@FGCU_MSoccer Heads To Northwest

September 19, 2013

SEATTLE – For the second time in its first five games of the year, the FGCU men’s soccer team will be on display for the nation to see when it travels to the Pacific Northwest to face No. 6 Washington on the Pac-12 Networks Friday night before concluding the trip by playing Seattle University on Sunday.

The game, scheduled for a 10 p.m. Eastern Time Zone kickoff, will air live on the Pac-12 Networks online at PAC-12.com/Networks. The match will then be replayed nationally on the Pac-12 Network Saturday morning at 9 (Eastern). To find the channel in your viewing area, visit PAC-12.com/Channel-Finder.

Christian Miles, the play-by-play voice of Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, will have the call, with Cobi Jones – the United States National Team’s all-time leader in caps – serving as an analyst. Jones, who made 164 appearances, was one of main stars of the then-new MLS in 1996, playing 11 years with the Los Angeles Galaxy, in addition to a Premier League team in England and a Brazilian squad before being inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.

The game will be the second of three non-conference national telecasts for the defending Atlantic Sun Conference Champions, who commenced their season with a 2-2 tie at USF as part of the NSCAATV.com National Game of the Week. The Eagles will make another national appearance next Sunday when they make the journey to the opposite side of the country to face Princeton on ESPNU.

FGCU last traveled to the West Coast in 2011 to take part in the Nike Portland Invitational where it battled host Portland and then Washington. The matchup with the Huskies – which was then the program’s first-ever against a Pac-12 member (and still is) – ended in a 1-1 tie after UW tallied an 83rd-minute strike.

The Eagles (0-3-1) will be looking to earn their first win after facing four tough opponents to begin the year. FGCU has allowed a goal within the first 15 minutes of each game, only to fight back but ultimately fall in its last three outings by one goal each. Sophomore Felipe DeSousa (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS) is tied for the A-Sun lead in goals (four), while the FGCU offensive attack as a whole is tied for second in total points (20) and third in shots (66).

The Huskies (4-0-1) climbed four spots in the national poll this week after traveling across the country last weekend to tie No. 3 Connecticut, 0-0, and defeat No. 25 Brown, 1-0. Washington suffered a tough setback in the UConn game as MAC Herman Trophy (soccer’s Heisman) candidate Spencer Richey broke his leg in the 84th minute. Richey, UW’s fourth-year starting goalkeeper, was also a Preseason All-America selection. Taylor Peay, a defender who anchors a core group that has only allowed two goals all year, leads Washington at the offensive end as well with four of the team’s 10 total goals on the campaign.

After opening up the 2013 season with six straight matches on the road, Seattle (0-5-1) will host Georgia State on Friday in its home opener before entertaining FGCU on Sunday. SU goalkeeper Jake Feener is leading the nation in saves (49) and saves per game (8.17). Miguel Gonzalez scored both goals for the Redhawks over the weekend at Oregon State and Portland and has recorded a team-high four goals, already tying his goal total from 2012.

Following the trip to Seattle, the Green and Blue travels to Pennsylvania and New Jersey to battle Penn and Princeton next Friday and Sunday, Sept. 27 and 29, respectively. The matches will serve as the final non-conference tilts of the season before the Eagles begin defense of their A-Sun regular-season title for the fourth straight year.

2013-14 men’s soccer season tickets are now available by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office, calling 239-590-7145 or logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. Season tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for youth (ages 3-12). Single-game tickets can also be purchased for $6 per adult and $3 for youth. Groups of 10+ can receive a discounted rate of $3 per person. FGCU students and faculty/staff are admitted for free with a valid University ID.

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