Nov. 4, 2007
PENSACOLA, Fla. - No. 3 West Florida (18-1-0) netted two late goals against rival No. 18 Montevallo (16-3-1) en route to becoming the first team in over a decade to repeat as Gulf Couth Conference Champions Sunday afternoon at Brosnaham Park in Pensacola, Fla. The Argonauts extended their winning streak to 18 games in the physical match against a team they defeat a week ago, 3-2. It is the fifth conference title in school history.
West Florida and Montevallo played to a scoreless first half during in the GSC Finals although West Florida had a good chance to score late in the half. Keith Savage carried the ball deep into the box drawing the defense toward the striker before he flicking the ball to Rohan Culley who's first touch was a strike on goal. However, Falcons defender Jim Witherow wisely stayed home and cleared the ball near the goal line.
West Florida outshot Montevallo 10-8, 4-1 in shots-on-goal, during the first half of action. It was the exact opposite in corner kicks as the Falcons had four to the Argos one. In the match West Florida has three more shots, 19-16, and Montevallo ended with the same margin in corners, 7-4.
Nevertheless, it would be the Argonauts that made use of their corner kicks as they scored their first goal of the match in the 75th minute on a cross from Ben Woodland. Nolan Intermoia finished the play, rising above the pack of players and banging it past the Falcons goal keeper Melvin James Jr.
All-GSC First Team member Jimmy McHenry put the game away when he took a perfectly place pass from Rafael Segal, that left the senior striker on breakaway, and buried the shot past James Jr.
The Argonauts would hold on the 2-0 lead giving junior goal keeper Juan Garcia his 8th shut out of the year, a new West Florida single season record, and the 12th of his career, tying him with the school record.
Garcia was also on of three Argonauts to be named to the All-Tournament team. Also named were Savage and McHenry, both for the second straight year. West Florida is the first team to become back-to-back GSC Champions since Alabama-Huntsville did it in 1996-97.
West Florida will now wait and see who their first round fixture will be in the NCAA Division II Regionals, which will be chose tomorrow morning. The Argonauts will likely host the four team tournament after Lynn University, who was ranked second in the region coming into the weekend, lost the Sunshine State Conference Final to Tampa University. West Florida defeated Tampa 4-0 earlier this season.
