Aug. 2, 2008
Current and former players on the University of West Florida women's soccer team have been seeing action across the globe this summer. Not only have the Argonauts played in Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Iceland, Mexico, Sweden, and Trinidad & Tobago this summer, but they have spread out across the United States as well, playing in more familiar climates in California, Florida, Georgia, and Maine.
Current team captain Sheka Codner spent time away from her Atlanta, Ga. home this summer playing abroad and in the U.S. preparing for the upcoming season. Codner played for San Jose F.C. in the Costa Rica capital before returning home to finish out her summer playing for the Florida Surge.
"Playing in Costa Rica with the San Jose team was a great experience," Codner described. "I would highly recommend playing abroad to any player, not only to experience a different culture, but also experience a different style of playing. I met many people and made friendships that will last a lifetime."
All-American goalkeeper Courtney Jones spent her summer playing in Iceland for I.R. She was joined by former Argonaut Marie Hastings, a first team All-South Region defender in her senior season in 2007. The duo had a successful season seeing their club team climb to the top of the league.
All-American forward Dernelle Mascall, who finished the 2007 season ranked third in the nation in points per game at 3.05, traveled with the national team of Trinidad and Tobago on a trip to Mexico to compete for the U-20 World Cup qualifiers. Following the tournament she returned to Trinidad and Tobago to play for her hometown team of Jane Public. She played a spirited game against her UWF roommate Anastasia Prescott, who also plays for the Trinidad and Tobago National Team and played for her club this summer with Malick City F.C.
Marcela Franco, leading scorer for the Argos in 2006, traveled away from her native Brazil this summer to play in San Diego. She joined 2006 graduate Patricia Toledo, who was also invited to play in England for Leeds United, to compete on the highly successful Women's Premier Soccer League team San Diego United. Franco and Toledo helped lead San Diego to the top half of their conference in California.
Gulf Breeze, Fla. native Kaley Morris wanted a summer away from her lifeguarding duties at Pensacola Beach, so she connected with the WPSL Maine Tide out of Bangor, Maine.
"Maine was an experience of a lifetime," Morris commented. "I was able to use the work ethic and the intensity of my team at West Florida. There's no place like home!"
Another current player, Naila Owens, scored the first WPSL goal for a continental U.S. team outside the states when she scored the first goal for the Thomasville Dragons against Puerto Rico. Goalkeeper Lauren Byrd recorded 12 saves in that game and remained active playing in goal alongside Owens for the Dragons.
The list of other Argos seeing action this summer includes Linda Ganehed (local club Ekilstruna in Sweden's First Division), Anna Kaye Logan (IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.), Kristin Rhodes (Florida Surge), and transfer Noah Saleh (Palm Beach United of the WPSL Sunshine Conference).
UWF's all-time leading scorer and 2006 graduate Brianna Oeser will be returning to England for the second straight year following two successful seasons for Odense in Denmark. Oeser also found time to work several UWF soccer camps to prepare for her time across the Atlantic. She is also a correspondent for Nike, and you can find more info by clicking here.
Former Argonaut All-Americans CiCi Marrero and Tricia Cooper have also kept busy on the field. Marrero played for the Atlanta Beat of the W-League while working full time in Atlanta, and Cooper, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago national team, took time off from teaching this summer to play for the Florida Surge alongside Codner.
UWF Head Coach Joe Bartlinski has also stayed busy coaching the Trinidad and Tobago national team in late spring. He also traveled to Trinidad to train the U-17 national team as they prepared for the first ever U-17 World Cup. Bartlinski also worked with some of the finest U.S. players as he participated on the Region III coaching staff. He also trained the starting goalkeeper for the U-17 national team, Kelsey Wys, this past year.
Bartlinski believes these experiences have been invaluable for his players not only on the pitch but more importantly in their life development.
"Our players at UWF have been great ambassadors for our school and have gained personally by their wonderful experiences," he explained. "We make it a priority to try and get our players connected with these unique opportunities during the off season."
The West Florida women's soccer team will kick off the 2008 season on Friday, August 29 in St. Augustine, Fla. in a match against Flagler at 5:00 p.m. ET. Fans can follow all the action at www.GoArgos.com. For pictures of UWF women's soccer players from their summer trips, visit the Argos Blog at goargos.blogspot.com.
