Women’s soccer sweeps preseason ASUN awards, tops poll
- Shane Harvell
- August 9, 2024
- Athletics
- Contributors: Photos: James Greco | Graphic: Donya Salman
5 – minute read
Florida Gulf Coast University women’s soccer swept the Atlantic Sun Conference’s preseason player of the year honors and was picked No. 1 overall in the ASUN Coaches Poll.
Ashley Labbe won Player of the Year, Erika Zschuppe was named Midfielder of the Year, Reese Mendenhall took Defensive Player of the Year and Olivia Molina earned Goalkeeper of the Year. Kendal Gargiula also appeared on the Preseason All-ASUN Team, giving FGCU five of the nine available spots on the preseason list.
The Eagles also earned nine of the 12 first-place poll votes, while Lipscomb obtained three for second place.
Head coach Jim Blankenship said he was pleased to see the players receive recognition for their hard work and success.
“This dedicated group has been instrumental in our tournament successes,” he said. “I am sure as the season goes on, they will have a huge impact on our achievements and continue to set a high standard.”
Player of the Year: Ashley Labbe
2023 honors:
• ASUN First Team
• ASUN All-Tournament Team
• ASUN Fall Winner for Life
• United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team
• United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-South Region
Labbe started in 17 contests for the 2023 championship-winning Eagles. She missed five matches due to injury, but still managed to record a team-leading 34 shots on goal, which also paced the conference. Labbe recorded 66 shots a season ago, including one in the NCAA First Round against No. 2 seed Texas Tech. She averaged 3.88 shots per match, ranking 18th nationally.
The graduate student from Lake Worth, Florida, tallied the third most goals on the squad with six, tying for sixth overall across the ASUN. She was also third on the team and sixth in the ASUN in total points with 15 points, adding three assists. She found the back of the net in three consecutive matches against Queens University of Charlotte, Austin Peay State University and Lipscomb University.
She provided the game-winner against Lipscomb and also connected on a game-winner in FGCU’s ASUN quarterfinal win over Austin Peay.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Reese Mendenhall
2023 honors:
• ASUN First Team
• United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team
Mendenhall anchored FGCU’s back-line defense, tallying 1,972 minutes and tirelessly chasing down countless through balls. She accumulated the second most minutes played on the team a season ago. Mendenhall played the full time in 18 contests and recorded at least 82 minutes on the pitch in every match.
The senior from Phoenix, Arizona, helped produce 10 clean sheets, second most in ASUN and 14th nationally. She also played a vital role in FGCU’s seven shutouts in ASUN play. She was a part of a defensive squad that held opponents to 10 shots or less in six matches.
Offensively, she notched five assists for third most on the team and fifth overall across the ASUN.
Goalkeeper of the Year: Olivia Molina
2023 honors:
• ASUN All-Freshman Team
• ASUN All-Tournament Team
• ASUN Goalkeeper of the Week (1x)
• TopDrawerSoccer’s Top 100 List
Molina broke the program record for the most saves in a single season with 117, ranking her second in the ASUN and ninth nationally. She led the ASUN in save percentage (.867), placing 12th in the country, and was third across the league in saves per game at 5.32.
She produced 10 clean sheets, seven clean sheets in ASUN play to guide the 2023 championship-winning Eagles to 12-5-5 record and 7-1-3 mark in conference. She held No. 2 seed Texas Tech scoreless for nearly 80 minutes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, tallying eight saves.
The sophomore from Tampa, Florida, had a season-high of 12 saves in a win over South Florida, and snagged five in the ASUN Championship match as the Eagles advanced on penalty kicks.
Midfielder of the Year: Erika Zschuppe
2023 honors:
• ASUN First Team
• ASUN Tournament MVP
• ASUN Player of the Week (1x)
• United Soccer Coaches All-South Region First Team
• TopDrawerSoccer’s Top 100 List
Zschuppe scored the infamous hat trick to spark the Eagles’ come-from-behind victory in the 2023 ASUN Championship match over North Alabama. She scored all three goals in a span of 14 minutes. She also scored the tying goal in ASUN quarterfinal win over Austin Peay. Zschuppe tallied a team-leading 10 goals and eight assists in 2023, worth 28 points. She emerged second in the ASUN in total goals, but first in overall points.
The junior from Ohio had three game-winners, including against in-state rivals South Florida and FIU. She appeared on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays with a crossover goal off the post. Zschuppe recorded two shots, one on goal, in the NCAA First-Round battle against No. 2 seed Texas Tech. For the season, she fired 66 shots to tie for the team lead, 25 of those were on goal which ranked second most on the squad.