NASHVILLE, Tenn. –FGCU men's soccer (8-5-4, 3-2-3 ASUN) battled 12^th-ranked Lipscomb (13-2-2, 7-1-0 ASUN)  through regulation and two overtimes, but fell 1-0 in the conference's tournament semifinal Monday night. Luca Naumann rifled a shot from the top of the box that found the back of the net with just over two minutes left in the second overtime at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.
 
The Eagles dealt the Bisons their only league loss in 2022 less than 10 days ago. The defeat to FGCU was one of only two losses for Lipscomb this season as it claimed the ASUN regular-season title and tournament's top seed. FGCU advanced to the semifinal after a physical 4-0 win over North Florida Saturday night.
 
"It was quite a challenge to play against a rested team just 48 hours after our first match, but our guys gave everything they had to the game and were warriors," said FGCU men's soccer coach Jesse Cormier. "We had some chances to score, but didn't get the luck tonight."
 
Despite the lop-sided shots on goals totals with Lipscomb taking 11 shots to only two for FGCU in the first half, the match was evenly contested with both teams executing on defense. The Eagles took more chances in the second half with a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal, but the Bisons were on target five times in the overtime periods to only two for the Eagles.
 
Goalkeepers for both teams set the tone. Sophomore Wyatt Kistner (Midlothian, Va.) had an exceptional performance with five saves on the night, with the reflex shot from Neumann past for the final margin. Lipscomb goalkeeper Michael Sibley had four saves, deflecting some dangerous shots from FGCU with defensive blocks from his teammates.
 
"I am so proud to be the coach of this team and to have the time with these seniors (Stephen Linton, Davi Alves & Aiden Jokoma)," Cormier said. "They will have an amazing impact on the world as they move on to the next phase of their lives and their shaping of the team and building of our culture was tremendous.  Their legacy and impact will be felt for years to come and the returning team have real clarity on how to do things well, be together and achieve collective success in our continued pursuit of excellence."
 
This brings the Eagles season to an end that saw the team win five ASUN weekly honors. Senior Davi Alves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)  was named to the All-Conference First Team alongside freshmen Alon Drey (Or'Aqiva, Isarel) and Nadav Ohayon (Herzliya, Israel) each earning a spot on the All-ASUN Freshman Team.
 
Senior Deon Travis (Madison, Mississippi) earned a spot on the ASUN All-Academic team. The Green and Blue also had its best five game start  this season with no losses that included a shutout 1-0 victory against Northwestern.
 

HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER
Jesse Cormier is in his sixth year as head coach of the FGCU men's soccer program in the fall of 2022 after being hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. Cormier has guided FGCU to a 41-35-16 (.539) record overall, including a 22-12-6 mark (.659) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for 10 of 11 seasons (every year of eligibility but one), as Cormier has coached 31 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 155-124-62 (.547) 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 93 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 46 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--