FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University women’s soccer team will open the 2024 season Thursday with a game against FIU at Pickering Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and FGCU Athletics will honor the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship winning team with a pregame ceremony.
The defending champions boast the ASUN’s preseason best player, midfielder, defender and goalkeeper. The Eagles swept the ASUN preseason superlatives and were voted No. 1 in the coaches’ poll, receiving nine of the 12 top-place votes. FGCU returns 19 Eagles from its championship season.
Ashley Labbe received the league’s highest preseason award, ASUN Player of the Year. MVP of the 2023 ASUN Tournament Erika Zschuppe was named Midfielder of the Year. Reese Mendenhall was named Defender of the Year and Olivia Molina was named Goalkeeper of the Year by the league. Zschuppe and Mendenhall also landed on the United Soccer Coaches’ list of players for the upcoming season.
Head Coach Jim Blankenship is two wins away from 450 career victories. He enters 2024 as the eighth-winningest active head coach in Division I women’s soccer. FGCU has won the ASUN regular season or tournament title in 12 of the last 13 seasons. Blankenship has won 10 or more games in 15 of his 16 seasons at FGCU. He enters his 17th year at the helm of the Eagles in 2024.
FGCU has played one exhibition game this season, where they faced Miami in a scoreless tie and had more shots on goal. FIU has played in two exhibition games this preseason, defeating Miami Dade College 7-0 and Eastern Florida State College 3-0. FGCU has an overall record of 13-1-1 against the Panthers and has won its last 11 games. In 2023, the Eagles scored a 1-0 victory at Miami.
Two Panthers appeared on the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, as defender Reagan Bridges and midfielder Noemi Paquin earned the honor. Paquin, who earned a 2023 C-USA First Team selection with five goals, had the most shots (59) and third-most shots on goal (25) in her respective conference last season. FIU was voted fourth in the 2024 C-USA Preseason Coaches Poll.
You can buy tickets online HERE or at the gate. Individual tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for military and youth (ages 4-12). Tickets start at $6 for groups of 10 or more. FGCU students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a valid Eagle ID. The game will not be streamed on ESPN+.
