Matchup: Jacksonville (0-5-0) @ FGCU (2-3-1)

When: Saturday, Sept. 23 | 7 PM

Where: FGCU Soccer Complex

Links: Watch | Live Stats

Tickets: FGCUTickets.com Or At The Gate

Promotions: BLUEOUT | Housing Challenge

Coaches: Jesse Cormier (1st Season @ FGCU (2-3-1); 14th Overall (116-92-48)) | Mauricio Ruiz (4th Season @ JU (15-39-1); Same Overall)

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The ASUN Conference season opens at the same place for FGCU and Jacksonville where it ended a year ago as the Eagles and Dolphins square off in an ASUN Tournament title rematch Saturday night at 7 from the FGCU Soccer Complex.

 

OPENING KICK

FGCU and Jacksonville were knotted in a 2-2 tie in the final 10 minutes of regulation in last season’s ASUN Tournament Final before Eli Roubos (Toronto, Ontario/Oregon State/Northview Heights Secondary) converted the championship-clinching goal in the 82nd minute to give the Eagles their fourth ASUN crown in six seasons of eligibility.

 

The match on Saturday will conclude a three-game homestand for FGCU, which was installed as the ASUN preseason favorites. Those unable to make it to the FGCU Soccer Complex can watch and follow all the action via the free video stream on Facebook Live and live stats from StatBroadcast (links at the top of this release). Additionally, those fans who are in attendance are asked to wear blue to create a BLUEOUT atmosphere at The Nest.

 

FGCU Athletics will be accepting hurricane donations in the wake of Irma. Fans are encouraged to bring any items that may help those affected by Irma resume normalcy as quickly as possible. Donations will be distributed to those throughout Southwest Florida.

 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

After losing the first three meetings against Jacksonville and being out-scored in that timeframe, 9-1, FGCU has won eight-straight games versus the Dolphins, out-scoring them, 23-7.

 

ASUN DOMINANCE

FGCU owns a dominant 40-5-5 record in all ASUN regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. Out of a possible 150 points that could have been earned in that time, the Green and Blue have claimed an impressive 125 of them (83 percent).

 

ASUN FAVORITES

FGCU has been installed as the preseason ASUN favorites. Reigning ASUN Player of the Year Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/UE Cornella/CE L’Hospitalet) – who still has not played this year because of an injury – was selected as the unanimous preseason choice to repeat, while Nicolas Samayoa (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Colegio Valle Verde) – who has also missed one match this year already because of an illness – was chosen as the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Senior midfielders Miguel Jaime (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and Kamar Marriott (Tampa, Fla./Heritage HS) – who also has not played this season because of an injury – joined Ruiz and Samayoa on the 12-player All-ASUN Preseason Team.

 

It marks the fifth-straight season that FGCU has been selected as the preseason ASUN favorites (co-favorites with Lipscomb in 2014). Impressively, the Eagles have lived up to that billing each year as the Green and Blue have won either the ASUN regular season title or tournament championship every single campaign since 2010 (regular season and tournament champions in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016).

 

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE

^ Jacksonville is still in search of its first win of the year. The Dolphins – who have been out-scored this season, 10-1 – and Eagles share a common opponent in UCF. JU fell to the Knights, 4-0, while FGCU picked up a 1-0 win on Tuesday.

^ The Dolphins picked up two 1st-place votes and were selected to finish 4th in the ASUN Preseason Poll with 34 points, just two points behind 2nd-place North Florida.

^ Patrick Harding earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Week after one of the best goalkeeper performances in JU history. He collected a career-high 14 saves in a 1-0 loss at Charlotte on Sunday – the most in a single game by an ASUN goalie since 2006.

^ JU’s keepers have combined for 6.20 saves per game this season, which leads the ASUN and ranks 5th nationally entering this weekend.

 

LAST TIME OUT

Defender Preston Kilwien used every bit of his 6-foot-4-inch frame Tuesday night as the junior soared over a UCF player in the 80th minute to finish an FGCU corner and give the Eagles a much-needed 1-0 victory over in-state foe UCF at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

 

The designed set piece started with Chris Clement (Mallorca, Spain/Lycee Francais de Palma) taking the corner. The ball eventually ended up getting headed back across the 18-yard box by Robert Ferrer (Barcelona, Spain/Brevard College/IES Calamot) to Kilwien (San Francisco, Calif./College Park HS). FGCU’s tallest player rose up and had just enough air underneath the header to send it above the overstretched arms of UCF keeper Matt Rosenberg for his team-leading third goal of the season.

 

In net, redshirt freshman Connor Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton/Grandview HS) made two saves for his second career shutout as the Eagles secured their first home clean sheet against a non-conference opponent in nearly exactly one year – 5-0 versus UNCW on Sept. 17, 2016.

 

INSIDE THE FGCU LINEUP

Despite missing the last three games with a hamstring injury, Dennis Zapata (Orlando, Fla./University HS) continues to lead the Eagles offensively with seven points off two goals and three assists. Kilwien is right on his heels with six points off the aforementioned trio of goals, while Ferrer has contributed a pair of goals and an assist for five points.

 

After not playing in FGCU’s season opener, Gavigan has earned the start in net in each of the past four contests, posting a 1.34 goals-against average in that timeframe. He ranks 3rd in the ASUN with a .721 save percentage, and 4th in the league in saves with 20.

 

SLOW START … GREAT FINISH?

Despite the 2-3-1 start to the season, FGCU can look back to just a year ago for motivation to quickly turn things around. The Eagles began the 2016 campaign 0-2-1 before rattling off a program- and nation-best 10-straight wins en route to a 14-4-3 overall record, an ASUN Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance.

 

TOUGH STARTING STRETCH

The Eagles have been injury-plagued early in the season, and have also played a challenging schedule as FGCU opened the year at then-#3 Denver, now-#20 Air Force and Vermont. Denver, Air Force and Vermont combined to go 48-15-5 last year and win four NCAA Tournament contests. FGCU led the nation in points last year with 179, Air Force was 4th (133), Denver was 5th (128) and Vermont was 8th (120).

 

Additionally, in all six games this year, FGCU has been without several key players and starters because of injuries.

 

RECORD-SETTING 2016 CAMPAIGN

FGCU led the country in nearly every offensive category a season ago, including goals with 62 – nine more than any other team. The club reached record heights as it secured a program-record 14 wins.

 

The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time after claiming a 3-0 triumph in penalty kicks at USF in the opening round following a 2-2 double-overtime tie. FGCU went on to face North Carolina, and the Green and Blue had a 2-1 lead until an 86th-minute goal by the Tar Heels. FGCU played the final 52 minutes of the match with 10 men, and UNC finally tallied a double-overtime goal to emerge victorious, 3-2. The Eagles return nearly every player from 2016, including 10 starters.

 

NATIONALLY RANKED

The Eagles began the year ranked #15 in College Soccer News Preseason Poll. It marked the fourth-straight season that FGCU has been nationally ranked. The Eagles finished last year #20 in the NSCAA Poll (now United Soccer Coaches) after being ranked for the final nine weeks of the season and climbing to a program-best #11 in mid-October.

 

FGCU NATIONAL RANKING HISTORY
10/5/2010: #25 Soccer America

10/12/2010: #24 Soccer America

10/14/2010: #24 Top Drawer Soccer

10/19/2010: #21 Soccer America

10/26/2010: #23 Soccer America

11/2/2010: #19 Soccer America

11/9/2010: #19 Soccer America

11/16/2010: #20 Soccer America (Final Poll)

8/2/2011: #14 Goal.com (Preseason Poll)

8/30/2011: #22 Goal.com

9/27/2011: #25 Goal.com

9/9/2014: #24 NSCAA and Soccer America

8/31/2015: #19 Top Drawer Soccer

10/13/2015: #22 Top Drawer Soccer

10/20/2015: #22 Top Drawer Soccer

9/27/2016: #15 NSCAA

10/4/2016: #12 NSCAA

10/11/2016: #12 NSCAA

10/18/2016: #11 NSCAA

10/25/2016: #20 NSCAA

11/1/2016: #22 NSCAA

11/8/2016: #21 NSCAA

11/15/2016: #18 NSCAA

12/13/2016: #20 NSCAA (Final Poll)

8/3/2017: #15 College Soccer News (Preseason Poll)

 

ALBERT RUIZ

Ruiz was named to the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as one of the nation’s top players after finishing runner-up for the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy a season ago. The lethal striker – who was also one of just three forwards on Top Drawer Soccer’s Preseason Best XI list – destroyed single-season program records in goals (22) and points (49) en route to being named an NSCAA First Team All-American – the first ASUN Conference representative since 1997.

 

The senior – the only unanimous selection to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team – scored five more goals and totaled nine more points than any other player in the country in 2016. He also led all Division-I players in goals per game (1.10; next closest: 0.89) and points per game (2.45; next closest: 1.95). By himself, Ruiz scored more goals than 74 teams – more than one-third of the 203 D-I men’s programs – and secured more points than 43 teams last season.

 

INSIDE THE SCHEDULE

FGCU’s 16-game schedule features 10 non-conference matchups and seven home contests all scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. Three opponents made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2016, and three more lost in their respective conference tournament final. Nine opponents join FGCU in having finished in the top 100 of the RPI last year (FGCU: No. 36).

 

BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM

Since the program’s first two seasons in 2007 and 2008, FGCU has posted a winning record each of the past eight years, including double-figure victory totals in half of those campaigns. All-time, the Eagles are 97-66-25 (.582) in 10+ seasons, including a dominant 52-18-7 (.721) record in ASUN contests.

 

FGCU has produced six professional players – including two current MLS members in Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus Crew) and Aaron Guillen (FC Dallas) – and 63 ASUN All-Conference selections. In just six years of D-I postseason eligibility, FGCU has won four ASUN Tournament championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016 – and won an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season championships from 2010-15.

 

NEXT UP

FGCU will have a week break from competitive action before returning to the pitch at North Florida next Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.

 

FGCU Career Records

	GOALS				POINTS
1	Albert Ruiz (14-Present)	30		1	Albert Ruiz (14-Present)	67
2	Cristian Raudales (08-11)	19		2	Cristian Raudales (08-11)	43
3	Felipe DeSousa (12-14)	18		3	Felipe DeSousa (12-14)	38
4	Henry Penagos (10-14)	13		4	Arion Sobers-Assue	37
5	Arion Sobers-Assue (14-Present)	12		5	Josey Portillo (08-11)	31
	Scott Harrison (08-11)	12
	ASSISTS
1	Josey Portillo (08-11)	15
2	Arion Sobers-Assue (14-Present)	13
3	Francesco DiStefano (08-11)	12
4	Andres Navas (09-12)	11
5	Deion Jones (09-12)	10

 

FGCU Single-Season Records

	GOALS				POINTS
1	Albert Ruiz (2016)	22		1	Albert Ruiz (2016)	49
2	Arion Sobers-Assue (2016)	11		2	Arion Sobers-Assue (2016)	33
3	Albert Ruiz (2015)	7		3	Deion Jones (2010)	17
	Felipe DeSousa (2012)	7			Scott Harrison (2008)	17
	Cristian Raudales (2011)	7		5	Albert Ruiz (2015)	16
	Deion Jones (2010)	7
	ASSISTS
1	Arion Sobers-Assue (2016)	11
2	Josey Portillo (2011)	7
3	Deion Jones (2011)	6
	Donovan Henry (2010)	6
	William Morse (2011)	6

 

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.

 

HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER

Jesse Cormier was hired in January 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. The head coach at Vermont for the previous 13 seasons, Cormier won 14 games with the Catamounts in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. During his time with Vermont, Cormier guided the program to the America East Tournament in 12 of 13 seasons, making five title game appearances, winning two tournament crowns, claiming a regular-season championship and advancing to three NCAA tournaments, including a pair of Second Round appearances. Cormier has a 116-92-48 (.547 winning percentage) overall record as a head coach.

 

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.