FORT MYERS, Fla.- Coming off of a signature early season win over LSU, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles begin a five game homestand on Thursday as they host the FIU Panthers on 239 Night at Pickering Field.

The Eagles come into the game flying high after an undefeated trip to the Bayou over the weekend. FGCU took on Southern Thursday night in Baton Rouge and snapped their goalless drought in a big way, putting up four on the Jaguars in a 4-0 shutout victory. The Eagles defense was equally to task, holding Southern without a single shot in the contest. Sunday the stakes ramped up for the Blue and Green as they took on the LSU Tigers who entered the season ranked in the top 20 in the country. After conceding an early goal, FGCU fought back to score three unanswered before ultimately hanging on late for a 3-2 win over the Tigers, their first win over an SEC foe since the 2018 campaign.

FGCU had multiple highlight performances in the wins. Thursday Ryleigh Acosta netted the first two goals of her collegiate career, popping the cork in the 39^th minute with the Eagles first goal of the season, the eventual game winner, before converting a penalty kick later on to put the game on ice. Keira Morgan provided a jolt for the Eagles off the bench in both contests, drawing a foul in the box for an FGCU penalty kick Thursday against Southern before notching primary assists on the Eagles first two goals Sunday against LSU. Sarah Greiner and Kaitlin Gableman each scored in both games for the Eagles, Greiner's coming in the 43^rd minute against Southern and in the 84^th on a penalty kick against LSU and Gabelman's the cherry on top in the 85^th minute against Southern, and the early equalizer in the 19^th minute against the Tigers. For her efforts, Gabelman was named the ASUN Player of the Week on Monday.

FIU comes into Thursday's matchup 0-2-2 on the year, but their early season record is a bit deceiving. The Panthers have already played two teams that played in last year's College Cup in #4 Florida State and #2 Duke. The Panthers earned 1-1 draws against both FAU and North Florida in their other two contests. Offense has been a bit of a challenge for FIU as the Panthers come into Thursday's matchup with just two goals in four games this season. This year's Panthers squad puts the 'I' in FIU with 11 international players on their roster from four different continents.

The Eagles and Panthers have played in seven of the past eight seasons and 17 of the past 19 overall with FGCU holding a 13-2-2 advantage in the series. The Eagles had won 11 straight in the rivalry from 2011 to 2023 before the Panthers came to Fort Myers and picked off a 2-1 victory during the 2024 season to snap the streak. Last year's contest in Miami ended in a scoreless draw despite FIU outshooting the Eagles 20-4.

Thursday will be 239 Night at Pickering Field with $2 popcorn, $3 beer, and $9 tickets available. To purchase tickets for the game go to FGCUTickets.com.

 For more information on FGCU women's soccer, follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.