FORT MYERS, Fla. – Fresh off a top-20 national ranking earlier in the week, the No. 19 FGCU men’s soccer team (0-0-1) welcomes in-state foe UCF (1-0-0) to the FGCU Soccer Complex for a 7 p.m. kickoff Wednesday.

OPENING KICK
Both FGCU and UCF are coming off season-opening shutouts last Friday night as the Eagles battled then-No. 3 Georgetown to a scoreless draw while the Knights easily dispatched of FAU, 5-0.

Wednesday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between FGCU and UCF, with the series deadlocked at 1-1-2. Each of the last two matches have resulted in ties, including last year’s nil-nil draw in Orlando in FGCU’s final non-conference game of the season.

FGCU and UCF first met in the regular season in 2011 when the Knights were ranked No. 8 in the nation and the Eagles defeated them on the road, 2-1. FGCU then returned to Orlando later that season as the two sides faced off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with UCF claiming a 1-0 triumph in double overtime. The two sides played the following year in 2012 at the FGCU Soccer Complex and finished with a 2-2 draw.

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.

Wednesday is a Whiteout, with all fans encouraged to wear white. Additionally, for Dirty Birds only, a white t-shirt toss will take place in the Dirty Bird sections. Tickets to see a nationally-ranked FGCU team at home for the first time since 2011 are only $7 for adults, $5 for children (ages 3-12) and $20 for a family pack (two adults and 2-5 children). Additional ticket information can be accessed at the top of the release.

NATIONAL RANKING
On Monday, Top Drawer Soccer – one of the most reputable and recognized soccer media outlets in the country – released its Division-I poll and FGCU moved up 10 spots from unranked at No. 29 to No. 19 following the scoreless draw with Georgetown, which only dropped one spot in the rankings to No. 4.

This is the highest FGCU has been ranked during the regular season in any national poll since 2010 when it also checked in at No. 19 in the Soccer America poll on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. The following year in 2011, the Green and Blue was ranked No. 14 in the country by Goal.com in its preseason poll. After opening last year unbeaten through its first three games, FGCU was ranked No. 24 in the Soccer America and NSCAA/Continental Tire national polls.

FGCU’s All-Time National Rankings:
10/5/2010: No. 25 Soccer America
10/12/2010: No. 24 Soccer America
10/14/2010: No. 24 Top Drawer Soccer
10/19/2010: No. 21 Soccer America
10/26/2010: No. 23 Soccer America
11/2/2010: No. 19 Soccer America
11/9/2010: No. 19 Soccer America
11/16/2010: No. 20 Soccer America (Final Poll)
8/2/2011: No. 14 Goal.com (Preseason Poll)
8/30/2011: No. 22 Goal.com
9/27/2011: No. 25 Goal.com
9/9/2014: No. 24 NSCAA/Continental Tire
9/9/2014: No. 24 Soccer America
8/31/2015: No. 19 Top Drawer Soccer

THE ONLY TWO
Of schools who have had their women’s soccer teams play four games so far this year, only two institutions in the nation have had both their men’s and women’s soccer teams yet to allow a goal: North Carolina and FGCU. The FGCU women are off to a 3-0-1 start and haven’t allowed a goal in 380 minutes this season – tied with Duke for the most in the nation. Meanwhile, the men will be looking to start the season with consecutive shutouts for the second-straight year as last season they blanked USF in the opener, 2-0, and then tied Portland, 0-0.

SCOUTING UCF
In its season-opening triumph over FAU, sophomore midfielder Matias Pyysalo recorded six points on the strength of two goals and two assists. UCF continually tested the FAU backline and keeper as it attempted 21 shots on the night, 15 of which went on goal. The Knights wrapped up the contest with an overall shot advantage of 21-7 and 15-2 on target as four of their five goals came in the second half.

UCF only returns eight letterwinners from last year’s team which finished 2-10-6; however, seven of those eight were starters. Since moving to the D-I ranks for men’s soccer in 1984, UCF has made four all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, and three of those came in consecutive seasons from 2002-04 when it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

RECAPPING GEORGETOWN
In what was an evenly-played game throughout, each team finished the contest with 10 shots. Three of those Georgetown shots found their way on net, but FGCU keeper Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) was equal to the task each time as the redshirt senior earned yet another clean sheet, setting the program record with his 20th career shutout.

Playing the highest-ranked opponent the Eagles have ever faced at home, 1,509 spectators – including several hundred rowdy Dirty Birds – filled The Nest, helping FGCU to its best result against a top-three team in program history. The crowd was the third-largest in program history, behind only 1,574 last year versus Akron and 1,556 in 2011 against USF.

The result against Georgetown was impressive in itself for FGCU; however, when considering the Hoyas defeated No. 15 Syracuse, 3-0, and No. 1 and reigning national champion Virginia, 4-0, in their exhibition schedule it proved the Eagles can play with the nation’s elite. Virginia is ranked No. 1 again this week by Top Drawer Soccer.

INGHAM CHASING HISTORY
Ingham earned his aforementioned 20th career shutout on Friday against Georgetown, setting the FGCU program record and moving him within five of tying and six of breaking the all-time A-Sun mark. Additionally, Ingham – who was named the PDL Championship MVP this summer – is also closing in on the A-Sun record for lowest career goals-against average. A-Sun men’s soccer history dates back to 1979.

A-Sun Career Shutouts
1) Ryan Coulter: 25 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Jeff Cassar: 23 (FIU, 1992-95)
3) Aaron Johnson: 21 (Campbell, 2005-08)
4) Nathan Ingham: 20 (FGCU, 2011-Present)

A-Sun Career Goals-Against Average (minimum 2,000 minutes)
1) Ryan Coulter: 0.95 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Kyle Roelke: 1.00 (Belmont, 2004-05)
3) Nathan Ingham: 1.01 (FGCU, 2011-Present)

DID YOU KNOW?
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 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
Following the match with UCF, FGCU hits the road for the first time this year as it travels to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. Wake Forest is 2-0 on the year and ranked No. 20 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire National Poll this week.

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, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer and Facebook /FGCUMSoccer.

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 108-87-23 overall record, 74-55-19 mark in his 9th season at FGCU and 44-17-5 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.