BURLINGTON, Vt. – It was deja vu circa 2016 on Friday night for the FGCU men’s soccer team.

 

The highest-scoring team in the nation a season ago, FGCU (1-2-0) put that lethal attack on display early in unseasonably cool Northeast temperatures and never let up. The Eagles flew all over the pitch at Vermont (1-2-0) en route to a dominant 4-0 victory and first win of the young campaign.

 

Perhaps more importantly – and something that only happened three times in 21 matches a season ago – FGCU recorded a shutout behind redshirt freshman Connor Gavigan’s seven saves to make a statement and put the Eagles in control to win the Peter Baldwin Memorial Classic.

 

Preston Kilwien scored twice, Dennis Zapata had a goal and two assists, Dylan Sacramento issued two helpers and Robert Ferrer was credited with the game-winning goal just six minutes into the contest as FGCU received production and valuable minutes up and down an injury-shortened lineup.

 

Making his second-career start in net, Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton/Grandview HS) made seven saves to earn his first shutout. The seven stops are tied for the 8th-most in a single game in program history, and just one shy of ranking tied for 2nd. Gavigan’s biggest save of the night arguably came on a penalty kick in the 52nd minute right after FGCU had taken a four-goal advantage.

 

“Our start to the game was excellent. The guys came out sharp, we moved the ball well, defended hard and, really, created more chances than we converted,” said FGCU head coach Jesse Cormier, who was making his return to Vermont after serving as the Catamounts’ head coach for the previous 13 seasons. “With that early momentum we were able to take the crowd out of the game and get the clean sheet on the road against an NCAA Tournament team a season ago and a team I believe will make some noise again this year.

 

“To get the result we did in such a resounding way is something we can certainly build on moving forward,” Cormier added. “I’m really happy with the outcome tonight because everyone contributed up and down the lineup, and hopefully we can continue that momentum into Sunday.”

 

The Eagles opened the scoring in the 6th minute when Sacramento (Winnipeg, Manitoba/York University/Bill Crothers S.S.) had his initial shot saved, but the ball bounded right to Ferrer (Barcelona, Spain/Brevard College/IES Calamot) in front of the net. The junior did not miss as he one-timed the rebound into the back of the net for his second goal of the young season.

 

FGCU kept up the pressure and was rewarded with another conversation in the 21st minute off a corner kick. Zapata (Orlando, Fla./University HS) perfectly flicked on the corner at the near post to the far post, where Kilwien (San Francisco, Calif./College Park HS) was waiting and wasted no time in giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

 

That advantage grew to 3-0 just 21 seconds later when Sacramento slid a pass across the middle of the box to Zapata, who deposited a one-timed effort into a mostly-empty net. The two goals 21 seconds apart by the Eagles are tied for the 27th-fastest in NCAA Division-I history. Last year, FGCU scored twice in a 19-second span at Rutgers to rank tied for the 24th-fastest all-time.

 

In a testament to that fast start Cormier referenced, FGCU held a 9-4 shot advantage at halftime and had two – if not more – high-quality chances to add to its three-goal 1st half.

 

The Green and Blue took that 3-0 lead into the halftime break and added to it quickly at the beginning of the 2nd half when Kilwien converted his second goal of the match. The defender looked more like a striker with his finish as he sent a low, driven shot from a close angle inside the far post to extend the FGCU cushion to 4-0.

 

The match kept that same score line despite Vermont having a penalty kick just a minute after Kilwien pushed the lead to 4-0. Jon Arnar Barddal stepped up to take the PK, but Gavigan made a diving save to his right to keep the shutout intact.

 

Vermont had a few more chances to break up the shutout throughout the 2nd stanza, but Gavigan and the FGCU backline were equal to the task as the Eagles posted an impressive win over a team which reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago.

 

The victory helped the Eagles bounce back from a pair of tough losses at nationally-recognized teams last weekend to open the season in #3 Denver and an Air Force side receiving votes in the national polls this week.

 

The matchup with Vermont concluded a challenging opening three-game stretch for FGCU as the Catamounts finished with an RPI of No. 29 and 14 victories a season ago. 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).

 

Making the performance even more impressive for the Eagles Friday night is that they were again without reigning ASUN Player of the Year and MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List member Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/UE Cornella/CE L’Hospitalet) – the nation’s leading scorer a season ago. Additionally, senior central midfielder Kamar Marriott (Tampa, Fla./Heritage HS) – an ASUN All-Conference Preseason Team selection – also missed his third-straight game to open the season due to an injury.

 

The Eagles will now look to take home the Peter Baldwin Memorial Classic title as they face Central Connecticut State (1-1-0) on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. from Vermont’s campus. CCSU defeated Niagara, 3-1, earlier on Friday, and last week battled then-#18 UMass-Lowell to overtime before falling short.

 

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 115-91-47 (.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.