KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off another successful season on the field, the FGCU men’s soccer team has been honored for its successes off the pitch as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America last week recognized the program with an NSCAA Team Academic Award.

The award was for the 2013-14 academic year as each November NSCAA officials recognize college soccer programs that have excelled in the classroom the previous season, in addition to their work on the field.

The Eagles were one of 279 men’s programs throughout all levels of college soccer (Division I, II and III) which received the award. To qualify, a team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player’s GPA, then dividing by the number of players.

Furthermore, FGCU was one of 188 schools which had both their men’s and women’s programs recognized. Since 2009, the program has been recognized with the award by the NSCAA five times: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and now 2014.

“It speaks volumes of how our players truly represent the definition of student-athletes,” said head coach Bob Butehorn, whose team posted a 3.12 GPA in the fall and 3.07 GPA in the spring. “It’s a testament to every single person in our program that they continue to perform at a high level not only on the field but in the classroom as well.”

Individually, FGCU comprised more than a quarter of the 11-member Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Academic All-Conference Team which was announced prior to last month’s A-Sun Championship. Steven Oliveri (Stuart, Fla./Jensen Beach HS), David Robledo (Dallas, Texas/Hillcrest HS) and Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala City, Guatemala/College Internacional Montessori) all garnered league academic honors as Oliveri and Robledo were two of seven unanimous selections.

On the field, the Green and Blue made its third NCAA Tournament appearance in only four seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, losing 1-0 on a goal in the 86th minute of the opening round at Coastal Carolina. The goal was the first allowed in regulation play of FGCU’s three NCAA Tournament games and came with just 4:49 remaining as the Eagles’ backline and goalkeeper Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS) had kept the nation’s highest-scoring offense off the scoreboard until that point.

The Eagles (8-7-5 in 2014) utilized a grueling non-conference schedule in which they played seven top-100 RPI teams to help prepare them for an unprecedented fifth-straight A-Sun regular-season title, an honor they shared with Lipscomb by virtue of a 4-1-1 league record. FGCU went on to defeat UNF in the A-Sun Championship title game, 1-0, to earn its automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

THE STREAK
FGCU owns the longest home regular-season conference unbeaten streak in the nation. FGCU has not lost a home regular-season A-Sun game since 2008, a stretch of 26 in a row in which the Eagles are unbeaten (23-0-3).

A-SUN RUN
FGCU has an incredible overall record of 32-4-3 in all A-Sun regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All four of those conference losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 117 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 99 of them.

FGCU’S A-SUN DOMINANCE
The A-Sun Tournament Championship for the men’s soccer program added to FGCU’s impressive list of league titles as FGCU now has 40 conference tournament or regular-season championships since joining D-I in 2007-08. Additionally, the Eagles swept the A-Sun men’s and women’s soccer tournament championships for the third time in four years. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the 16th for FGCU in only 3+ years of eligibility.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men’s soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer and Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer.

COACH BUTEHORN
FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached 38 A-Sun All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just four years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three A-Sun Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented five-straight A-Sun regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets, and in 2013 he won his 100th career game.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics’ charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.