Argos Season Ends On Penalty Kicks

Box Score

TAMPA, Fla.  –   The University of West Florida women’s soccer team saw their season come to end after falling 4-1 in penalty kicks to Cal St. Dominquez Hills in the NCAA National Semifinal. The Argos would strike first early on in the match but would surrender the equalizer just before the end of the first half. The Argos would take the 1-1 tie through two sudden victory overtime periods and into penalty kicks, eventually falling 4-1 to the Torros.

West Florida would get on the board first in the 35th minute on another Gordon to Duncan connection. Gordon streaking down the left sideline found and open Duncan inside the six yard box for the game’s first goal, giving the Argos a 1-0 advantage. Of Gordon’s 21 assists this season 14 have come on goals by Duncan.

Cal St. responded eight minutes later on a Torro corner kick from the right corner. Brooke Thompson serving the ball into the box found Yadira Gomez waiting in front of the goal. The ball would bounce around a couple of defenders before Gomez would tap it in to knot the match up at one.

With time winding down and the score still tied at one, Shameka Gordon had one of the best opportunities to break the game open in the 70th minute. On a 2-on-1 breakaway Shameka blasted one to the far post where keeper Alyssa Congdon just got a piece of it to deflect it wide left of the goal.

Another opportunity for the Argos came with two seconds left on the clock. On a ball sent in to the middle, Duncan was able to get a good head on it but the ball once again would sail just left of the goal as the clock expired.

“Wow, all credit, obviously, to Dominguez Hills,” Argonauts coach Joe Bartlinski said. “They worked very hard to make it difficult all night on our players. Early in the game and throughout, we had our opportunities. But again, Dominguez Hills made it very difficult to get around and get through. So even when we were getting solid looks, they weren’t clear.”

In the first overtime the Torros threatened early on as Melissa Livergood found a seam down the right sideline. She would make a move inside and fire a shot past Courtney Jones but the ball would deflect off the left post and then cleared away by an Argo defender.

In penalty kicks the Torros were set to kick first.  On the first kick by the Argos, Dernelle Mascall’s shot went wide left to put the Argos in the hole 0-1. Another made penalty kick by the Torros Brooke Thompson and UWF’s Taylor Murphy put the count 2-1 in favor of the Torros. Third in the lineup for the Argos was Marcela Franco who’s shot was blocked as she attempted to go to the bottom left corner making it 3-1 Torros. Livergood would seal the fate of the Torros as she netted the fourth penalty kick.

“It’s not easy when everyone is expecting you to do so much, but to get back here to the final four is something to be proud of.  A shootout is a tough way to go out.  It’s been a great run to get this far with this group and have one loss in two years.  What a tremendous group of players and people.”

The Argos season comes to end with a record of 22-0-1.

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