MONTGOMERY, Ala. – UWF men's soccer will compete for the GSC Tournament championship this weekend at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex in Montgomery.
The 2-seed Argos will open play in the Gulf South Tournament Friday at 5:00 p.m. vs. 3-seed Alabama Huntsville in the semifinal round. If UWF can get past the Chargers, the team will compete for the Gulf South Championship Sunday at 3:00 p.m. vs. the winner of 5-seed Lee and top seed Spring Hill.
UWF is seeking the 10th GSC championship of head coach Bill Elliott's tenure, and the program's first since 2013. The Argos have now qualified for the GSC Tournament in 13 straight seasons.
ARGOS CLEAN UP POSTSEASON CONFERENCE AWARDS
* Sean Hoffstatter has been named the Gulf South Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year, and Elliott has been named the Gulf South Conference Men's Soccer Coach of the Year. Hoffstatter, Ed Chappe, and Jerry Wiltshire have been selected to the All-GSC First Team, and Kameron Bethell and Jacob Murray have been named to the All-GSC Second Team.
* The GSC player of the year award is the fifth for the program, and the first since Richard Dixon claimed the award in 2012.
* Elliott earned his sixth GSC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year honor since 1998. Elliott last earned the award in 2013.
* The three first-team All-GSC selections were the 55th, 56th, and 57th in program history. This is the first year the Argos have placed three players on the All-GSC First Team since 2013, when five Argos were selected. The two second-team All-GSC selections were the 36th and 37th in program history.
GOMES CLAIMS GSC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK HONOR
* For the second time this season, University of West Florida keeper Jihad Gomes has been named the Gulf South Conference Defender of the Week.
* The junior from Brasilia, Brazil posted the sixth shutout of the season for Argo keeper Saturday at Delta State. He faced five shots and made two saves vs. the Statesmen as UWF cruised to a 6-0 victory. The six shutouts this season are the most for Argo keepers since 2010.
SCOUTING ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE
* The Chargers went 7-3-1 in GSC play and 10-6-1 overall in the regular season. UAH defeated 6-seed West Alabama 1-0 to advance to the semifinal round of the Gulf South Tournament.
* The Chargers are led by All-GSC First Team selection Rafa Moreno, who finished third in the conference with 14 regular season goals. He was also third in the GSC with 29 points and seventh with 2.65 shots per game.
* The UAH defense is anchored by keeper Myles Fullen, who posted six shutouts this year, tied for the most in the GSC. Fullen posted the third-best GAA in the GSC this season (1.16). He was second in the conference in saves (61).
* UWF men's soccer celebrated Senior Day with a 4-1 comeback victory vs. the Alabama Huntsville Chargers Oct. 14. The win extended the team's then-unbeaten streak to ten games.
* The Argos are 11-5-2 vs. the Chargers since 2005. The last time the teams met on a neutral field was 2015. UWF defeated the Chargers that year in the GSC Tournament (held in Livingston, Ala.) 2-1.
SCOUTING LEE
* The Flames were 6-3-2 in conference play and 9-6-3 overall in the regular season. Lee earned the 5-seed in the GSC Tournament and beat 4-seed Christian Brothers to advance to the semifinal round.
* The Chargers are led by All-GSC First Team keeper Daniel Hrenko, who posted the lowest GAA in the GSC (.873). He also led the conference in save percentage (.805) and tied for the conference lead in shutouts (6).
* UWF men's soccer posted a 0-0 double-overtime draw vs. Lee University Oct. 6 at the UWF Soccer Complex. The scoreless draw was the second of the season for UWF and the first since the team tied then-No. 23 Tampa to start the season. The Argos had plenty more chances than the Flames, outshooting the visitors 21-10 and racking up a 16-3 margin in shots on goal. Hrenko proved key in net for Lee. The GSC's top-rated goalie made 16 saves in 110 minutes of action to hold Lee level. Murray recorded three saves in his second wire-to-wire shutout of the season.
* The Argos are 3-1-4 vs. the Flames since 2013. UWF has not lost vs. Lee since Oct. 2, 2015 and are currently riding a four-match head-to-head unbeaten streak.
SCOUTING SPRING HILL
* The Badgers earned the top seed in the Gulf South Tournament after finishing the regular season 11-0-0 in conference play and 15-1-0 overall.
* Spring Hill has won 12 in a row. The team has not lost outside of Mobile yet this season, going 9-0-0 away and 1-0-0 on neutral fields.
* Alex Lipinski was named an All-GSC First Team selection. He finished second in the GSC in scoring with 15 regular season goals. Conference assist leader Tilman Schober was one of four All-GSC Second Team selections for the program.
* Sean Hoffstatter netted his third hat trick of the year, but UWF men's soccer fell Oct. 20 in Mobile. The Argos overcame a 2-1 halftime deficit before ultimately falling in overtime 5-4 to Spring Hill. The loss was the first for the Argos since Sep. 7 and the only for the program during the conference regular season.
For the latest on UWF men's soccer, follow Argo athletics on Twitter @GoArgos.
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