannen Wacker |
2011-14 |
| 4. |
25 |
Evdokia Popadinova |
2018-19 |
| 5. |
24 |
Amber McCall |
2007-09 |
Most Career Points
| 1. |
162 |
Tabby Tindell |
2013-16 |
| 2. |
83 |
Shannen Wacker |
2011-14 |
| 3. |
75 |
Louise Lillback |
2019-present |
| 4. |
68 |
Lindsey Haw |
2007-10 |
| 5. |
67 |
Marjorie Boilesen |
2017-19 |
| 6. |
66 |
Paulina Speckmaier |
2013-16 |
| 7. |
59 |
Evdokia Popadinova |
2018-19 |
| 8. |
57 |
Amber McCall |
2007-09 |
| 9. |
53 |
Ally Kasun |
2012-15 |
| 10. |
44 |
Gina Petracco |
2008-11 |
The Eagle defense took it from there as they did not allow a shot in the final 35 minutes of the contest.
FGCU will return home on Saturday for its final regular-season game of the season against Central Arkansas. The contest is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with Senior Day festivities taking place about 20 minutes beforehand.
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 16 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to double-digit win seasons every year except the COVID-shortened 2020 season, 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 193-74-28 (.698) overall record through the first 16 seasons of the program's existence, including an 100-20-16 (.791) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 433-145-39 (.732) over 32 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
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#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 92 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 45 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
