LAKEPOINT, Ga. – After helping backstop the FGCU men’s soccer team to a pair of shutouts and scoring the game-winning goal over UCF, junior Preston Kilwien has been named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Week, league officials announced Monday.

 

Kilwien (San Francisco, Calif./College Park HS) tallied the lone goal in FGCU’s 1-0 win over the Knights on Tuesday, and then contributed to another clean sheet in the Eagles’ 1-0 victory against Jacksonville in the ASUN opener on Saturday.

 

Combined, Kilwien and the FGCU backline kept most of the pressure off goalkeeper Connor Gavigan (Aurora, Colo./Creighton/Grandview HS), who needed to make just two saves versus UCF and none opposite JU as the Dolphins were unable to put any of their three shots on frame in an ASUN Championship Final rematch from a season ago.

 

It marks the first time since the end of the 2015 regular season that FGCU has shut out consecutive opponents, and the first time since the middle of the 2013 campaign in which the Eagles have posted back-to-back 1-0 wins – and that team recorded three such results in a row.

 

Kilwien used every bit of his 6-foot-4-inch frame Tuesday as the junior soared over a UCF player in the 80th minute to finish an FGCU corner. The designed set piece started with Chris Clement (Mallorca, Spain/Lycee Francais de Palma) taking the corner. The ball eventually ended up getting bounded back across the 18-yard box by Robert Ferrer (Barcelona, Spain/Brevard College/IES Calamot) to Kilwien. 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.

 

The honor is the second of Kilwien’s career as he previously earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Week accolades on Sept. 14, 2015. He received that recognition after scoring the game-winning goal in the 89th minute of his collegiate debut versus Princeton, lacing a shot from 35 yards out into the upper-corner of the net to earn the No. 3 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.

 

FGCU (3-3-1, 1-0-0 ASUN) is now unbeaten in its last three matches, and the triumph over Jacksonville on Saturday extended the Eagles’ dominant record to 41-5-5 in all ASUN regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. Out of a possible 153 points that could have been earned in that time, the Green and Blue – who have won either the ASUN regular season or tournament championship each of the past seven years – have claimed an impressive 128 of them (83.7 percent).

 

FGCU will have a week break from competitive action before returning to the pitch at North Florida this Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. The Ospreys were predicted to finish 2nd in the ASUN Preseason Poll, but are off to a 1-5-1 start overall and 0-1-0 in league action after falling at home to Stetson Saturday night, 1-0.

 

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 117-92-48 (.549 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.