Contact: Chris Woodley
Phone: (850) 474-2428
E-mail: cwoodley@uwf.edu
December 5, 2005

2005 Season Recap

PENSACOLA, Fla. - It was a season filled with success. After a summer training trip to several Caribbean nations and pre-season practice, the West Florida women's soccer team started the 2005 season with high goals and expectations. Their focus throughout the entire season was to take each match one at a time.

The season started with four of their first five games on the road. West Florida opened with a 0-0 tie against 15th ranked Tampa. Two days later in a 3-1 win at Saint Leo, West Florida earned the first of 14 consecutive victories.

West Florida came home and dominated Eckerd 9-0 in the home opener. The Argonauts then returned to Central Florida for two more South Region matches. After blanking Rollins 5-0, West Florida rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit to post a 3-2 overtime win at Florida Southern.

Florida Southern's goal in the 13th minute proved to be the last goal scored on West Florida over the next 654 minutes. Over the next seven matches, West Florida out scored their opponents by a combined 34-0 score. After the Florida Southern victory, West Florida defeated three non-conference opponents. West Florida began their Gulf South Conference schedule with a number six ranking in the first NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II poll. The Argonauts won convincingly at Ouachita Baptist (5-0) and Christian Brothers (4-0). The shutout streak continued at home with a pair of 4-0 wins over Central Arkansas and Harding.

By the time West Florida traveled to 20th ranked Lincoln Memorial, West Florida had moved up to third in the nation. While the shutout streak ended with an early Lincoln Memorial goal, West Florida scored three unanswered goals for a 3-1 victory. Two more conference victories put West Florida's winning streak at 14 heading into an important non-conference match against 24th ranked Barry. Both teams battled to a 1-1 tie, as the Argonauts posted their second draw of the season. West Florida finished the season with three wins over conference opponents Delta State, Montevallo, and West Georgia.

For the first time since 1997, the GSC Tournament was back in Pensacola. West Florida was looking for their first title since 1999. In the semifinals, West Florida faced West Georgia for the second time in a week. However, the outcome was the same as West Florida earned a 2-0 triumph. Against 23rd ranked Lincoln Memorial in the finals, the Lady Railsplitters scored a goal in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. West Florida out shot Lincoln Memorial 15-3 in the second half, but they were unable to tally a goal as Lincoln Memorial handed West Florida their first loss of the season while claiming their first GSC title since 1997.

After their disappointment in the GSC Championship, West Florida prepared for the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament. Even though their loss dropped them to second in the South Region, West Florida was still able to host the first and second rounds at the UWF Soccer Complex. In the first round, West Florida faced Lincoln Memorial for the third time in the season, and the second time in five days. But the emotions were much different as West Florida claimed a 3-1 victory. West Florida advanced to a second round match-up against Tampa. Valerie Noppinger's goal late in the first half, and the goalkeeping of Klara Vrbova helped lead West Florida to a 1-0 triumph and their first South Region championship.

The Tampa victory put West Florida in the national quarterfinals. But West Florida's highly successful season ended in Jefferson City, Tenn. at Carson-Newman with a 2-0 loss. The Argonauts fell two games short of a national championship, but West Florida put together an impressive 20-2-2 season.

"We had an excellent season filled with a lot of great memories," said head coach Joe Bartlinski. "It was a great experience for everyone. Even though we did not reach the final four, we accomplished so much."

West Florida had 13 statistics that entered the all-time conference top 10, including goals (83), points (218), and winning percentage (.833). Two impressive streaks also came to an end in 2005. West Florida posted a 30-match home winning streak, but the Argonauts still have a 34-match home unbeaten streak. Prior to their loss to Lincoln Memorial, West Florida had also been unbeaten in 22 consecutive matches.

West Florida was very prominent in post-season awards. For the first time since 2001, six Argonauts earned All-GSC honors. CiCi Marrero became the first defender in GSC history to be named player of the year. Bartlinski also received his first GSC Coach of the Year award. Marrero, Brianna Oeser and Mauricia Nicholson were named to the All-GSC First Team. Vrbova, Lindsay Nemanich, and Patricia Toledo earned All-GSC Second Team honors.

The accolades continued in late November when a record-setting six Argonauts were named to the All-South Region Team. Marrero, Nicholson and Oeser garnered first team honors, while Toledo, Nemanich, and Audia Sullivan received second team recognition.

Individually, several players continued their climb up the West Florida record book. Oeser set two all-time records and one season record. Oeser finished her career with a record-setting 54 goals, bettering the old record by 12 goals. She also concluded her career with 116 points, becoming just the second Argonaut all-time to surpass the century mark in points. Oeser's 19 goals in 2005 broke her record of 18 goals in 2003. The Niceville, Fla. native own three of the top ten single-season goal records. Oeser's 38 points were a career-high, and the second-highest single-season point total.

Nicholson broke Oeser's 2003 record with 40 points on 14 goals and 12 assists. She finished in the top ten single-season record book in goals and assists. She will start next season with 34 career goals and 87 career points. Nicholson was one of eight Argonauts to finish with double-figure point totals.

Along with a high-powered offense, the defense shut down the opposition. West Florida only allowed 13 goals for a 0.53 goals against average. Vrbova set single-season records with 18 wins, and a 0.43 goals against average. West Florida finished with the second-longest shutout streak (seven), and consecutive scoreless streak (654 minutes) in team history.

"It was enjoyable watching our group turn into a soccer family this season," said Bartlinski. "We needed a sense of shared history, and we had a lot of that this year. Everyone became very close among one another."