FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the sixth time in as many years the FGCU women's soccer team will play for the conference's automatic bid thanks to a 2-1 win over No. 4 seed Kennesaw State Friday night. The top-seeded Eagles (13-4-1, 6-0-1 ASUN) utilized goals from Emilie Olsen and Tabby Tindell to take down the Owls (10-8-1, 4-3-0) and advance in the ASUN Conference Tournament.

Earlier in the day, No. 2 Lipscomb defeated No. 3 Stetson 2-1 in double overtime, setting up a rematch of the 2015 final, set for Sunday at 1 p.m.

"It's a win at a time it's not easy to get results," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "You have to give credit to Kennesaw, they were very good. I have a ton of respect for them and at this point of the season it's very hard to get a result. We scored a tremendous goal and we talked at halftime about getting a second goal so getting that goal early was very important and allowed us to get pressure taken off us a little bit."

Kennesaw State attempted to once again jump in front against FGCU early, similar to the regular season match, but FGCU was up to the task to weather two early chances. The Eagles broke through in the 22nd minute on an Olsen (Frekhaug, Norway/Tertnes VGS) strike and a Paulina Speckmaier (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida) assist and stayed in front thanks to a tremendous save from Melissa Weck (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS). Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) doubled the advantage early in the second half, only for Kennesaw State to tally a goal late to produce the 2-1 final.

It was Kennesaw State that had the first opportunity of the night, when Brittney Reed put a free kick on goal from nearly 40 yards after seven minutes. Weck was able to make the save with relative ease, but her momentum carried her backward, drawing multiple shouts from the Owls.

The Owls produced two more chances before Ali Rogers (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) won a ball just inside FGCU's offensive third around the 15th minute of play, leading to two shots for the senior. Both efforts were blocked, with the final attempt producing an FGCU corner that was cleared away.

Lindsey Patton (Jacksonville, Fla./Oakleaf HS) was on the other end of a Rogers' header following a second FGCU corner in the 18th minute. Patton volleyed the header toward goal only for Mady Carter to make the save to keep FGCU off the board.

FGCU waited three more minutes before tallying the match's first goal. Speckmaier played Olsen behind the Kennesaw backline with a beautiful through ball, allowing the freshman to beat her mark by a step and beat Carter with her first touch to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

With momentum, FGCU continued to press forward. It was Speckmaier again involved, this time attempting to place the ball at the back post following a cross from Tindell. The midfielder's shot however was cleared off the line to keep the match at 1-0 in favor of the home side.

Speckmaier then collected a clearance following an FGCU corner, and again elected to aim far post but this time with pace. The senior's effort was just off target however. The Eagles would again narrowly miss doubling their lead when Olsen found herself in space only to hit the crossbar.

Kennesaw State's Cassidy Kemp found herself behind the Eagle defense, but Weck came off her line to produce her biggest save of the first half to keep her side in front.
The final chance of the half came courtesy of Olsen once again, beating her mark along the left side of the field only to miss high.

FGCU didn't wait long to double its advantage after halftime. Following a Meaghan Mulligan (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck High School/Tennessee) corner, Rogers nodded the cross down toward goal where Tindell simply tapped it beyond the reach of Carter. The goal was Tindell's 14th of the season.

Weck was called upon in the 52nd minute, denying Kemp once again to keep her side in front 2-0. Abby Roth also had a chance at goal, but her header went wide.

Tindell nearly doubled her goal output on the evening but she put her shot high as the lead remained 2-0 after 67 minutes. As the second half progressed, FGCU's pressure increased as the home side looked to put the match away. In the 73rd minute, Rogers put a shot on goal but it went over the bar.

Two minutes later, Olsen netted her second goal of the match only for Carter to record what proved to be a crucial save.

With 13 minutes remaining in the contest, Kennesaw State began to gain a foothold in the match. Beginning with a Roth header cleared off the line following a corner, the Owls produced multiple dangerous opportunities late in the match.

The visitors did cut into the FGCU advantage in the 83rd minute when Emely Sosa headed home a Monica Herrera corner.

The Green and Blue closed out the match, securing a rematch with Lipscomb Sunday afternoon for the conference's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament. The ASUN Tournament Final is slated for 1 p.m. at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

Weck made seven saves in the match while both teams produced 17 shots.
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FOLLOW ALONG
For constant, news, photos, videos and updates you can follow the women's soccer team on Twitter @FGCU_WSoccer, on Instagram @FGCU_WSoccer or on Facebook: Facebook.com/FGCUWSoccer. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.
 
COACH JIM BLANKENSHIP
A veteran of over two decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the ASUN Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, has built FGCU women's soccer into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the South Region in just 10 seasons. Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to nine double-digit win seasons, culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN Tournament titles and became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles went on to win the 2014 ASUN Tournament and hosted the first NCAA Championship event on campus. The Eagles earned their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship and won their first NCAA game at USF in 2015, while finishing 24th in the nation. Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 128-46-20 (70.6 W%) overall record through the first 10 seasons of the program's existence, including a 67-10-11 (81.8 W%) mark in the ASUN. Blankenship's impressive career record of 368-117-31 (74.2 W%) over 25 seasons has come while leading FGCU, the University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
 
#FEEDFGCU
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.