FORT MYERS, Fla. – Former FGCU women's soccer standout Louise Lillback (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) has signed a two-year professional contract with KIF Örebro in the OBOS Damallsvenskan league. Lillback is set to join her new club in January and will now compete in the same league as former Eagles Tabby Tindell (Kristianstad) and Julia Roddar (Hammarby IF).
 
Lillback previously played with Bollstanäs during the 2018 season and scored 33 goals in just 21 games. In 2019, she played games in Elitettan, where she scored four goals in nine games with Hammarby.
 
"I'm super excited to start my professional career back home," Lillback said. "I had four amazing years at FGCU. I will forever be grateful for my time there and how much the coaches have helped me obtain my goal. Now I feel ready to take the next step."
 
Lillback finished up her time in the Green & Blue with a tremendous 2022 season, leading FGCU with a team-best 21 points and team-high eight goals. Recently ranked No. 84 on TopDrawerSoccer's Postseason Top 100 National Rankings, she racked up several awards this season, including 2-time ASUN Player of the Week, ASUN All-Academic, College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District, United Soccer Coaches All-South Region (First Team), United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-South Region (Second Team) and United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American (Second Team).
 
"Incredibly happy for Louise to be able sign with KIF Örebro," said FGCU head women's soccer coach Jim Blankenship. "Her goal from day one was to get the opportunity to achieve her dream and play at the next level back home. It is rewarding to see her sign a professional contract and we couldn't be more proud."
 
During her four-year career with the Eagles, the forward appeared in 65 matches. Lillback scored 34 career goals for the Green & Blue, second-most all-time, while registering the third-highest points total with 77. She also recorded nine assists and 11 game-winning goals, including a career-high five in 2021. Throughout her four seasons in the City of Palms, she was named ASUN Player of the Week six times.
 
Lillback joins an esteemed group of FGCU women's soccer alumnae that have gone on to play professionally, which includes current assistant coach Ali Rogers, Tabby Tindell, Julia Roddar, Shannen Wacker, Emily Dolan and Varin Ness.
 
KIF Örebro was founded in 1980 as the women's football section of multi-sports association Karlslunds IF.  The club's first team currently plays in the Damallsvenskan, the top level of the women's football pyramid in Sweden. The club also operates two reserve teams at the under-19 and under-17 levels, as well as a youth academy.
 
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, 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. The program's first coach, he has guided the Eagles to double-digit wins 15 times, from its first season in 2007 through the 12-win 2022 campaign, with the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Eagles have claimed nine ASUN Regular Season Championships (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019) and Blankenship and the 2011 women's soccer team made history as the first FGCU program to compete in an NCAA Division I postseason tournament. Additional ASUN championships and postseason appearances followed as the Eagles went to the NCAA Tournament again in 2012 for their first back-to-back trips, and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus in 2014 after winning the 2014 ASUN Tournament. Following the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship, the program earned its first NCAA Tournament win, a landmark victory at USF, further distinguishing the Eagles' fourth NCAA berth. FGCU finished that season ranked 24^th in the final national poll. Blankenship's foundations of excellence produced four-straight ASUN Tournament titles (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) as FGCU became the first ASUN women's soccer program to make four consecutive NCAA Tournaments. In 2022, the Eagles' inspirational path to the NCAA Tournament included exceptional performances in the ASUN Championship title game to claim their seventh ASUN Tournament Championship. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 196-75-30 (.701) overall record, including a 101-20-16 (.799) mark in the ASUN. As he closes in on 200 wins at FGCU, Blankenship owns an impressive career record of 436-146-41 (.733) over 32 seasons combined at 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 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 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.