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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Seeking to extend the nation’s longest home regular-season conference unbeaten streak, the No. 14 RPI-ranked FGCU men’s soccer team (3-2-1, 1-0-0 Atlantic Sun) had little trouble in accomplishing that goal Wednesday night as the Eagles dominated Jacksonville (2-6-1, 0-1-0 A-Sun) at the FGCU Soccer Complex, 4-0, to open league play.

Dylan Sacramento (Winnipeg, Manitoba/York University) continued his hot play with a pair of goals, Nicolas Samayoa (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Colegio Valle Verde) headed home his first of the year and Justin Gavin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Eastern Florida State College/Treasure Coast HS) finished his first strike in the Green and Blue to provide the scoring for the Eagles, who received a pair of assists from Skylar Wilks (Tampa, Fla./Newsome HS) and one each from Kamar Marriott (Tampa, Fla./Heritage HS) and Samayoa.

In net, Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) returned after missing the previous 2-and-a-half games with a sprained ankle, and he secured his second shutout of the season and 21st of his career. The redshirt senior is now tied for third on the all-time A-Sun career shutout list and is five shy of breaking the record of 25. Additionally, he lowered his career goals-against average to exactly 1.00, tied for the second-lowest in A-Sun history and just 0.06 shy of also setting that mark (lists at the bottom of the release).

With the win, FGCU is now unbeaten in 27 consecutive home regular-season A-Sun game since 2008, going an incredible 24-0-3 in that time. FGCU’s last home regular-season A-Sun loss came to Jacksonville, 2-0, on Oct. 19, 2008 – an incredible 2,537 days ago.

Additionally, the Eagles now have a dominant overall record of 33-4-3 in all A-Sun regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All four of those conference losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 120 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 102 of them en route to a previously unforeseen five-straight A-Sun regular-season titles.

“We’re finally starting to get guys back from injuries, and I think tonight we started to see what we can really look like,” said head coach Bob Butehorn, who has had several potential starters hampered by injuries through the first month of the season. “They created a lot of space and a lot of chances and I’m really pleased with the effort. Four goals against any team is good, and Jacksonville is a good team that’s just struggling a little bit right now.”

Following a furious three-minute opening stretch by Jacksonville in which the Dolphins attempted two shots, tested Ingham at a close angle and had two corners, FGCU settled down and controlled the remainder of the game.

The typically possession-based offense of the Eagles shifted gears slightly on Wednesday as they attacked the JU backline – particularly the central defenders – with aerial balls and runs up the middle of the pitch. Both of FGCU’s first two goals came from similar balls into the middle of the attacking third, while the third came off a corner in the middle of the box and the final tally was chipped over the central defenders.

Sacramento broke the ice with a finish in the 35th minute, just shortly after Butehorn subbed him into the contest. Sacramento entered the game not even five minutes before his goal for central striker Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/UE Cornella/CE L’Hospitalet), and coupled with another move which pushed Marriott from the frontline to the backline, the two connected moments later. Marriott played a long ball over the top of the JU backline – which up until that point had drawn FGCU offside five times – but Sacramento was on the receiving end onside and had plenty of time and space to beat JU goalkeeper Marc Meny to his left.

The Eagles took that 1-0 lead into the halftime break and had an 8-4 edge in shots despite JU holding a 5-1 lead in corners. FGCU forced Meny – who was making his first appearance of the year as the Dolphins have now had four different keepers this season – to make three stops, while Ingham made one on a very close angle off a corner in the second minute.

Gavin put further distance between the Eagles and Dolphins with his goal in the 51st minute. Another player who had battled injuries early in the season, the junior transfer received a ball up the middle of the field from Samayoa, settled with one touch and beat Meny to his left.

Just eight minutes later, and shortly after a brilliant 1-2 combo by Wilks and Gavin resulted in a blistering shot by Gavin which was saved, Wilks got his assist as he drove a corner just in front of the goal mouth. Making a run toward the near post, Samayoa headed the ball back toward the center of the frame and easily past Meny.

The final tally of the evening was Sacramento’s second of the contest as Wilks chipped a ball over the middle of the JU backline and onto the foot of the forward, who one-timed his effort low and hard into the left netting for his team-leading fifth goal of the campaign.

With five goals in only four games this year, Sacramento is already within two goals of tying the program single-season record held by three different players – all of whom played between 15-19 games in their respective season.

The 4-0 shutout for FGCU is its largest clean sheet in any game since the same result against Rhode Island during the 2011 season. Furthermore, the 4-0 result is the largest against an A-Sun opponent since a 6-0 blanking of UNF to end the 2010 campaign. FGCU also defeated Jacksonville, 4-0, in the game prior to that contest with the Ospreys.

Jacksonville welcomed FGCU to the A-Sun by handing the Eagles three losses in their first three meetings, outscoring them 9-1 along the way. However, FGCU has now completely reversed the script as the Eagles have defeated Jacksonville in six-consecutive matches to improve their all-time record against the Dolphins to 6-3. In those six meetings – dating back to 2010 – FGCU has out-scored Jacksonville, 18-4, including 7-1 over the past two seasons.

FGCU will now play the middle game a three-match A-Sun stretch when it travels to in-state foe Stetson (4-4-1) for a 7:30 p.m. matchup in DeLand on Saturday. It will be the A-Sun opener for the Hatters.

A-Sun Career Shutouts
1) Ryan Coulter: 25 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Jeff Cassar: 23 (FIU, 1992-95)
3) Nathan Ingham: 21 (FGCU, 2011-Present)
     Aaron Johnson: 21 (Campbell, 2005-08)

A-Sun Career Goals-Against Average (minimum 2,000 minutes)
1) Ryan Coulter: 0.95 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Nathan Ingham: 1.00 (FGCU, 2011-Present)
    Kyle Roelke: 1.00 (Belmont, 2004-05)

TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are available starting at just $7 for adults, $5 for youth (3-12) and $20 for a family pack. More information, including additional special discounts and group rates, can be accessed by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/tickets or by clicking here. To purchase tickets, or for additional inquiries, call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men’s soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

COACH BUTEHORN
FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached 45 A-Sun All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just four years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three A-Sun Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented five-straight A-Sun regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets. Now in his 13th season as a head coach, Butehorn has a 111-89-23 (.549) overall record, 77-57-19 (.565) mark in his 9th season at FGCU and 45-17-5 (.709) record in A-Sun contests.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE
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.