PENSACOLA, Fla. – A goal in the 10th minute from Erick Rivera was all the University of West Florida men's soccer team needed against Auburn Montgomery on Thursday night, and it was one that locked up a playoff berth for the Argonauts. With the 6-0 home victory over the Warhawks from AUM, West Florida improved to 7-6-1 on the year and 5-4-1 in the Gulf South Conference, and earned a spot in next week's GSC Tournament.
 
The win, propelled by goals from five different Argonauts, tied UWF with Montevallo for fifth place in the GSC standings with 16 points in conference play. A win on Saturday afternoon against Montevallo would put West Florida in fourth in the league table and the Argonauts would host Christian Brothers in the first round of the GSC Tournament on Tuesday at the UWF Soccer Complex.
 
It was a dominant effort from the Argonauts, who outshot AUM 21-7 and put 15 shots on goal in the contest. Rivera's goal – the game-winner – came after a pass from Barrett Mills, who played a ball backward from near the end line, and Rivera converted with a head-high winner.
 
Tristan Rehrig made it 2-0 just 15 minutes later, winning a one-on-one situation with the AUM keeper after receiving a pass from Rivera.
 
Sergio Otalora and senior Pete Love each scored within a minute of each other to stretch UWF's lead to 4-0 at the half. Otalora grabbed a long thru ball from Ed Chappe and flew past the keeper just a minute and five seconds before Love converted a penalty kick.
 
Teague Coleman's first goal of the season made it 5-0 UWF, and it was the play of the night. After an AUM foul, Kameron Bethell lifted a free kick from 40 yards out and Coleman was in perfect position to crush a header. With 10 minutes left to play, Love got a pass from Otalora and skipped it past the keeper to put the finishing touch on a 6-0 victory.
 
UWF will wrap up its regular season and try for the 4-spot in the GSC Tournament on Saturday against Montevallo. Kickoff will be at 12:30 pm at the UWF Soccer Complex, and the Argos will hold a Senior Day ceremony seniors Pete Love, Tristan Rehrig, Shawn Sanon, Javier Astudillo and Austin Zelnik.