SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The FGCU men’s soccer team (6-5-1, 4-0 Atlantic Sun Conference) continued its hot play on Sunday afternoon as the Eagles won their sixth consecutive game courtesy of a 3-0 triumph at USC Upstate (0-7-2, 0-2-1 A-Sun) to remain undefeated in league play and at the top of the standings through the first two weeks of conference action.

FGCU tallied two goals in the first 12 minutes and added another in the waning moments to run their winning streak in A-Sun action to 10 straight games dating back to last year. Isaiah Madrid (Albuquerque, N.M./El Dorado HS) scored a goal in the third minute which stood up as the game-winner and then added another in the 85th minute to complete his weekend swing with three goals. Meanwhile, Xavier Silva (Boca Raton, Fla./North Broward Prep) netted his goal in the 12th minute to wrap up his weekend with a pair of goals as Madrid and Silva teamed up to record all five of FGCU’s goals during its perfect 2-0 weekend swing.

“I’m pleased with the result especially considering Upstate’s record and the fact that they’re not having a great year,” said head coach Bob Butehorn. “We got off to a fast start and I’m happy with how we played a full 90 minutes. We just need to continue to focus on ourselves and get better as we approach the closing stretch of the regular season.”

Getting better is exactly what the Eagles have done as after they failed to win a game through their first six contests they have swept each of their past three weekend series. Through the first six games of the season, FGCU was out-scored 19-10, but during the course of the winning streak the Eagles have controlled the pace of play at both ends of the pitch, out-scoring their opponents, 11-3.

Goalkeeper Danny George (Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside HS) made five saves against the Spartans as the sophomore earned his sixth straight win between the pipes and fourth shutout in that timeframe. The three-goal win is also the largest margin of victory by the Green and Blue this year.

Madrid opened the scoring at the 2:38 mark when he accepted a pass from Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala City, Guatemala/College Internacional Montessori) and fired a shot from about 12 yards out into the left netting. The goal was Madrid’s third of the season while Saravia was credited with his second assist of the campaign.

FGCU continued to apply pressure following the opening tally, and not even 10 minutes later Silva struck his third goal of the season at the 12:17 mark. Silva finished a perfectly-executed give-and-go with David Robledo (Dallas, Texas/Hillcrest HS) who also recorded his second assist of the year on the junior’s finish.

A little more than two minutes after Silva’s goal, Madrid scored yet again, but it was called back as he was ruled offsides. However, the freshman provided the insurance strike at the 84:41 mark as he ran onto a great thru ball from Isaac Urcuyo (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior HS) and was alone with the Upstate keeper, who he soundly beat for his fourth goal of the season.

With the win, FGCU continues its astonishing play in A-Sun action as it is now 26-2-2 in the regular season since the beginning of the 2010 campaign. In that span, 90 possible points could have been earned, and FGCU has claimed a staggering 80 of them (88.8 percent). Also, the Eagles remain three points clear of both ETSU and Lipscomb in the league standings with 12 points. FGCU defeated ETSU in overtime Friday night, 2-1, and claimed a 1-0 victory opposite Lipscomb in the conference opener last Friday.

Combined with the FGCU women’s soccer team’s 7-0 victory at home over USC Upstate, the men’s and women’s soccer programs collectively defeated the Spartans by a 10-0 margin on Sunday afternoon.

The Green and Blue – which does not have a senior on its roster – returns to the FGCU Soccer Complex on Thursday night (Oct. 17) for its second-to-last home game of the regular season against Mercer. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the Eagles will be looking to extend a 19-game regular-season home A-Sun winning streak dating back to the 2008 campaign.

2013-14 men’s soccer tickets are available by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office, calling 239-590-7145 or logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. Single-game tickets can be purchased for $6 per adult and $3 for youth. Groups of 10+ can receive a discounted rate of $3 per person. FGCU students and faculty/staff are admitted for free with a valid University ID.

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