MACON, Ga. – Following a pair of shutouts to open Atlantic Sun Conference action last week, FGCU goalkeeper Nathan Ingham has been named the A-Sun Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, league officials announced on Monday.

Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) made one save as part of a 4-0 blanking of Jacksonville on Wednesday and then recorded five stops in a 2-0 FGCU triumph at Stetson on Saturday night. The Eagles, who are ranked No. 14 in the RPI with a 4-2-1 overall record, are alone in first place in the A-Sun with a 2-0 mark and six points.

“Nate has been fantastic again this year and is incredibly deserving of every honor he receives,” said FGCU head coach Bob Butehorn. “Our backline has been phenomenal as well. They do a terrific job of minimizing the shots Nate sees, but when he is tested, he has come up with nearly every save.”

The redshirt senior has played in four complete games this year and now has three shutouts to his name as he missed two-and-a-half contests with an ankle injury. Ingham easily leads the A-Sun and ranks 7th in the nation with a 0.42 goals-against average as he has only allowed two goals in 428:32 minutes this season.

At his current pace, Ingham would shatter the A-Sun single-season record for goals-against average as the current mark is 0.61 held by Centenary’s Damin Hill in 1987. Last year, Ingham posted a 0.71 GAA to rank as the fourth-best single season in league history.

With the shutouts, Ingham now has 22 for his career and moves within three of tying and four 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) Nathan Ingham: 22 (FGCU, 2011-Present)

A-Sun Career Goals-Against Average (minimum 2,000 minutes)
1) Ryan Coulter: 0.95 (ETSU, 2011-13)
2) Nathan Ingham: 0.98 (FGCU, 2011-Present)
3) Kyle Roelke: 1.00 (Belmont, 2004-05)

Ingham is the third FGCU player this season to be named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week as freshman goalie Sawyer Jackman (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East HS) received the honor last week, and freshman defender Preston Kilwien (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS/Campolindo HS) garnered the award on Sept. 14 after scoring the game-winning goal against Princeton in the 89th minute which made national headlines.

With the honor, Ingham now has been named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week four times in his career. Dating back to last year it’s now the sixth A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week honor FGCU has claimed in 17 possible weeks, including two by Ingham last year and one by Aaron Guillen (El Paso, Texas/Coronado HS). Over that same time period, no other school in the A-Sun has had more than three A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week awards.

The shutouts by Ingham mark just the second time in program history that FGCU has opened the A-Sun schedule with back-to-back clean sheets. In 2013, the Eagles blanked Lipscomb and then-member Northern Kentucky each 1-0 to commence the league docket. However, it is the first time in program history that FGCU has opened the A-Sun slate with consecutive shutouts when scoring more than one goal.

The triumphs also extend FGCU’s dominant overall record to 34-4-3 in all A-Sun regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All four of those losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 123 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 105 of them (85 percent) en route to an unprecedented five-straight A-Sun regular-season titles.

Ingham and his teammates return to action on Saturday night at UNF. The Ospreys are 5-5-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the A-Sun after posting a 3-0 win at Lipscomb on Saturday. At No. 59 in the RPI, UNF is the only other A-Sun team in the top 100. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Jacksonville.

TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are available starting at just $7 for adults, $5 for youth (3-12) and $20 for a family pack. More information, including additional 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, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

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 112-89-23 (.551) overall record, 78-57-19 (.569) mark in his 9th season at FGCU and 46-17-5 (.713) 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.

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