A-Sun Top Teams Collide as FGCU Welcomes Jacksonville on Thursday
FORT MYERS, Fla. – In a contest which could determine the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season champion and the A-Sun tournament No. 1 seed, the FGCU men’s soccer team is set to host Jacksonville on Thursday. The match between the A-Sun’s top two teams in the standings is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
Currently ranked 34th in the RPI and second in the A-Sun Conference, the Eagles head into the competition holding an 8-4-2 overall record with a 5-1 mark in A-Sun play. FGCU extended its A-Sun home unbeaten streak to 13 games last weekend with victories over Lipscomb and Belmont. In the Friday contest with the Bisons, the Green and Blue used a goal in the 68th minute of the play to break a 1-1 tie en route to the 2-1 victory. While playing a man down for the majority of the match on Sunday, the Eagles went on to a 3-1 win over Belmont in front of the Senior Day crowd.
FGCU’s offensive effort is led by senior midfielders Josey Portillo (Metairie, La./Grace King HS) and Cristian Raudales (Bradenton, Fla./Manatee HS), who each have 10 points this season. Portillo holds a pair of goals with a team-leading six assists. Meanwhile, Raudales has netted five goals for the Green and Blue. Additionally, junior Andres Navas (Miami, Fla./Sunset Senior HS/FIU) and freshman Xavier Silva (Boca Raton, Fla./North Broward Preparatory School) have registered three goals and two assists, while senior Francesco DiStefano (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola HS) and freshman Yianni Sarris (Mentor, Ohio/Cleveland Saint Ignatius HS) hold a pair of goals and two assists each.
A finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, redshirt senior goalkeeper Adam Glick (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley HS) has played 1123:19 minutes in net this season for the Eagles, totaling 44 saves while allowing 14 goals and holding a 1.12 goals against average. During last weekend’s pair of contests, freshman Nathan Ingham (Ontario, Canada/Keswick HS) made his collegiate debut, totaling seven saves and allowing a pair of goals en route to his first two career victories in net.
The all-time series between the schools sits in favor of Jacksonville, 3-1. However, last season at the FGCU Soccer Complex, the Eagles took down the Dolphins, 4-0, to pick up their eighth straight A-Sun win of the season.
First place Jacksonville travels to Fort Myers with an 8-5-2 record, including an unblemished 5-0-1 A-Sun mark. The Dolphins are led by Stefan Durr’s 11 points, coming off of five goals and one assist. Tyler Williams and Nick Rodriguez each hold a trio of goals, while five other players have a pair this season. Each holding one shutout, Johnny Foley (875) and Gavin Carlin (515) have split time in net, combining for 53 saves and 18 goals allowed.
With just two games remaining on the A-Sun regular season slate, Jacksonville holds 16 points while FGCU currently has 15 points. Both teams will close the conference regular season on Sunday, as the Eagles travel to take on UNF and the Dolphins are set to host third place Stetson.
Live stats, in-game Twitter updates (@FGCUMensSoccer and @FGCUEagles), results and recaps from the Thursday contest will be available at www.FGCUAthletics.com.
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