LYNCHBURG, Va. – The FGCU women's soccer team (10-4-1, 5-1-1 ASUN) dropped its first ASUN Conference match of the season, falling 1-0 on the road at Liberty (9-6-2, 5-2-0 ASUN) Sunday afternoon.
Despite the misstep, the Eagles remain at the top of the league standings. FGCU is currently tied with Lipscomb for the top spot in the ASUN and the team is still in the hunt for the 2019 regular season conference title.
"This was a tough loss for us," head coach
Jim Blankenship said. "We missed out on some good opportunities. We had chances on a penalty kick and a few breakaways, but Liberty really battled against us. Their team capitalized on the only mistake that we made defensively. We had previous opportunities to put the game away, but they ended up having the difference-maker."
The teams were evenly matched in the first half, which proved to be extremely physical as the refs blew the whistle a combined 15 times. One of the fouls was called against the Flames inside their box, providing the Eagles with a penalty kick opportunity just under 16 minutes into the match. Liberty's keeper came up with the stop to keep FGCU at bay.
Both senior
Melissa Weck and Liberty's Melody Jayroe were tested with on-frame attempts in the opening 45 minutes, but maintained a clean sheet as the teams went into the break knotted up at 0-0.
Ten minutes into the second half, Gabrielle Farrell put the Flames on the board by scoring in a moment of chaos that the home team had stirred up in FGCU's box. The shot put Liberty up 1-0, marking the first time the Eagles had trailed since the Sept. 12 match against the Florida Gators, who are currently ranked 24th in the country.
Senior
Evdokia Popadinova (Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria/Northwestern Ohio) responded less than two minutes later with a great attempt at the equalizer, but Jayroe was there to make the stop. Classmate
Lindsey Patton (Jacksonville, FL/Oakleaf HS) tallied the team's final on-frame attempt of the match in the 66th minute. From there, the Flames held on for the win.
Weck (Yorba Linda, CA/Esperanza HS) finished her day between the pipes making a season-high 10 saves. With just two games left in the regular season, she is 13 saves away from overtaking Stephanie Powers (FGCU 2008-11) for the second-most in the FGCU record book. Over the course of 90 minutes, the Flames earned a 16-10 advantage in shots and held the Eagles to just four attempts on-frame.
This week's 1-1 record in ASUN play awarded the Eagles double-digit wins for the 11th consecutive season under Blankenship's tenure. The team has achieved this mark 12 of the overall 13 seasons in program history.
Up Next
FGCU will return to the Nest to host ASA Miami in its final non-conference game of the season at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25. Fans are invited to attend before heading over to Alico Arena for Dunk City After Dark's 7 p.m. start time.
ASUN Standings
T-1. FGCU * (16 points, 10-4-1, 5-1-1 ASUN)
T-1. Lipscomb * (16 points, 11-5-1, 5-1-1 ASUN)
3. Liberty * (15 points, 9-6-2, 5-2-0 ASUN)
4. Kennesaw State (12 points, 9-7-0, 4-3-0 ASUN)
5. UNF (10 points, 9-5-2, 3-2-1 ASUN)
6. NJIT (7 points, 5-6-3, 2-3-1 ASUN)
7. North Alabama (6 points, 6-9-0, 2-4-0 ASUN)
T-8. Stetson (1 point, 2-11-2, 0-5-1 ASUN)
T-8. Jacksonville (1 point, 0-11-3, 0-5-1 ASUN)
* - Denotes clinched spot in ASUN Championship
Career records of note:
GoalsÂ
1. 66 - Tabby TINDELL - 2013-16
2. 28 - Shannen WACKER - 2011-14
3. 24 - Amber McCALL - 2007-09
4. 23 - Lindsey HAW - 2007-10
5. 22 - Paulina SPECKMAIER - 2013-16
    22 - Evdokia Popadinova- 2018-19Â
7. 21 -Â Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19Â
8. 17 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
9. 16 - Gina PETRACCO - 2008-11
10. 12 - Olivia ELIAS - 2008-11
    12 - Ali ROGERS - 2012-16
AssistsÂ
1. 30 - Tabby TINDELL - 2013-16
2. 28 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK - 2008-12
3. 27 - Shannen WACKER - 2011-14
4. 22 - Lindsay HAW - 2007-10
    22 - Paulina SPECKMAIER - 2013-16
    22 - Marjorie Boilesen- 2017-19Â
7. 19 - Ally KASUN - 2012-15
8. 18 - Melissa ARNOLD - 2011-14
9. 15 - Holly FRITZ - 2017-18
    15 - Caytlan MACKENZIE - 2007-10
    15 - Meaghan MULLIGAN - 2015-17
    15 - Camille KNUDSTRUP - 2015-18
PointsÂ
1. 162 - Tabby TINDELL (66g 30a) - 2013-16
2. 83 - Shannen WACKER (28g 27a) - 2011-14
3. 68 - Lindsay HAW (23g 22a) - 2007-10
4. 66 - Paulina SPECKMAIER (22g 22a) - 2013-16
5. 64 - Marjorie Boilesen (21g 22a) - 2017-19Â
6. 57 - AMBER McCALL (24g 9a) - 2007-09
7. 53 - Ally KASUN (17g 19a) - 2012-15
    53 - Evdokia Popadinova (22g 9a)- 2018-19Â
9. 44 - Gina PETRACCO (16g 12a) - 2008-11
10. 40 - Ashley CIESIELCZYK (6g 28a) - 2008-12
SavesÂ
1. 274 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 274 saves) - 2012-15
2. 261 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 261 saves) - 2008-11
3. 249 - Melissa Weck (53 GA, 239 saves) - 2016-19Â
4. 55 - Kirsi KEENAN (16 GA, 55 saves) - 2007-10
Most shutoutsÂ
1. 37.1 - Brittany BROWN - 2012-15
2. 34.4 - Melissa Weck - 2016-19Â
3. 31 - Stephanie POWERS - 2008-11
4. 8 - Kirsi KEENAN - 2007-10
Goals against avg.
1. 0.67 - Brittany BROWN (56 GA, 7511 min) - 2012-15
2. 0.73 - Stephanie POWERS (52 GA, 6401 min) - 2008-11
3. 0.74 - Melissa Weck (53 GA, 6485 min) - 2016-19Â
4. 0.84 - EMILY BARRETT (5 GA, 538 min) - 2007-09
FALL SPORTS SINGLE-GAME, SEASON AND GROUP TICKETS ON SALE
Single game tickets for volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer are on sale now. Prices are $7 for adults and $5 for military/veterans (with ID) and youth (age 15 and under).
Season tickets (entry to each home game) are $55 for volleyball and women's soccer and $40 for men's soccer. Group tickets are $7 for groups of 15 or more and will include reserved seats, group recognition, a group activity and choice of FGCU gear or food. Fall Frequent Flyer passes, which includes a total of 30 entries to all three sports, are just $99.
For all inquiries, you can visit FGCUtickets.com, call 239-590-7145 or stop by the ticket office, which is open daily Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to all home events.
FOLLOW ALONG
For constant, news, photos, videos and updates you can follow the women's soccer team on Twitter @FGCU_WSoccer, on Instagram @FGCU_WSoccer or on Facebook: Facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the ASUN Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 12 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to 11 double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles as they became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles went on to win the 2014 ASUN Tournament and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus. The Eagles earned their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship and won their first NCAA game at USF in 2015 while finishing 24th in the nation. In 2016, the Eagles made it three-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with a third-straight ASUN Tournament title. A year later, the Eagles became the first ASUN women's soccer program to make four-straight NCAA Tournaments with another tournament title in 2017. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 166-59-24 (.714) overall record through the first 12 seasons of the program's existence, including an 81-15-15 (.800) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 406-129-35 (.743) over 26 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUTÂ FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78Â conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including both men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's basketball again in 2018-19. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in spring 2018 and have outpaced their institution's undergraduate student body GPA each of the past 20 semesters. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl in 2017.
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