Just 16 days away from kick-off of the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Soccer Championship and all nine eligible teams still have a chance to make the tournament. FGCU leads the way with an undefeated mark, but are ineligible for the conference tournament, while the other nine teams will battle it out over the next two weekends for the six spots.
Real Men Wear Pink
In association with National Cancer Awareness Month, the Atlantic Sun Conference men’s soccer programs have partnered with the Coaches vs. Cancer Foundation. In the five A-Sun men’s soccer contests played on Thursday and Friday, all players competing will be wearing pink armbands and tape, while the coaches will be showing support by wearing pink polo shirts on the sidelines.
Sunshine State Showdown
On Friday, October 22nd Stetson travels to Fort Myers, Fla. for a match against the top two teams in the conference when they square off against FGCU. The Hatters stand at 5-1 in the conference and the Eagles have an unblemished 6-0 mark. With an Eagles victory, FGCU will clinch the regular season title in only its fourth year of men’s soccer existence, while a Hatters victory puts Stetson in the lead to host the A-Sun Tournament as well as win the regular season crown.
Three A-Sun Teams Ranked Regionally
In the latest edition of the NSCAA South Region Poll, three squads from the A-Sun appeared in the top-10 with FGCU leading the way in sixth, ETSU rebounding back into the polls at eighth and Mercer jumping into the poll for the first time this season at tenth. The Hatters, who were ranked last week, were also one of three teams to receive votes in the coaches’ ranking.
Longest Win Streak Belongs to Nashville
After FGCU fell to Florida Atlantic on Tuesday, the claim for the longest winning streak moved from Florida to the campus of Lipscomb in Tennessee. The Bisons, who started the conference slate with two losses, have won their last three games by a combined score of 13-6 and were led by A-Sun Player of the Week Joey Chiappetta, who registered six points against rival Belmont in a 6-2 victory against the Bruins.
Points Chase Plot Thickens
Belmont’s Brandon Tarr held a two-point lead going into play last weekend in the Atlantic Sun Points lead, but after only tallying one point on an assist his lead was cut in half as Stetson’s Fredrik Brustad jumped up to 17 points, while teammates at Jacksonville Darko Karamatic and Nedim Hrustic are tied for third place with 16 points apiece.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The VolleyBlog - October 19th Edition
Atlantic Sun Volleyball hits its own fall break as the conference takes a week off from conference play here in the middle of the round-robin season. Three schools, Belmont, FGCU and Kennesaw State won't play at until league play resumes on Friday, October 29. With everybody having played five or six conference games, the league races at the top and in the jumble for championship seeding are starting to take shape. Which matchups or storylines are you most interested in following the final 30 days of the regular season? Tell us through Facebook, Twitter or in our comments section.
Georgia, Tennessee Assert Dominance
For 200 years, Georgia and Tennessee have undergone a border dispute revolving around the Tennessee River and drinking water. This fun fact was a way to connect US history to A-Sun volleyball as the conference's five Georgia and Tennessee schools (Kennesaw State, Mercr, ETSU, Lipscomb and Belmont) combined to go 8-0 on the weekend and currently own the top five spots in the conference standing. Lipscomb and Belmont both beat Campbell; Mercer and Kennesaw State took down FGCU and Stetson and ETSU picked up two wins in Jacksonville.
It Bears Repeating
For the first in almost two years, Mercer won both league matches on consecutive weekends. In improving to 4-2, the Bears are off to their best 6-game A-Sun start since a 5-1 run to open 2007. Libero Charlotte Harris won the Bears' first Player of the Week award of 2010 (and first since Rachel Urbelis won last October 26). She totaled 59 digs in the wins against FGCU and Stetson. In the four-set win against the Hatters, she recorded 39, one shy of the league's four-set record in conference games. She paces the conference in digs with 436 and rank in the top 30 in the nation in digs per set, 5.19.
Three A-Sun Schools Entertain Seattle
As part of this non-conference weekend, three of the A-Sun's Florida schools welcome in the Seattle University Redhawks. On Thursday, UNF serves as host followed by Jacksonville one night later. The three-day event concludes in DeLand when Stetson welcomes in the 10-12 Redhawks. Seattle U picked up a victory against Mercer in the season-opening invitational at Seattle.
River City Rumble Prequel
Before facing Seattle, Jacksonville and UNF will meet in an non-conference River City Rumble on Tuesday from Jacksonville's Swisher Gymnasium. If the Dolphins can match the intensity of their mascot, Dunk'n, they could make short work of their crosstown rival.
Bisons in Rarefied Company
In addition to boasting the conference's lone unbeaten record, Lipscomb leads the A-Sun in hitting percentage, assists per set, kills per set and digs per set. Only two other school in the country and lay claim to the same distinction. In the America East Conference, Albany leads in all four categories as does Yale out of the Ivy League.
Georgia, Tennessee Assert Dominance
For 200 years, Georgia and Tennessee have undergone a border dispute revolving around the Tennessee River and drinking water. This fun fact was a way to connect US history to A-Sun volleyball as the conference's five Georgia and Tennessee schools (Kennesaw State, Mercr, ETSU, Lipscomb and Belmont) combined to go 8-0 on the weekend and currently own the top five spots in the conference standing. Lipscomb and Belmont both beat Campbell; Mercer and Kennesaw State took down FGCU and Stetson and ETSU picked up two wins in Jacksonville.
It Bears Repeating
For the first in almost two years, Mercer won both league matches on consecutive weekends. In improving to 4-2, the Bears are off to their best 6-game A-Sun start since a 5-1 run to open 2007. Libero Charlotte Harris won the Bears' first Player of the Week award of 2010 (and first since Rachel Urbelis won last October 26). She totaled 59 digs in the wins against FGCU and Stetson. In the four-set win against the Hatters, she recorded 39, one shy of the league's four-set record in conference games. She paces the conference in digs with 436 and rank in the top 30 in the nation in digs per set, 5.19.
Three A-Sun Schools Entertain Seattle
As part of this non-conference weekend, three of the A-Sun's Florida schools welcome in the Seattle University Redhawks. On Thursday, UNF serves as host followed by Jacksonville one night later. The three-day event concludes in DeLand when Stetson welcomes in the 10-12 Redhawks. Seattle U picked up a victory against Mercer in the season-opening invitational at Seattle.
River City Rumble Prequel
Before facing Seattle, Jacksonville and UNF will meet in an non-conference River City Rumble on Tuesday from Jacksonville's Swisher Gymnasium. If the Dolphins can match the intensity of their mascot, Dunk'n, they could make short work of their crosstown rival.
Bisons in Rarefied Company
In addition to boasting the conference's lone unbeaten record, Lipscomb leads the A-Sun in hitting percentage, assists per set, kills per set and digs per set. Only two other school in the country and lay claim to the same distinction. In the America East Conference, Albany leads in all four categories as does Yale out of the Ivy League.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Extra Time - Women's Edition
Two weeks from the tournament starting and things are beginning to take shape. Today’s Extra Time will focus on the postseason implications of the weekend plus a look at a couple outstanding individual performances. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media sites (Twitter.com/AtlanticSun & Facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference) as well.
River City Rules
With three matches left for most teams, the River City rivals Jacksonville and UNF sit in the cat-bird’s seat. Without diving too deeply into tie-breaking scenarios, a JU win over Campbell tonight would mean that only the Dolphins and Ospreys would still be alive to host the A-Sun Championship Final Four. If UNF manages at least a draw with Campbell on Saturday, the two rivals would play a winner-take all match at Hodges Stadium on Oct. 22 for the No. 1 seed at the championship and possibly a conference title.
Dolphins Aim for Regular Season Title
In 2000, JU put together one of the most dominating seasons in A-Sun history, posting a 9-0-0 conference record and a 19-3-0 regular season mark. In the nine seasons since, the Dolphins have not finished higher than third. Every match will take on increased importance as the Dolphins (19 points) try to claim the league title as UNF (18 points) and FGCU (17 points) are breathing down JU’s neck. Coach Brian Copham’s squad faces Campbell tonight at 7:00pm. The match will be carried live on ASun.TV.
Ospreys Lurking
UNF’s only match this week will be a Saturday night game with Campbell also carried live on ASun.TV.
The Ospreys are lurking behind league leader JU and just ahead of challenger FGCU. Standing at 6-2-0 in conference play, UNF needs just one win to set a new school record for A-Sun victories in a single season. After missing the postseason in their first year of eligibility, UNF controls its own destiny in search of the top seed in this year’s tourney.
FGCU Still Has Title Hopes
FGCU seemed to be on track for the team’s first A-Sun title when they were stone-walled by USC Upstate keeper Rachel Collins in a 0-0 tie in Spartanburg. The Eagles out-shot the Spartans 25-4 in the match, but could not get one past Collins. The tie left FGCU two points behind league-leader Jacksonville. The advantage the Eagles own is as still the league’s only unbeaten team (5-0-2) and have three matches (all at home) remaining on the schedule as opposed to two for both JU and UNF. FGCU is 7-1-2 in their last 10 matches and are receiving votes in the NSCAA Regional Rankings.
Collins Makes Case for Freshman of the Year
Rachel Collins, who cemented her name in the USC Upstate record books a few times over the weekend, helped the Spartans earn double-overtime draws against Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast. Collins is currently riding a shutout streak of 247:10 which is the longest such streak since the 2004 season when Diana Wabnitz posted a streak of 407:23 (Sept. 9, 2004 – Oct. 6, 2004). Her 103 saves through 15 matches leads the A-Sun, while placing her second in saves in a single-season D-I era, fourth for saves in a single season in program history and fifth for saves in a career. With the two shutouts, Collins increased her season total to three, which is the most in D-I history, third-best in a career and fifth-most in school history during a single-season. Collins' two ties puts her first in D-I history, while placing her in a tie for first in program history (single-season), she also ranks third for ties in a career.
Worth Quoting
"I am proud of our girls today as the battled throughout the entire match. Our team has believed in itself and that really showed today as we earned a double-overtime draw against the first-place team in the Atlantic Sun, FGCU. No one expected us to compete today or Friday night, but our girls played their hearts out and we look to continue to build on our success as we travel to Kennesaw State and Mercer next weekend. “
Renee Lopez – USC Upstate Head Coach
River City Rules
With three matches left for most teams, the River City rivals Jacksonville and UNF sit in the cat-bird’s seat. Without diving too deeply into tie-breaking scenarios, a JU win over Campbell tonight would mean that only the Dolphins and Ospreys would still be alive to host the A-Sun Championship Final Four. If UNF manages at least a draw with Campbell on Saturday, the two rivals would play a winner-take all match at Hodges Stadium on Oct. 22 for the No. 1 seed at the championship and possibly a conference title.
Dolphins Aim for Regular Season Title
In 2000, JU put together one of the most dominating seasons in A-Sun history, posting a 9-0-0 conference record and a 19-3-0 regular season mark. In the nine seasons since, the Dolphins have not finished higher than third. Every match will take on increased importance as the Dolphins (19 points) try to claim the league title as UNF (18 points) and FGCU (17 points) are breathing down JU’s neck. Coach Brian Copham’s squad faces Campbell tonight at 7:00pm. The match will be carried live on ASun.TV.
Ospreys Lurking
UNF’s only match this week will be a Saturday night game with Campbell also carried live on ASun.TV.
The Ospreys are lurking behind league leader JU and just ahead of challenger FGCU. Standing at 6-2-0 in conference play, UNF needs just one win to set a new school record for A-Sun victories in a single season. After missing the postseason in their first year of eligibility, UNF controls its own destiny in search of the top seed in this year’s tourney.
FGCU Still Has Title Hopes
FGCU seemed to be on track for the team’s first A-Sun title when they were stone-walled by USC Upstate keeper Rachel Collins in a 0-0 tie in Spartanburg. The Eagles out-shot the Spartans 25-4 in the match, but could not get one past Collins. The tie left FGCU two points behind league-leader Jacksonville. The advantage the Eagles own is as still the league’s only unbeaten team (5-0-2) and have three matches (all at home) remaining on the schedule as opposed to two for both JU and UNF. FGCU is 7-1-2 in their last 10 matches and are receiving votes in the NSCAA Regional Rankings.
Collins Makes Case for Freshman of the Year
Rachel Collins, who cemented her name in the USC Upstate record books a few times over the weekend, helped the Spartans earn double-overtime draws against Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast. Collins is currently riding a shutout streak of 247:10 which is the longest such streak since the 2004 season when Diana Wabnitz posted a streak of 407:23 (Sept. 9, 2004 – Oct. 6, 2004). Her 103 saves through 15 matches leads the A-Sun, while placing her second in saves in a single-season D-I era, fourth for saves in a single season in program history and fifth for saves in a career. With the two shutouts, Collins increased her season total to three, which is the most in D-I history, third-best in a career and fifth-most in school history during a single-season. Collins' two ties puts her first in D-I history, while placing her in a tie for first in program history (single-season), she also ranks third for ties in a career.
Worth Quoting
"I am proud of our girls today as the battled throughout the entire match. Our team has believed in itself and that really showed today as we earned a double-overtime draw against the first-place team in the Atlantic Sun, FGCU. No one expected us to compete today or Friday night, but our girls played their hearts out and we look to continue to build on our success as we travel to Kennesaw State and Mercer next weekend. “
Renee Lopez – USC Upstate Head Coach
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Men's Soccer Extra Time - Oct. 13th
Two weekends into the A-Sun men’s soccer season and two teams remain undefeated at 4-0, Stetson and FGCU, who both posted wins over USC Upstate and ETSU over the weekend. This weekend marks the halfway point of the conference season so make sure to tune into ASun.TV to follow your favorite team.
A-Sun Well Represented in the Polls
The NCAA released the first edition of the men’s soccer RPI and six A-Sun teams saw their names appear in the top-100, while five were in the top-80. FGCU led the way with their 21st place ranking standing at 8-2-2 on the season. Following the Eagles are ETSU at 51st, Stetson at 68th, Campbell at 77th, Mercer at 78th and Lipscomb in 93rd. To go along with the RPI ranking, FGCU improved its ranking in the Soccer America poll this week from 25th to 24th, while Stetson jumped into the NSCAA South Region poll at No. 10, which makes the Hatters the fourth conference team to appear in the poll this season.
Jones and Asare-Bediako Make National Teams of the Week
FGCU’s Deion Jones and Stetson’s Ryan Asare-Bediako were rewarded for their play over the weekend as they were named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com and CollegeSoccerNews.com National Teams of the Week, respectively. Jones scored two goals for the 24th-ranked Eagles as well as adding an assist, while Asare-Bediako, who also won the A-Sun Player of the Week award, posted game-winning goals in both of Stetson’s games including an overtime golden goal against USC Upstate.
J.P. Rodrigues participated in his first Major League Soccer match on Saturday. Rodrigues was called in on loan for D.C. United's contest against the San Jose Earthquakes. Rodrigues is in Washington as a guest player with the Black-and-Red. One of the all-time great Bruin players, Rodrigues was a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-South Region Team honoree (2004, 2005) and the 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference Defender of the Year.
Points Chase Sees Another Change
Belmont’s Brandon Tarr went into last weekend trailing Stetson’s Jonathan Mendoza by three points for the Atlantic Sun points lead, but left the weekend with a two-point lead after scoring three goals for the Bruins. Tarr now stands at 17 points (6G, 5A) ahead of Mendoza’s 15 (3G, 9A) and Jacksonville’s Nedim Hrustic and Stetson’s Fredrik Brustad, who both have 14 points.
Big Games This Weekend
There are several key games this weekend as Stetson and FGCU try to keep their undefeated marks alive as they travel to face Mercer and Campbell, while crosstown rivals Belmont and Lipscomb jockey for position as both teams stand at 2-2 in the league. ETSU tries to get back on the winning track with Jacksonville and UNF after dropping two matches the past weekend.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The VolleyBlog - October 12th Edition
This weekend serves as the halfway point of the A-Sun Volleyball schedule, which means we are a little over a month away from the A-Sun Volleyball Championship in Fort Myers, Fla., hosted by FGCU at Alico Arena. Five conference matches are slated to be broadcasted on ASun.TV so make sure to tune in.
With the recent losses of Penn State and North Dakota State in conference play, Lipscomb currently owns the longest conference regular season winning streak in the nation at 29 games. The Lady Bisons undefeated streak dates back to November 1, 2008 when they defeated Campbell, 3-0. In the four league games so far Lipscomb has only dropped one set – to USC Upstate in their last match – faces Campbell, who is currently tied for second in the conference at 3-1, on Saturday.
Along with Lipscomb, four total teams went 2-0 last weekend in the second week of conference play. Mercer and Kennesaw State both staked sweeps over Jacksonville and UNF, while Campbell won two games against Stetson and FGCU. The Owls’ victory against the Dolphins was the first in the program’s history, while Mercer battles back in both matches after dropping the opening sets. Campbell’s victory against FGCU was the first in program history, while the triumph against Stetson gave the Camels six wins in the last eight games.
Kennesaw State’s Alyssa Lang led the Owls to a undefeated weekend with her outstanding play, which led to the junior claiming the A-Sun Volleyball Player of the Week honor. Lang powered home 21 kills against UNF to tie the KSU school record for kills in a three-set match and set the record for the most in an A-Sun conference match in the 25-point era. The Richmond, Va. native also posted double-doubles in both of the conference matches for kills and digs.
With a 16-6 record and 10 games remaining in their schedule, ETSU has already surpassed the 2009 win total of 11. The Bucs have seven conference games left on the schedule and also face Wofford, Presbyterian and Western Carolina to wrap up their non-conference schedule. Megan Devine, Erin Ryan and Alysa Long lead ETSU in kills with 215, 188 and 179 respectively, while Long also possesses 100 total blocks, which leads the conference.
Here is the ASUN.TV slate for the weekend:
Friday, October 15th
Campbell at Belmont - 6:30 p.m.
ETSU at Jacksonville - 7 p.m.
USC Upstate at UNF - 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 16th
USC Upstate at Jacksonville - 3 p.m.
ETSU at UNF - 3 p.m.
With the recent losses of Penn State and North Dakota State in conference play, Lipscomb currently owns the longest conference regular season winning streak in the nation at 29 games. The Lady Bisons undefeated streak dates back to November 1, 2008 when they defeated Campbell, 3-0. In the four league games so far Lipscomb has only dropped one set – to USC Upstate in their last match – faces Campbell, who is currently tied for second in the conference at 3-1, on Saturday.
Along with Lipscomb, four total teams went 2-0 last weekend in the second week of conference play. Mercer and Kennesaw State both staked sweeps over Jacksonville and UNF, while Campbell won two games against Stetson and FGCU. The Owls’ victory against the Dolphins was the first in the program’s history, while Mercer battles back in both matches after dropping the opening sets. Campbell’s victory against FGCU was the first in program history, while the triumph against Stetson gave the Camels six wins in the last eight games.
Kennesaw State’s Alyssa Lang led the Owls to a undefeated weekend with her outstanding play, which led to the junior claiming the A-Sun Volleyball Player of the Week honor. Lang powered home 21 kills against UNF to tie the KSU school record for kills in a three-set match and set the record for the most in an A-Sun conference match in the 25-point era. The Richmond, Va. native also posted double-doubles in both of the conference matches for kills and digs.
With a 16-6 record and 10 games remaining in their schedule, ETSU has already surpassed the 2009 win total of 11. The Bucs have seven conference games left on the schedule and also face Wofford, Presbyterian and Western Carolina to wrap up their non-conference schedule. Megan Devine, Erin Ryan and Alysa Long lead ETSU in kills with 215, 188 and 179 respectively, while Long also possesses 100 total blocks, which leads the conference.
Here is the ASUN.TV slate for the weekend:
Friday, October 15th
Campbell at Belmont - 6:30 p.m.
ETSU at Jacksonville - 7 p.m.
USC Upstate at UNF - 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 16th
USC Upstate at Jacksonville - 3 p.m.
ETSU at UNF - 3 p.m.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Extra Time - Women's Soccer: Oct. 7th
A new week, a new name for our soccer blog … welcome to Extra Time! If we aren’t covering an angle that needs more light, let us know. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media sites (Twitter.com/AtlanticSun & Facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference) as well.
Sunshine State Surge
The A-Sun’s four Florida teams posted a combined 8-0-0 record and now occupy the top-four spots in the conference standings. The team’s outscored their opposition (Kennesaw State, Mercer, ETSU & USC Upstate) 24-3 in the eight wins. Let’s take a closer look at each team …
FGCU Soars to Top of Standings
The Eagles swept Mercer and Kennesaw State in a pair of thrilling 1-0 decisions to climb into a tie with Jacksonville for the league lead with 13 points. With the sweep, the fourth-year program nearly broke into the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com regional rankings, joining NC State as others receiving votes. Senior Lindsay Haw scored the game-winner in both matches while the defense led by KC Correlus allowed just eight shots this weekend. The Eagles have surrendered just one goal in conference play and none in the last 281 minutes of action.
JU Makes Their Case
Jacksonville claimed its share of the league lead by dispatching ETSU and USC Upstate this weekend. The Dolphins are 5-1-1 in their last seven matches with the only set-back being a 1-0 loss to Mercer. The offense erupted on Senior Weekend with eight goals, but it was junior Liz Fink who was the big gun, netting three herself.
UNF Aiming for First Postseason Appearance
UNF took a big step towards securing the program’s first A-Sun Championship appearance after shutting out ETSU and USC Upstate. The team’s rigorous non-conference schedule seems to have prepared them well for A-Sun play. Lauren Hopfensberger is making a strong case for Freshman of the Year honors in the conference, scoring four more goals this weekend to push her league-leading total to seven. The Ospreys 4-2-0 start in conference play is the team’s best since joining the A-Sun.
Stetson Offense Firing on All Cylinders
After scoring just 13 goals in the team’s first 10 matches, Stetson exploded for 13 goals over its last three to help the team vault into a tie for fourth place in the standings. For the first time since Kennesaw State joined the league in 2005, the Hatters swept the conference weekend against the Owls and Mercer. Player of the Year candidate Tessa Gavilsky scored three goals and added an assist, running her league leading point total to 19.
Don’t Forget the Camels
While the Sunshine Four were making big moves this weekend, Campbell made a statement of their own, blanking Belmont and Lipscomb to work their way back into the postseason hunt.
Worth Quoting
“We played well. I thought we played a better second half, but I thought we did okay in the first as well. We’re really starting to find our rhythm. Any weekend you can come away with two wins is a good weekend so I’m very, very happy for the girls and excited for, hopefully, the position this puts us in to make the conference tournament. That’s our goal and the win puts us one step closer. I just think our dangerous players are starting to get more and more confidence. These are players that I’ve watched for a couple of years and always thought they’ve been amazing players. Lauren’s playing absolutely fantastic right now and things are starting to come together for us. It’s a good weekend; we’re going to enjoy it.”
Linda Hamilton – UNF Head Coach
Sunshine State Surge
The A-Sun’s four Florida teams posted a combined 8-0-0 record and now occupy the top-four spots in the conference standings. The team’s outscored their opposition (Kennesaw State, Mercer, ETSU & USC Upstate) 24-3 in the eight wins. Let’s take a closer look at each team …
FGCU Soars to Top of Standings
The Eagles swept Mercer and Kennesaw State in a pair of thrilling 1-0 decisions to climb into a tie with Jacksonville for the league lead with 13 points. With the sweep, the fourth-year program nearly broke into the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com regional rankings, joining NC State as others receiving votes. Senior Lindsay Haw scored the game-winner in both matches while the defense led by KC Correlus allowed just eight shots this weekend. The Eagles have surrendered just one goal in conference play and none in the last 281 minutes of action.
JU Makes Their Case
Jacksonville claimed its share of the league lead by dispatching ETSU and USC Upstate this weekend. The Dolphins are 5-1-1 in their last seven matches with the only set-back being a 1-0 loss to Mercer. The offense erupted on Senior Weekend with eight goals, but it was junior Liz Fink who was the big gun, netting three herself.
UNF Aiming for First Postseason Appearance
UNF took a big step towards securing the program’s first A-Sun Championship appearance after shutting out ETSU and USC Upstate. The team’s rigorous non-conference schedule seems to have prepared them well for A-Sun play. Lauren Hopfensberger is making a strong case for Freshman of the Year honors in the conference, scoring four more goals this weekend to push her league-leading total to seven. The Ospreys 4-2-0 start in conference play is the team’s best since joining the A-Sun.
Stetson Offense Firing on All Cylinders
After scoring just 13 goals in the team’s first 10 matches, Stetson exploded for 13 goals over its last three to help the team vault into a tie for fourth place in the standings. For the first time since Kennesaw State joined the league in 2005, the Hatters swept the conference weekend against the Owls and Mercer. Player of the Year candidate Tessa Gavilsky scored three goals and added an assist, running her league leading point total to 19.
Don’t Forget the Camels
While the Sunshine Four were making big moves this weekend, Campbell made a statement of their own, blanking Belmont and Lipscomb to work their way back into the postseason hunt.
Worth Quoting
“We played well. I thought we played a better second half, but I thought we did okay in the first as well. We’re really starting to find our rhythm. Any weekend you can come away with two wins is a good weekend so I’m very, very happy for the girls and excited for, hopefully, the position this puts us in to make the conference tournament. That’s our goal and the win puts us one step closer. I just think our dangerous players are starting to get more and more confidence. These are players that I’ve watched for a couple of years and always thought they’ve been amazing players. Lauren’s playing absolutely fantastic right now and things are starting to come together for us. It’s a good weekend; we’re going to enjoy it.”
Linda Hamilton – UNF Head Coach
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Men's Soccer Extra Time - October 6th
Last week was the beginning of the A-Sun Conference Season for men's soccer and four teams came away with unblemished records. As we go into week two of conference play it shall be interesting to see who rebounds from early season losses and who can keep their winning streaks alive.
Undefeated Starts
Four teams started the Atlantic Sun Conference season with unblemished records as Stetson, FGCU and ETSU won both of their matchups, while Jacksonville won its lone contest. The Hatters and Eagles went on the road to defeat Belmont and Lipscomb, while ETSU defeated Campbell and Mercer. Jacksonville opened conference play with the River City Rumble and came away with a 1-0 victory against UNF.
ETSU and FGCU Gain More Ranking Recognition
FGCU earned a national ranking in the Soccer America poll coming in at No. 25, while also earning six votes in the NSCAA National Coaches Poll. To go along with its national ranking, the Eagles continued to be ranked in the South Region Poll along with ETSU. Both teams dropped one spot in the rankings to seventh and ninth despite winning both of their games in the week. The Eagles are the first ranked team for the A-Sun since Campbell in 2008.
Campbell – Mr. Team October?
The Fighting Camels have been spectacular in the month of October traditionally as Campbell has posted a 21-2-3 record in its last 26 games. During that time, Campbell’s offense has nearly doubled its opponent’s goals, 50-26. So far in October, the Camels defeated USC Upstate 1-0 on Saturday and tied Furman 0-0 on Tuesday and have seven games remaining in the month.
Mendoza Leads the Points Race
Stetson’s Jonathan Mendoza, the A-Sun Player of the Week, registered two goals and two assists on the weekend to take the lead of the conference points, but the sophomore isn’t leading the A-Sun in the traditional way. Instead of scoring a lot of goals, Mendoza has been setting up his teammates to build his points total with eight assists on the year and three goals. He leads the conference by three points over Jacksonville’s Darko Karamatic (5G, 1A) and Belmont’s Brandon Tarr (3G, 5A).
Shutouts For All
In the last 11 games played by Atlantic Sun teams, which includes two non-conference games, there have been nine shutouts. Campbell and Stetson claim two shutouts a piece with Lipscomb, Mercer, ETSU, Jacksonville and FGCU posting one each. Three teams in the A-Sun have goals against average that are below 0.75 (Stetson, ETSU and FGCU).
Conference Games This Week
Friday, October 8th
Belmont at UNF – 7 p.m. - ASUN.tv
ETSU at Stetson – 7 p.m. - ASUN.tv
USC Upstate at FGCU – 7 p.m.
Lipscomb at Jacksonville – 7 p.m. - ASUN.tv
Saturday, October 9th
Mercer at Campbell – 4 p.m. - ASUN.tv
Sunday, October 10th
Belmont at Jacksonville – 1 p.m. - ASUN.tv
USC Upstate at Stetson – 1 p.m. - ASUN.tv
Lipscomb at UNF – 2 p.m. - ASUN.tv
ETSU at FGCU –6 p.m.
Undefeated Starts
Four teams started the Atlantic Sun Conference season with unblemished records as Stetson, FGCU and ETSU won both of their matchups, while Jacksonville won its lone contest. The Hatters and Eagles went on the road to defeat Belmont and Lipscomb, while ETSU defeated Campbell and Mercer. Jacksonville opened conference play with the River City Rumble and came away with a 1-0 victory against UNF.
ETSU and FGCU Gain More Ranking Recognition
FGCU earned a national ranking in the Soccer America poll coming in at No. 25, while also earning six votes in the NSCAA National Coaches Poll. To go along with its national ranking, the Eagles continued to be ranked in the South Region Poll along with ETSU. Both teams dropped one spot in the rankings to seventh and ninth despite winning both of their games in the week. The Eagles are the first ranked team for the A-Sun since Campbell in 2008.
Campbell – Mr. Team October?
The Fighting Camels have been spectacular in the month of October traditionally as Campbell has posted a 21-2-3 record in its last 26 games. During that time, Campbell’s offense has nearly doubled its opponent’s goals, 50-26. So far in October, the Camels defeated USC Upstate 1-0 on Saturday and tied Furman 0-0 on Tuesday and have seven games remaining in the month.
Mendoza Leads the Points Race
Stetson’s Jonathan Mendoza, the A-Sun Player of the Week, registered two goals and two assists on the weekend to take the lead of the conference points, but the sophomore isn’t leading the A-Sun in the traditional way. Instead of scoring a lot of goals, Mendoza has been setting up his teammates to build his points total with eight assists on the year and three goals. He leads the conference by three points over Jacksonville’s Darko Karamatic (5G, 1A) and Belmont’s Brandon Tarr (3G, 5A).
Shutouts For All
In the last 11 games played by Atlantic Sun teams, which includes two non-conference games, there have been nine shutouts. Campbell and Stetson claim two shutouts a piece with Lipscomb, Mercer, ETSU, Jacksonville and FGCU posting one each. Three teams in the A-Sun have goals against average that are below 0.75 (Stetson, ETSU and FGCU).
Conference Games This Week
Friday, October 8th
Belmont at UNF – 7 p.m. - ASUN.tv
ETSU at Stetson – 7 p.m. - ASUN.tv
USC Upstate at FGCU – 7 p.m.
Lipscomb at Jacksonville – 7 p.m. - ASUN.tv
Saturday, October 9th
Mercer at Campbell – 4 p.m. - ASUN.tv
Sunday, October 10th
Belmont at Jacksonville – 1 p.m. - ASUN.tv
USC Upstate at Stetson – 1 p.m. - ASUN.tv
Lipscomb at UNF – 2 p.m. - ASUN.tv
ETSU at FGCU –6 p.m.
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