The 18th ranked University of West Florida Men's Soccer team used two goals in key moments to pull out a road victory over the 24th ranked Spring Hill College Badgers by a final score of 2-1 on Library Field.
UWF (4-0) had goals from defender
Jerry Wiltshire and midfielder
Ed Chappe to secure the victory. The two England natives were all over the field for the Argonauts as Wiltshire patrolled the backline while Chappe led all Argos with three shots on goal.
On the day, UWF controlled the pace of the play and had many opportunities for points as the team totaled 18 shots, with most of them coming in the final third of the attacking zone as senior forward
Sean Hoffstatter, sophomore
Bernardo Torres and midfielder
Rafael Godoi each had their chances.
Early in the game, West Florida relied on quick passing to put pressure on the Badgers defense and the goalkeeper. It was not until the 28th minute when Chappe swung a ball in off a corner kick to connect with Wiltshire's head that the Argos finally got on the board. This was Wiltshire's first goal of the season and Chappe's first assist on the year.
The second half would be a lot more of the same as UWF had a lot of chances in the final third that just did not connect. After a Spring Hill goal in the 74th minute, the match looked like it would be headed to overtime. However, Chappe, the redshirt junior leader, found the back of the net as he rocketed a ball from the top of the box to give the Argonauts the lead for good.
It was not just the offense as the defense was steady all game long. The backline of Wiltshire,
Andrew Wentz, and
Lucas Barankiewicz were like a brickwall in keeping Spring Hill away from goalie
Jihad Gomes who was reliable when called upon with four saves.
Next Up: West Florida will get a few days off before returning to action against Christian Brothers, Friday September 27th. Kickoff from Memphis, Tennessee is set for 7pm.