FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's soccer heads to the midwest Thursday to face Iowa at 8 p.m. and DePaul on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
FGCU looks to bounce back from its 4-0 defeat against South Florida. The Eagles surrendered four or more goals for the first time since 2022, a span of 38 matches dating back to FGCU's 5-0 defeat at No. 8 Florida State. The Green and Blue start 0-2 for just the third time in program history, 2024, 2022 and 2009.
Iowa (1-0-2) enters Thursday's matchup, which will air on Big Ten Plus, receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll and fresh off a scoreless tie at No. 12 Texas. The Hawkeyes rank tied 119th in scoring offense having only scored five goals in three matches. Meike Ingles and Berkley Binggeli lead Iowa in goals with two apiece. Defensively, Iowa has allowed only two goals.
The Eagles are 3-2 against current Big Ten opponents, with wins over Ohio State and Michigan in 2018. FGCU tallied three Power Five wins that season and finished the 2018 campaign 13-4-2, but would only reach the ASUN semifinal round. From 2014 to 2018, the Eagles possessed a winning record over Power Five foes at 9-8-1. Since then, the Green and Blue has lost 11 straight.
Thursday marks the second-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Hawkeyes. Iowa defeated FGCU 1-0 a season ago in Fort Myers. Goalkeeper Olivia Molina snagged nine saves in her first collegiate game of her career.
After Iowa, FGCU heads to Chicago to face DePaul University (0-2-1) Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Eagles face the Blue Demons for the first time in program history. DePaul, who has dropped two straight, will host Purdue on Thursday before squaring off against the Eagles. Sunday's match will be streamed on FloSports.
Head coach Jim Blankenship is two wins away from 450 career victories. He entered 2024 as the eighth-winningest active head coach in Division I women's soccer, winning back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles. FGCU has won the ASUN's regular season or tournament title in 12 out of the last 14 seasons. Blankenship, a five-time ASUN Coach of the Year selection, has won 10 or more matches in 16 of his 17 seasons at FGCU.
