FORT MYERS, Fla. – Following a game-winning goal in the 89th minute which made national headlines, FGCU freshman Preston Kilwien has been named Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, league officials announced Monday afternoon.

Making his collegiate debut, Kilwien (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS/Campolindo HS) provided the most dramatic moment of a back-and-forth contest on Thursday night against Princeton as he delivered a left-footed shot from 35 yards out into the upper-corner of the net to give the Eagles a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. The strike snapped Princeton’s nation-best 10-game unbeaten streak as the Tigers were 9-0-1 dating back to last year.

“It’s a great honor for Preston to be named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week in his collegiate debut,” head coach Bob Butehorn said. “He came in as a substitute and played substantial minutes in an important match against a tough opponent and did a great job for us. The strike was absolutely perfect and gave us a much-needed win.”

Kilwien’s goal was the No. 3 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays Thursday night, and on Friday afternoon it received coverage on Fox Sports 1 during halftime of a Bundesliga match and since has more than 150,000 views on YouTube.

Kilwien is the first FGCU member this season to be named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week after the Eagles claimed three such honors last year – two by Nathan Ingham (Kewsick, Ontario/Keswick HS) and one by Aaron Guillen (El Paso, Texas/Coronado HS). Additionally, the 6-4 defender becomes just the third field player in program history to garner an A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week honor, joining Guillen last year (Oct. 13) and Matt O’Shaughnessy in 2010 (Oct. 18).

FGCU had its men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball teams all in action this weekend, and all three programs had individuals receive A-Sun accolades. Amanda Carroll was named A-Sun Volleyball Freshman of the Week, Elisa Anne Aldrich garnered A-Sun Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week and Brittany Brown was tabbed as the A-Sun Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week.

Kilwien and his teammates had their game against Penn on Saturday canceled due to torrential rain and lightning. FGCU has already had two games not played this year because of weather. The victory against Princeton was the first for FGCU this year after starting with a 0-0 draw against then-No. 3 Georgetown at home and a 1-0 loss at then-No. 20 (now No. 8) Wake Forest.

FGCU will now direct its focus toward USF as the Eagles and Bulls will renew their rivalry on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in Tampa. USF is receiving votes in the national polls this week and is off to a 3-2-0 start to the season. The Bulls are scheduled to host UNF on Monday night.

TICKET INFORMATION
Season- and single-game tickets are available for the 2015 campaign, with season tickets starting at just $35. More information, including 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 109-88-23 overall record, 75-56-19 mark in his 9th season at FGCU and 44-17-5 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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