October 9, 2015 MATCH NOTESLIVE STATS/VIDEO PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida women's soccer team will host North Alabama at the UWF Soccer Complex on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. UWF comes into the match 7-3 on the season with a 3-2 Gulf South Conference record, and UNA stands at 9-1-1 overall and 5-1 in the GSC, good for second place.
Top GSC DefenseUWF boasts the top defense in the GSC through 10 games, allowing just 0.69 goals against average. That mark is also good enough for 36th out of 250 Division II teams nationally. This has been done with a strong defensive back line and good play in goal, specifically from freshman
Ana Chumik (Riga, Latvia/Riga Kengarags HS). Chumik leads the GSC with a 0.72 goals against average, besting North Alabama's Shelby Thornton (0.74).
On the year, West Florida has allowed 62 total shots and 28 shots on goal to opponents, both of which are the fewest in the GSC.
The Tampa Two University of Tampa transfers
Kaley Ward (Saint Cloud, Fla./Tampa) and
Amber Pennybaker (Indianapolis, Ind./Tampa) are first and third on the UWF women's soccer team with 17 and 10 points, respectively, in their first seasons as Argos. Pennybaker is coming off a junior campaign during which she scored six goals and tallied eight assists, good for 20 points. Ward contributed 10 points to the Spartans as a sophomore last season, and both players ranked in the top 15 of the Sunshine State Conference in assists and assists per game.
National Statistical RankingsUWF ranks highly in several team statistical categories through the first 10 games of the season. Among 250 teams in Division II, West Florida sits at 34th in assists per game, 36th in goals against average, and 44th in both total points and total goals. West Florida's
Daryl Bell (Sarasota, Fla./Southeast HS) ranks 19th in the country in total assists and 27th in assists per game.
Scouting North AlabamaIn its lone game of the weekend, UWF will host North Alabama in a GSC matchup. The match features two of the top offenses and the two best scoring defenses in the conference, as each team is scoring an average of more than two goals per game and allowing an average of less than one.
While both teams have been successful early in the year, the offenses have done so in much different ways. UNA will bring in 2014 Division II National Player of the Year, Chloe Richards, who has put 18 shots in the net this season. Richards currently leads Division II in goals scored, as she did last year, and she tops the GSC in goals (18), points (38) and shots (111).
While UNA's offense focuses primarily on Richards, UWF brings a more balanced offensive attack. On the year, 13 players have recorded a point for the Argonauts, while just 8 have done so for North Alabama. Ward, Bell and Pennybaker each rank in the top 10 in the conference in several offensive categories, including goals per game and points per game, while Bell also leads the GSC in assists.
UWF is 19-2-1 all-time against North Alabama.
For information on all UWF athletics, visit
www.GoArgos.com.
