FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's soccer returns to the pitch for a pair of home matches, as the Eagles host App State on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Florida on Sunday at 1 p.m. The first 50 FGCU students in attendance at Pickering Field will receive free soccer scarves and personal pizzas on Thursday.
Students in attendance on Sunday for the WHITEOUT will be entered to win a TV giveaway prize. FGCU students, faculty and staff can attend for free with a valid Eagle I.D. For tickets, purchase online HERE or at the gate. Single-game tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for military and youth (ages 4-12). For groups of 10 or more, tickets start at $6.
FGCU (1-3) has not played a match in 11 days since their 4-1 victory Sept. 1 at DePaul. Preseason Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Player of the Year Ashley Labbe and Katharina Oelschlaeger scored twice in the Eagles' win over DePaul. The Eagles' Sept. 5 home match against Florida Atlantic was canceled due to inclement weather.
Thursday's match against App State marks just the second-ever meeting between the two programs. The Mountaineers blanked the Eagles a season ago in Boone, North Carolina, 3-0 in the first matchup. App State (2-3-2) arrives to the City of Palms on a three-game losing streak, being outscored 11-3 in those matches. The Mountaineers have surrendered four goals in its last two games. The FGCU-App State match will not be streamed.
Head coach Jim Blankenship is one win away from career win No. 450. Blankenship is the seventh winningest active head coach in all of Division I women's soccer. 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.
Sunday is when the Gators (2-1-3) come to Fort Myers for just the second time in the seven-game series history. FGCU is 0-7 all-time against Florida dating back to 2011. Florida secured a 1-0 victory during the last meeting in 2021. Sunday's match will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Gators will face former ASUN member Kennesaw State on Thursday before squaring off against the Eagles. North Florida forced a scoreless tie against Florida earlier this year. Last time out on Sept. 8, Florida fell 3-0 at home against No. 3 Florida State.
FGCU is 4-15 all-time against current SEC opponents with wins over Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State, with the latest occurring in 2018 as the Green and Blue notched a 4-2 win at Alabama. The Eagles are 9-18-2 all-time when facing Power Four opponents. FGCU recorded three P4 wins in 2018, but have dropped their next 12 opportunities since then.
Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Molina leads the ASUN this season in total saves with 40, currently ranking 15th in the country. Her 10 saves per match rank second in the nation. Molina broke the program's single-season save record as a freshman last year, snagging 117 saves on her resume.
