Box Score Box Score

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.- The West Florida Men's Soccer Team started their season with a huge win over Tampa 3-0 on Thursday night. With over a two-hour weather delay before the game, the Argonauts found a way to get the victory over the Spartans.
Due to weather conditions in Pensacola, Fla., the game against the Spartans was moved to the Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach, Fla.

This marked the seventh season in a row that UWF and Tampa have opened the season against each other with the Argonauts winning four, Tampa winning two and a draw.

West Florida improves to 1-0-0 on the season while the Spartans fall to 0-1-0.

The backline of the Argo defense made it hard for the Spartans to get a look at the net. The Argo defense included Lucas Barankiewicz, Furkan Artar, and newcomer Fynn Geigle, who only allowed the Spartans to have five shots in the first half and five in the second half. Goalkeeper A.J. Evans kept the Spartans at bay by having five saves in the game.

Offensively, West Florida scored early with a header by forward Josiah Fontenot assisted by Caue Novaes and Bernardo Torres in the 10^th minute of the game. The Argonauts were very aggressive offensively to accumulate a total of eleven shots. Ten of those shots were made in the second half.

Heading into the second half, the Argonauts had the lead 1-0.

The Argos came out strong in the second half with a goal by All-American Kainan Dos Santos in the 56^th minute from outside the box. The assist was given to newcomer Tom Preston.

The second half saw the Argonauts a lot of back and forth action against the Spartans.

West Florida was able to break through again in the 82^nd minute with a goal by Kendrick Hernandez, who made his collegiate debut for the Argonauts.

The Argonauts held the 3-0 lead the rest of the game to finish with their first victory of the 2022 season.

West Florida will be back in action on Saturday, August 28^th for another exciting game of DII Men's Soccer against Saint Leo. Kickoff will begin at 7 PM at the Publix Sports Park, Panama City Beach, Fla.

Admission will be free for all fans wanting to attend.

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.