BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Seven players from the No. 7 West Florida women’s soccer team were honored on the All-Gulf South Conference Team released by the GSC office on Wednesday. Senior Shakira Duncan (Kingston, Jamaica/Darton) was one of seven All-GSC first team players for UWF, and she also became the fifth Argonaut to be named GSC Player of the Year. UWF head coach Joe Bartlinski also took home his third career GSC Coach of the Year award.
All seven UWF players earned All-GSC first team honors. Duncan, a unanimous selection, was joined by fellow forward Jodi-Ann Robinson (Richmond, British Columbia/Palmer Secondary School) and midfielders Alexis Garrand (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS), Monica Malavassi (San Jose, Costa Rica/Methodist HS) and Tina Murray (Kingston, Jamaica/Meridian CC). Along with Duncan, Malavassi was a unanimous pick as well. Finally, defenders Noha Saleh (Wellington, Fla./Nova Southeastern) and Jordan Stone (Fort Walton Beach, Fla./Fort Walton Beach HS) rounded out the All-GSC players for UWF.
West Florida led all schools with seven All-GSC selections, followed by North Alabama at six and Christian Brothers at five. Ouachita Baptist and Harding each had two selections, while Alabama-Huntsville and West Georgia each had one All-GSC player.
The attacking duo of Duncan and Robinson has been stellar all season long. The two players have combined for 44 goals and 23 assists; Duncan leads the way with 27 goals and 10 assists, and Robinson has tallied 17 goals and 13 assists. Duncan is now a two-time All-GSC first team player, while Robinson earns All-GSC honors in her first year at UWF. Duncan, the Daktronics National Player of the Year in 2009, broke the school record and now has 60 career goals, and she is just three points shy of the school record with 143 career points.
In the midfield, Garrand, Malavassi and Murray have formed an excellent core to the team. Malavassi is the team’s top-scoring midfielder with eight goals, and she has also chipped in four assists. Garrand and Murray have been assist specialists; Garrand, the only freshmen picked to the All-GSC team, has four goals and 10 assists, and Murray has scored twice and added 12 assists. All three players are first time All-GSC honorees.
Saleh and Stone have been leaders for a dependable UWF defense. The Argos have allowed just 19 goals in 18 games this year (1.06 per game), and the defense has held the opposition to just 7.9 shots per game. Stone has also scored four goals for UWF, all on penalty kicks, while adding two assists. Saleh has also contributed three assists from the back line. Saleh and Stone are both first time All-GSC players.
Bartlinski is in his 10th season at UWF, and the Argonauts posted their sixth straight perfect season in GSC play despite losing 10 starters, including six All-Americans, from last year’s undefeated national semifinalist squad. Bartlinski holds an overall record of 166-23-9 (.861) at UWF, including a 68-3-1 record in GSC play (.951). He will be looking for his fourth total GSC championship and his third in a row.
The Argos enter this weekend’s GSC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, and they will face the No. 4 seed Harding in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5 at Brosnaham Park. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.
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