FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a standout career with the Eagles, FGCU men’s soccer forward O’Vonte Mullings (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Northview Heights Secondary) was selected with the 20th overall pick in the first round by the New York Red Bull during the 2022 MLS SuperDraft on Tuesday afternoon.
“I was really excited and speechless to see my name called by New York. To see it and hear it was something I’ve been waiting for my whole life. There is more to achieve, but this is the beginning of that journey. I was happy to be able to enjoy the moment with my family and loved ones – it was really just an incredible moment,” said Mullings. “I really appreciate FGCU and their ability to welcome me. This program helped me develop and showcase my talents. It was an opportunity that helped me reach this point in my career. I appreciate this program so much and am thankful that I was an Eagle. Now I’m ready for the next chapter.”
Mullings becomes the fifth player in program history to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft. Shak Adams was the most recent as the 54th overall pick in 2020 by Nashville SC. Rodrigo Saravia was the highest pick in program history as the 19th pick in 2016 by the Columbus Crew SC. In 2018, Nicolas Samayoa was a fourth-round, 98th overall pick by the New England Revolution, while in 2019, Kamar Marriott was chosen in the first round as the 21st overall pick by Sporting KC.
“O’Vonte has had a remarkable career here at FGCU. After arriving as a talented freshman, he worked hard to improve every day. He focused on his character, training habits, and building his capacity and standards,” said head coach Jesse Cormier. “With his commitment to the process, his game has become very well rounded and he’s now a complete person and player. His rare, amazing athleticism is now matched by his skill and tactical acumen. The next level requires all facets and I’m confident he will more than meet the challenges in the MLS and exceed everyone’s expectations.”
Mullings is coming off a season in which he led the Eagles with seven goals while also leading the ASUN with 0.54 goals per game. In his career, he is second all-time in FGCU history with 63 points and 28 goals in just 57 games played.
He was a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection earning second team honors in 2018 and 2019 as well as third team honoree in 2019. It also adds to his list of accomplishments wearing the Green and Blue as he is a four-time All-ASUN First-Team selection, the 2020 ASUN Player of the Year, as well as the 2018 ASUN Freshman of the Year.
Over the course of his career, Mullings helped lead the Eagles to 25 wins, including 15 in the ASUN, which included four this season as FGCU earned the #3 seed in the ASUN Tournament.
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HEAD COACH JESSE CORMIER
Jesse Cormier is in his fifth year as head coach of the FGCU men’s soccer program in the fall of 2021 after being hired in January of 2017 to become just the 2nd head coach in program history. Cormier has guided FGCU to a 33-31-12 (.520) record overall, including an 19-9-4 mark (.656) in ASUN play. The Eagles have reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for nine of 10 seasons (every year of eligibility but one), as Cormier has coached 31 all-conference selections since his arrival (program-record 10 in 2017). Cormier was the head coach at his alma mater the University of Vermont for the previous 13 seasons. He won 14 games with the Catamounts in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. During his time with Vermont, Cormier guided the program to the America East Tournament in 12 of 13 seasons, making five title game appearances, winning two tournament crowns, claiming a regular-season championship and advancing to three NCAA tournaments, including a pair of Second Round appearances. Cormier holds an overall 147-120-58 (.543) record as a head coach in his 16-plus seasons at the helm.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women’s basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men’s soccer (2018, 2019) and women’s soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors’ Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
—FGCUATHLETICS.COM–
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