FORT MYERS, Fla. – An ASUN Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament is on the line, Friday, as the No. 2 seed FGCU women's soccer team travels to Lynchburg, Virginia to take on top-seeded Liberty. Kickoff against the Flames is set for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The Eagles advanced to the title game by defeating No. 6 seed Central Arkansas, 3-2, in overtime on Sunday as ASUN Freshman of the Year
Erika Zschuppe (Kirtland, Ohio) scored the game-winning goal in the 104th minute. Liberty advanced to Friday's match by taking down #5 Eastern Kentucky, 3-1, in the semifinals.
The Green and Blue return to the title game for the first time since its stretch from 2011-2017 where they made seven in a row, winning six times while Liberty is in the championship game for the first time. Lipscomb has won the last four tournament titles, but fell this year in the quarterfinals to Central Arkansas.
High Honors for Scarpelli, Zschuppe
Last week, the ASUN announced its postseason honors with a pair of Eagles taking home major awards. Junior
Leah Scarpelli (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial/Penn State) was named Defensive Player of the Year while
Erika Zschuppe (Kirtland, Ohio/Kirtland HS) collected Freshman of the Year Honors. Scarpelli is the seventh different Eagle and eighth overall to be named the league's top defensive player while Zschuppe is the fourth Eagle to be named the best first-year player.
ASUN Honors
Seven other Eagles were named All-ASUN.
Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) and
Ashley Labbe (Lake Worth, Fla./Suncoast HS) joined Scarpelli on the first team while
Margaret Berry (Holly, Mich./Fenton HS/Boston) and
Marla Gaudlitz (Werder, Germany/Sportschule Potsdam Friedrich Ludwig Jahn) earned spots on the second team.
Katie Sullivan (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North HS/Creighton) and
Katelyn Kauffman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Norwin HS/Pitt) joined Zschuppe on the third team while Gaudlitz and
Nellie Nygren (Gothenburg, Sweden/BK Häcken) accompanied Zschuppe on the All-Freshman team. Lillback also earned a spot on the ASUN All-Academic Team.
Statistical Leaders
On the season, Lillback leads the team with 20 points (8g, 4a) while Labbe has 16 points (6g, 4a). Scarpelli leads the Eagles and the ASUN with six assists while Gaudlitz has five. In net, Sullivan has played every minute this season and has made 67 saves in 18 games.
ASUN Weekly Awards
Four Eagles have picked up ASUN weekly honors with Lillback earning Player of the Week on two occasions (Aug. 30, Sept. 27). Sullivan
also earned ASUN Goalkeeper of the Week on September 6 after shutting out FAU in the Eagles' 1-0 victory over the Owls. The most recent were Labbe and Scarpelli who earned Player and Defensive Player of the Week on October 11.
National Recognition
In addition to their ASUN honors, Scarpelli and Labbe have also earned spots on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. Labbe earned a spot the same week she took home the ASUN. Scarpelli was recognized on September 27 after collecting three assists and playing strong defense in two games.
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. |
76 |
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 |
Scouting the Competition
Liberty is the top seed in the ASUN Tournament after going 8-0-2 in league play this season, winning the regular-season title for the first time since joining the ASUN in 2018.
The Flames have the most potent offense in the ASUN and are 16th in the nation with 43 goals scored. 11 different players have multiple goals this year led by McKinley Burkett and Rachel DeRuby who each have six. Bridie Herman leads the Flames with eight assists which is the most in the league and 24th-most in the country.
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 196-74-28 (.704) overall record through the first 16 seasons of the program's existence, including an 101-20-16 (.799) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 436-145-39 (.734) 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.
