FORT MYERS, Fla.- First place in the ASUN standings will be on the line Thursday as the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles host the North Florida Ospreys at Pickering Field in Fort Myers. Both teams enter the matchup undefeated in conference play with UNF holding a two point advantage atop the league table.
 
FGCU enters the matchup riding a nine game unbeaten streak after picking up a pair of results on the road last week in Tennessee and Kentucky. Thursday they earned a point with a 2-2 draw against Lipscomb in which Megan Morgan and Avery White found the back of the net, giving FGCU 12 different goal scorers this season. Sunday they netted a pair of first half goals against Bellarmine and held on late for three big points with a 2-1 victory over the Knights. FGCU currently leads the ASUN with 21 goals scored on the season and has scored multiple goals in eight of their last nine contests. Kaitlin Gabelman scored her team leading fifth of the season in Sunday's win over Bellarmine, putting her second in the league in goals this season. Also in Sunday's win, FGCU head coach Jim Blankenship earned his 475^th career victory, moving him into a fifth place tie on the active NCAA Division I coaching win list.
 
UNF is the only team ahead of the Eagles in the ASUN standings as they enter Thursday's matchup with a 3-0-1 conference mark following three straight 1-0 victories. While the Ospreys rank second in the ASUN in goals scored this season with 18, it has actually been the UNF defense that has been the driving force in their run to the top of the league table this season. Osprey keeper Sofia Miliancano has posted three straight clean sheets entering Thursday's contests and hasn't conceded a goal in her past 334 minutes between the posts. Offensively Paige McSwigan has been the engine that makes the Ospreys go, netting a league best six goals this season and leading the ASUN with 13 points through 12 games.
 
The Eagles and Ospreys have a robust history on the pitch with FGCU holding a 19-3-1 lead in the all-time series. The 23 matchups with UNF are the second most games versus an opponent in FGCU history. FGCU has won seven straight in the series, outscoring the Ospreys a whopping 19-1 during that stretch. UNF has only won once in Fort Myers, a 4-1 victory during the 2020 season. Goals have been tough to come by for UNF in the series as FGCU has posted 17 clean sheets in the 23 all-time meetings.
 
Start time is set for 7 p.m. at Pickering Field and will serve as the Eagles' Kick Cancer Night with donations collected throughout the night for Support the Cure, which will benefit the Susan G. Koman Foundation.
 
For more information on FGCU women's soccer, follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.