PENSACOLA, Fla. – The West Florida men’s soccer team made history at Brosnaham Park on Sunday with a fifth straight Gulf South Conference championship after defeating Christian Brothers 2-0. The championship marked the seventh total for West Florida in GSC history, and UWF will now await the NCAA championship selections to be announced on Monday.
With the win, the Argonauts improved to 17-2-1 overall and 10-4-1 against NCAA regional competition. UWF was ranked No. 4 in the final regular season NCAA regional rankings, and the top four teams from the South Region will advance to the tournament. With no automatic berths to the NCAA Tournament in Division II men’s soccer, the Argonauts will anxiously wait to hear the official announcement from the NCAA on Monday, Nov. 8 in a webcast on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. CT.
“I feel fortunate to have won this tournament the past five years,” said UWF head coach Bill Elliott. “It really has been all about the players.”
With three goals in the tournament and one in the championship match, senior Daniel Martini (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Penn State) was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“It’s an honor to be the Most Outstanding Player, and it’s an honor to be a part of the five straight GSC championship teams,” said Martini. “We set goals at the beginning of the season, and our first goal was to win this tournament. It’s a great feeling to accomplish one of our goals, but we still have others on the list.”
Both of UWF’s two goals in Sunday’s championship match came in a three minute span. Junior Alex Dumond (Delray Beach, Fla./Jefferson) scored the first goal for the Argonauts at the 35:09 mark, as he sent in a cross from the left sideline that skipped through the defense and right by CBU goalkeeper Jaime Garcia.
After a second yellow card and an ejection to CBU’s Ralph Velasco in the 37th minute, the Buccaneers (9-9-1, 3-2 GSC) were forced to play a man down the rest of the way. The Argonauts took advantage early, as Martini collected a loose ball in the box and struck the ball into the upper right corner.
The Argos had chances to extend their lead in the second half, as junior Matthew Aldred (Eastbourne, England/Loughborough) hit the post after receiving a pass from freshman Nick Salafrio (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS) at the 81:07 mark. UWF had another chance one minute later, as freshman Jimmy Merritt (Jacksonville, Fla./St. Johns Country Day School) had a one-on-one chance against the keeper and lifted the ball high and to the right.
It was a defensive battle played mostly in the midfield, and eight cards were handed out by the official. UWF finished the match ahead in the shot count 9-5, but Christian Brothers had the advantage in corner kicks at 8-5. Senior Elliott Purdom (Wilmslow, England/Viterbo) picked up his second shutout of the tournament and made three saves, while Garcia saved one in goal for the Bucs.
Martini and four UWF teammates earned spots on the GSC All-Tournament Team, including Purdom, junior Frank Cope (Mobile, Ala./ Mobile, Ala./UMS-Wright Preparatory School), senior Nikola Kljaic (Zagreb, Croatia/Klasicna Ginnazija) and junior Marquel Waldron (Warwick, Bermuda/Saltus Grammar School).
West Florida will wait to see if they have earned a trip back to the NCAA Tournament, as the selections will be announced at NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. CT.
For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.
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