Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women's soccer

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Women’s Soccer
Founded2007
UniversityFlorida Gulf Coast University
Head coachJim Blankenship (19th season)
ConferenceASUN
LocationFort Myers, Florida
StadiumFGCU Soccer Complex
NicknameFGCU Eagles
ColorsCobalt Blue and Emerald Green [1]
   
Home
Away
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
2015[2]
NCAA Tournament appearances
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023
Conference Regular Season championships
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024

The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Women's Soccer team represents Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, Florida in all NCAA Division I women's soccer competitions. The Eagles compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The soccer team is one of several varsity sports teams that represent the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.[3]

The team made the NCAA tournament in the first year of eligibility in 2011, and returned in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, and 2023.

History

The women’s soccer program was formed in 2007 as a result of FGCU athletics phasing into NCAA division 1 status. The team competed in their first match on August 31 in a 10-0 win against Alabama State.[4]

Due to FGCU athletics transition into Division I competition, the Eagles had to wait out a four-year probationary period before becoming eligible for postseason play. In 2011, their first year of eligibility, the team clinched its first conference tournament title and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament.[5]

Since 2011, the Eagles have won 8 ASUN Conference tournament championships, 11 ASUN regular season championships, and have made 8 NCAA Tournament appearances.[6][7][8]

The FGCU Eagles and UCF Knights currently share the record for most tournament titles (8).[9]

Stadium

The Eagles currently play their home matches at the FGCU Soccer Complex, also known as Pickering Field. The field is 120x80 yards and is Natural Celebration Bermuda grass. The stadium holds 1,500 permanent seats.

On November 15, 2014, Pickering Field became the first FGCU venue to host an NCAA Division I Tournament match. The Eagles faced Auburn in the first round of the tournament with a record of 2,014 in attendance.[10]

Players

Current roster

As of 26 June 2025 [11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK United States USA Danyelle Dorn
00 GK United States USA Haley Slouka
1 GK Latvia LVA Madara Matrevica
2 FW United States USA Sophia Holtzman
3 FW United States USA Megan Morgan
4 DF Sweden SWE Nellie Nygren
5 FW United States USA Keira Morgan
6 DF Sweden SWE Ida Nordgren
7 DF United States USA Ariana Cintron
8 FW United States USA Lily Borders
9 MF United States USA Tessa Brooks
10 FW Spain ESP Maya Henley Buisan
11 FW United States USA Kendal Gargiula
12 MF United States USA Lyla Bell
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF United States USA Erika Zschuppe
14 MF United States USA Lindsey Saad
15 MF United States USA Ryanne Robinson
16 DF United States USA Hanna Phillips
17 MF United States USA Kate Friday
19 FW United States USA Kaitlin Gabelman
20 DF United States USA Lauren Dwyer
21 DF United States USA Elena Hinkson
22 MF United States USA Ava Russell
23 DF United States USA Laina Dayhuff
24 DF United States USA Emma Badger
30 MF United States USA Lexie Bennett
31 FW United States USA Ava Boyd
34 MF United States USA Camryn Bliss

Current Professional Players

As of June 27, 2025

Notable Alumni

Coaching staff

Position Staff
Head Coach Jim Blankenship
Associate Head Coach Alex Ng
Assistant Coach Nicole Burke
Assistant Coach Sydney Blomquist

Last updated: August 8, 2025
Source: [12]

Jim Blankenship has served as the head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women’s soccer program since its inception in 2007. Blankenship has guided the Eagles to a 208-80-35 overall record over the first 17 seasons of the program.[13] Upon entering the 2024 season, Blankenship’s 448 career wins rank 8th among active NCAA Division 1 coaches.[14]

Seasons

List of FGCU Eagles women's soccer seasons
Season Head coach Regular season Postseason
Overall Conference Conference NCAA
Conference Division Finish Results
2007 Jim Blankenship 11-7-0 ASUN - 3rd 7-4-0 Not Eligible Not Eligible
2008 Jim Blankenship 10-4-3 ASUN - 4th 5-2-3 Not Eligible Not Eligible
2009 Jim Blankenship 11-5-2 ASUN - 3rd 6-2-2 Not Eligible Not Eligible
2010 Jim Blankenship 11-4-2 ASUN - 1st 8–0-2 Not Eligible Not Eligible
2011 Jim Blankenship 14-5-2 ASUN - 1st 7-1-1 Champions NCAA First Round
2012 Jim Blankenship 14-4-3 ASUN - 1st 7-1-1 Champions NCAA First Round
2013 Jim Blankenship 13-3-4 ASUN - 1st 7-0-2 Finalists -
2014 Jim Blankenship 17-4-0 ASUN - 1st 7-0-0 Champions NCAA First Round
2015 Jim Blankenship 14-6-2 ASUN - 1st 6-0-1 Champions NCAA Round of 32
2016 Jim Blankenship 14-5-1 ASUN - 1st 6-0-1 Champions NCAA First Round
2017 Jim Blankenship 14-4-1 ASUN - 1st 5-1-1 Champions NCAA First Round
2018 Jim Blankenship 13-4-2 ASUN - 3rd 5-3-0 Semi-Finals -
2019 Jim Blankenship 11-4-2 ASUN - 1st 6-1-1 Semi-Finals -
2020 Jim Blankenship 7-3-2 ASUN South Division 2nd 4-2-0 Semi-Finals -
2021 Jim Blankenship 10-7-1 ASUN East Division 1st 7-2-0 Finalist -
2022 Jim Blankenship 12-6-2 ASUN - 2nd 8-1-1 Champions NCAA First Round
2023 Jim Blankenship 12-5-5 ASUN - 3rd 7-1-3 Champions NCAA First Round
2024 Jim Blankenship 12-5-5 ASUN - 1st 7-1-3 Quarterfinals -
As of 27 June 2025 [15]

References

  1. ^ "FGCU Visual Identity & Brand Guidelines — Version 1.0" (PDF). Florida Gulf Coast University. Florida Gulf Coast University, University Marketing & Communications. 2017. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  2. ^ "Florida Gulf Coast – 2015 Division I Women's Soccer Championship Records". NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2015. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  3. ^ "FGCU (Women's) – TopDrawerSoccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Advanced Sports Media, LLC. 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  4. ^ "Turning Point: Timeline of Important Events During FGCU's Transition Into Division I". Naples Daily News (archived). Gannett. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  5. ^ "FGCU athletics' top Eagles athletic moments over first two decades". Naples Daily News. Gannett. 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  6. ^ Hrunka, Jeffrey (2023-10-29). "Women's Soccer Captures Regular Season Title With Victory of Hatters". Eagle News. Eagle Media (Florida Gulf Coast University). Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  7. ^ "2023 ASUN Women's Soccer Championship Program" (PDF). ASUNSports.org. Atlantic Sun Conference. 2023-10-23. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  8. ^ "Florida Gulf Coast faces Seminoles in NCAA women's soccer first round". Naples Daily News. Gannett. 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  9. ^ "ASUN Women's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). ASUNSports.org. Atlantic Sun Conference. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  10. ^ "FGCU readying fruitful fall sports campaigns". Naples Daily News. Gannett. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  11. ^ "2025 Women's Soccer Roster". FGCU Athletics. Florida Gulf Coast University. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  12. ^ "2025 Women's Soccer Coaching Staff". FGCU Athletics. Florida Gulf Coast University. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  13. ^ "Jim Blankenship – Women's Soccer Coach". FGCU Athletics. Florida Gulf Coast University. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  14. ^ "NCAA Women's Soccer Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  15. ^ "ASUN Women's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). ASUNSports.org. Atlantic Sun Conference. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.