DELAND, Fla. (fgcuathletics.com) – Still in the hunt for the ASUN title, the FGCU women's soccer team picked up a crucial win on Wednesday, defeating Stetson, 3-1. The Eagles improve to 9-5-1 and 7-1-1 in ASUN play while the Hatters fall to 6-10-1 and 3-5-1 in league play.

With the win, FGCU now has 22 points in the ASUN standings, tied for second with Lipscomb and just one point behind Liberty with only one game remaining in the regular season. A win by the Eagles on Saturday against Central Arkansas would secure the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the ASUN Tournament.

"It was a big result for us tonight," said head coach Jim Blankenship. "We didn't play well the other day and tonight was a good bounce back for us against a good Stetson team. Leah and Louise continue to perform at very high levels which is very good for us heading into the final game and the postseason."

It was also the 100th ASUN victory in just 16 seasons for the Eagles, all of which have been under the leadership of Blankenship. The Eagles are 100-20-16 in those 16 years in conference and are just the second ASUN school to reach the century mark behind Jacksonville, who have 106 wins in 25 seasons.

Juniors Leah Scarpelli and Louise Lillback each scored for the Eagles while sophomore Ashley Labbe collected an assist.

FGCU outshot the Hatters 25-10 including a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal while also taking six corner kicks to Stetson's three.

The Eagles took the lead in the 15th minute as Stetson knocked the ball into its own net.

In the 24th minute, sophomore Katelyn Kauffman appeared to double FGCU's lead as she put the ball in the back of the net, but she was called offside.

The Eagles kept attacking and finally got that second goal in the 36th minute on a free kick from Scarpelli. The junior stepped up to the ball and fired a shot from about 30 yards out and into the top right corner of the net above the keeper's hands for her fourth goal of the season.

The score remained 2-0 into the break, but out of the locker room, the Hatters got a goal back in the 51st minute.

Not panicking, FGCU responded in the 65th minute. Labbe received the ball off a heavy touch from the Stetson player around midfield and sent it forward toward Lillback. With the flag staying down, Lillback only had to defeat the goalkeeper, which she did, firing a shot into the back of the net for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.

Lillback on the Rise
Most Career Goals

 
Most Career Points

The Eagle defense took it from there as they did not allow a shot in the final 35 minutes of the contest.

FGCU will return home on Saturday for its final regular-season game of the season against Central Arkansas. The contest is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with Senior Day festivities taking place about 20 minutes beforehand.

ASUN Conference, Atlanta – the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.), Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond, Ky.), FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.), North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).

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