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JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- With the regular season finish line in sight, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles begin a three-game road trip on Thursday as they take on Jacksonville in the River City in a game with major postseason implications.
The Eagles head into Thursday’s matchup riding high, leading the ASUN with a 5-0-2 record and 17 points while looking to extend upon a season long four game winning streak. The Eagle offense has found it’s stride in October, netting multiple goals in all five contests thus far. They lead the ASUN with 28 goals on the year while conceding just 15 for a +13 differential, also the best in the ASUN. Following Sunday’s 2-0 shutout win over Stetson on Senior Day at Pickering Field, Sarah Greiner was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Week, marking the third straight week for an FGCU player to win league honors. The Eagles have had six different players earn ASUN weekly honors this season, more than any other team in the league.
The Eagles became the first team in the ASUN to clinch a postseason spot with their win over Stetson on Sunday. An FGCU win Thursday, coupled with a Stetson victory over North Florida and a non-draw in the West Florida/Bellarmine matchup would secure a home playoff game for the Eagles in the upcoming ASUN Championships.
Jacksonville also comes in with some confidence after a thrilling 4-3 win over rival North Florida in the River City Rumble on Sunday. The Dolphins currently sit third in the ASUN standings with a 3-2-2 record and 11 points, but have some opportunity in front of them with two of their final three contests coming against the two teams on top of them in the league table. Each of the Dolphins final three games of the season are at home where Jacksonville is unbeaten this season with a 3-0-3 record. Like FGCU, the Dolphins have spread the wealth offensively with 12 different goal scorers this season, second to only the Eagles who have 13. The lone soft spot for the Dolphins has been in goal where they have conceded three goals in each of their past three games and sit last in the ASUN with a .667 save percentage on the season.
A number of scenarios would punch the Dolphins ticket to the postseason on Thursday. A win for Jacksonville over FGCU, a Lipscomb win over Queens, or draws in both of those games would secure their spot in the ASUN Championships.
FGCU has played more games against JU than any other program all-time, holding a 16-3-7 lead in the all-time series. The Eagles are 4-2-4 in games in Jacksonville.
Thursday’s game will kick at 5 p.m. at Southern Oak Stadium in Jacksonville.
For more information on FGCU women’s soccer, follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.