HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- It was a rainy Saturday in Huntsville, Ala. as West Florida and Christian Brothers battled for 110 minutes in the Gulf South Conference Championship game. The match would be determined by penalty kicks as the score was 1-1 at the end of double overtime.
Keegan Lynch, Eduardo Quieroz, and Caue Novaes were named to the GSC All-Tournament team after their efforts in the tournament. From 2006 to now, UWF Men's Soccer has qualified for 16 straight GSC tournaments, reaching the final 13 out of 16 times with seven wins and falling three times in PK's.
The first half was full of action between both squads with a shot by Kainan Dos Santos and Keegan Ancelin in the first and second minute of play. The Buccaneers would have a counterattack with a shot to the bottom left of the goalpost by Marco Osti that was saved by goalkeeper Nicolas Meckien in the fifth minute.
CBU goalkeeper Max Klink would have two saves in the first half to stop the UWF counterattack. In an even match, both teams recorded five shots heading into halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Argonauts kept pushing offensively until finally the Argonauts found the net in the 61
st minute. Caue Novaes hit the ball inside the top right corner of the goalpost to give the Argos the 1-0 lead. The assist was given to Jaime Guillen.
The Buccaneers would have their chance 11 minutes later with a goal by Marco Osti to even the score up 1-1. The battle would continue in the second half as there was a constant possession change with defenses holding steady on both sides.
At the end of regulation, the score was still tied 1-1, leading the game to go into overtime. In 90 minutes, UWF had 13 shots to CBU's 12. West Florida won the corner kick battle 5-2.
In the first overtime, neither team had a shot as both defenses did not allow a single look at the goal. The Argos would have two chances in the second overtime but were not able to convert as Ancelin had a look, but the shots was saved by Klink. Josiah Fontenot would have a chance in the 108
th minute, but the shot sailed just over the goalpost. Klink finished regulation with six saves on the day while Meckien had four.
With neither team scoring a goal in 110 minutes, the match would head into penalty kicks to determine the GSC Title. The first attempt was taken and made by Quieroz, who squared off against Klink. CBU's Felipe Arteaga was next, and he slid the ball past Meckien. Fynn Geigle was next as he found the net for the Argos. Caleb Tammi was up for the Buccaneers as he evened the PK's 2-2. The third Argo to take the shootout attempt was Novaes, but his ball was saved by Klink to give the Bucs the advantage. Lucho Galizzi was up for CBU as he scored against Meckien. Rafael Esteves and Guillen would both score while CBU's Ryan Beckinsale and Habib Binate made their shots as well. CBU won the penalty kick battle 5-4.
Christian Brother would go on to win the GSC Championship for their fourth time in program history and first since 2012.
Up Next: The Argonauts will wait until the NCAA selection show on Monday, Nov. 7 to determine who and where they will play next.
How to follow the Argos: For the latest information on UWF athletics, visit goargos.com or check out the UWF men's soccer social media platforms on Instagram @uwfsoccer or twitter @UWFMSoccer.