FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's soccer won its third straight match Sunday with a 2-0 shutout victory over Jacksonville at Pickering Field.
Sunday's win over the Dolphins (2-5-2, 0-2 ASUN) also marked the third straight shutout performance by the Eagles (5-3-1, 2-0 ASUN). Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Molina notched her fifth clean sheet of the season, adding two second-half saves to keep JU off the board.
"Considering the delays, I thought the ladies came out and took care of business," head coach Jim Blankenship said. "Two wins, six points and clean sheets, proud of the group and the week."
Lightning visited Pickering Field just four minutes prior to the start of the match, forcing a lengthy delay. The match was initially supposed to kick off at 1 p.m. but did not get underway until 4:18 p.m.
Once underway, Erika Zschuppe, who is fresh off a SportsCenter Top 10 goal at North Florida, connected on her fifth goal of the season just 10 minutes into the contest.
Kendal Gargiula added her fourth goal in the 36th minute to put the Eagles up 2-0. Kate Russell nearly gave the Eagles a three-goal lead, but her strike had a collision course with the crossbar.
Jacksonville threatened with five shots in the second half, but a 2-0 halftime lead would be all that FGCU needed.
FGCU outpaced Jacksonville in overall offensive output, winning the shot battle 18-7. The Eagles' defense stifled Jacksonville's attack in the first period, allowing only two shot attempts.
The Eagles hit the road Thursday, Sept. 21, to face Central Arkansas. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
