FGCU women focus on soccer foe
Putting aside the glory of their first NCAA Tournament victory a week ago, the FGCU women’s soccer team is focusing on Friday’s second-round tournament matchup against 18th-ranked Duke in Gainesville.
The 24th-ranked Eagles and Blue Devils kick off at 3 p.m. at Florida’s Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
The Eagles (14-5-2) extend the season in their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five years. The Eagles earned the Atlantic Sun’s automatic bid to the national championship tournament by defeating second-seeded Lipscomb 5-0 in the A-Sun Championship match followed by last week’s 2-1 win over No. 22 USF.
The team finished the regular season at 11-5-2 and claimed a 5-0 win over fifth-seeded Stetson in the A-Sun semifinals before defeating Lipscomb in the A-Sun final. With their success at the conference level, the Eagles earned their sixth consecutive A-Sun regular season title.
As a unit, the Eagles have outscored opponents 53-13 through 21 games and held a 23-3 advantage over A-Sun foes in the regular season. The team has scored 190 goals overall and have averaged 18.1 shots per game, while limiting opponents to just seven shots per game.
FGCU’s backline has stopped 147 shot attempts this season, with Brittany Brown and Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year Emma Blackwell leading the way. Brown has stifled 54 shots on goal so far and has held opponents to 0.57 goals per game with a save percentage of .818.
Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Tabby Tindell leads the Eagles and the league with 44 points on 17 goals and 10 assists through 19 games. Paulina Speckmaier ranks second with six goals and seven assists and Nikki Hudson and Ally Kasun have added five goals each from the midfield.
Overall, 15 different players have found the back of the net for the Eagles, including captain Shea Rhoney, who has added four goals and five assists during her senior campaign.