FORT MYERS, Fla. – In search off an unprecedented sixth-straight Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season championship and fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in only five years of eligibility, the FGCU men’s soccer team opens its 2015 season at home against the highest-ranked opponent to ever the visit the FGCU Soccer Complex when the Eagles face No. 3 Georgetown Friday night at 7.

IN SHORT
Both FGCU and Georgetown are coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014, and both clubs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years. The Eagles and Hoyas are predicted to once again play deep into November as each club has been predicted to win their respective conference in 2015.

With their No. 3 national ranking, Georgetown supplants Ohio State as the highest-ranked opponent to play at the FGCU Soccer Complex. The Buckeyes made the trip to SWFL in 2010 ranked No. 5 in the country, and went back to Columbus with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Green and Blue.

WHAT TO KNOW
The game will be live streamed directly on FGCUAthletics.com by following the link at the top of the release or visiting FGCUAthletics.com/LiveMSOC. Live stats and in-game Twitter updates are also available by following the links at the top of the release.

Friday is a GREENOUT, with all fans encouraged to wear green. Additionally, tickets to the game and the volleyball team’s opener at 6 p.m. at Alico Arena against New Orleans are buy-one-get-one-free, giving fans the opportunity to secure seats to both season openers for as low as $7 for adults. Furthermore, youths who wear green or blue FGCU shirts to the soccer game will be admitted free of charge as part of Camper Appreciation Night.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
FGCU and Georgetown have only met one previous time on the pitch, and that came in the Eagles’ second game of the 2012 campaign in Washington, D.C. with the then-No. 16 Hoyas earning a 1-0 win. Georgetown presents another formidable test in an always demanding non-conference schedule for head coach Bob Butehorn as in three exhibition matches this month the Hoyas have defeated No. 15 Syracuse, 3-0, and No. 2 and reigning national champion Virginia, 4-0. The lone loss came to the MLS’ Philadelphia Union, 2-1.

Last year both teams ranked in the top-15 nationally in defense, and with FGCU returning nine starters and Georgetown eight, a similar trend could be on tap Friday night. FGCU’s 0.71 team goals-against average ranked 15th in the country, while Georgetown’s 0.61 average was good for 8th.

Both stout defenses are anchored by senior goalkeepers. Coming off a summer in which he won a PDL Championship, Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) begins the season just one shutout shy of setting the program record (20) as he already is tied for the most with 19. Ingham led the A-Sun in goals-against average (0.71), save percentage (.821), saves (69) and shutouts (nine) last year, with his save percentage ranking 21st in the country. Meanwhile, Georgetown graduated Tomas Gomez, who upon his graduation last year was tied for the Division-I active career shutout lead with 36. None of the Georgetown goalkeepers (two juniors and two freshmen) have seen any collegiate action.

SCOUTING GEORGETOWN
The Hoyas were the preseason league favorites to win the Big East Conference, sharing the honor with Creighton as both clubs tallied 77 points and five first-place votes in the coaches poll. Senior Brandon Allen was named the Big East Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while junior Joshua Yaro was tabbed as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Georgetown returns 20 letterwinners from a club which went 14-4-5 in 2014, losing in the NCAA quarterfinals to Virginia in penalty kicks, 5-4, following a 1-1 double-overtime tie.

Allen led the team with 25 points on the strength of a team-high 11 goals and three assists last year, while Arun Basuljevic added 12 points on six goals. Alex Muyl paced the Hoyas with six assists and added two goals to finish fourth on the club last season with 10 points as those three return to lead the Georgetown offense.

FAMILIAR FOES
Ingham has a slight familiarity with both Basuljevic and Muyl as his K-W United team defeated Basuljevic’s and Muyl’s New York Red Bulls U23 team in the PDL Championship, 4-3.

FGCU IN SEASON OPENERS
All-time in season openers FGCU is 4-3-1 and has gone 1-1-1 over the past three campaigns. The lone loss in that stretch came in 2012 at No. 2 Akron – the highest-ranked opponent the Eagles have ever faced.

FGCU IN THE PRESEASON POLLS
FGCU was installed as the 2015 preseason league favorites, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches, earlier this month. Additionally, a trio of Eagles were named to the Preseason A-Sun All-Conference Team: Aaron Guillen (El Paso, Texas/Coronado HS), Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala City, Guatemala/ College Internacional Montessori) and Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/ UE Cornella/CE L’Hospitalet).

FGCU garnered three of the six first-place votes and collected 32 points overall, three clear of second-place UNF (29) – which received two first-place votes – and nine ahead of third-place Lipscomb (23). Jacksonville picked up the other first-place vote and was predicted to finish fourth with 17 points, one ahead of Stetson (16), while USC Upstate rounded out the six-team league with nine points. For men’s soccer, A-Sun newcomer NJIT is competing in the Sun Belt Conference this year, and Kennesaw State – which has football – does not sponsor the sport.

WHO’S BACK AND WHO’S NEW
While the Eagles lost their top four scorers from last year’s team, they return a core group of midfielders and backline personnel who will present a formidable challenge for any opposing offense. Butehorn has also added 15 newcomers who will provide FGCU with arguably its deepest roster in program history.

RECAPPING 2014
FGCU staked a claim of an unprecedented fifth-straight A-Sun regular-season championship last year by virtue of a 4-1-1 league mark. FGCU shared the title with Lipscomb, which earned tournament hosting rights; however, the Green and Blue emerged with their third A-Sun Tournament title in four years by defeating UNF in the title game, 1-0.

FGCU went on to the NCAA Tournament where it held the nation’s highest-scoring offense off the scoreboard until the 86th minute when host Coastal Carolina scored on a diving header to propel the Chanticleers to a 1-0 victory. That goal ended a streak of 495:40 in which Ingham had not allowed a goal, covering four full games and dating back to FGCU’s third-to-last regular-season game.

Despite struggling to find the back of the net in 2014, FGCU created a plethora of chances; in fact, the 306 shot attempts led the A-Sun by more than 40 and represented a single-season program record. The Eagles also created a league-best 93 corners. In 2015, the club will be looking toward returning young talent up front and the incoming strong strikers and attacking midfielders to finish those opportunities.

ODDS & ENDS
The Eagles have an incredible overall record of 32-4-3 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 117 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 99 of them.

Additionally, FGCU owns the longest home regular-season conference unbeaten streak in the nation. FGCU – which was ranked as high as No. 24 in the nation last year – has not lost a home regular-season A-Sun game since 2008, a stretch of 26 in a row in which the Eagles are unbeaten (23-0-3). Included in that run is a 19-game winning streak. FGCU’s last home regular-season A-Sun loss came to Jacksonville, 2-0, on Oct. 19, 2008.

NEXT UP
FGCU will remain at home and welcome in-state foe UCF to The Nest on Wednesday, Sept. 2, for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The game will be a WHITEOUT, with all fans encouraged to wear white. The Knights – who have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances – and Eagles played to a scoreless double-overtime draw in FGCU’s non-conference regular-season finale last year. Prior to that meeting, the two sides last met in 2012 after FGCU fell to UCF in the 2011 NCAA Championship in double overtime. FGCU defeated the Orlando-based school earlier in the 2011 season when the Knights were ranked No. 8 in the nation.

TICKET INFORMATION
Season- and single-game tickets are available for the 2015 campaign, with season tickets starting at just $35. More information, including 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 and Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer.

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, and in 2013 he won his 100th career game.

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.