Gaffney, SC - The UWF Men's Soccer team is traveling to Gaffney, South Carolina where they will face the #2 Florida Tech Panthers in the NCAA Sweet 16. The Argos play at Saints Field hosted by Limestone University. Kickoff will begin at 3pm ET/2pm CT.
The History
In their last matchup dating back to November 23, 2019, the Panthers faced the Argos in the second round of the NCAA tournament where Florida Tech hosted that year. During a physical and exciting match, the Panthers ended up taking the game with a 2-1 victory, after the game-winner was scored in the 70th minute. UWF held the lead early, scoring the only goal in the first half. Two goals from the Panthers would give them the win, and advanced to the Sweet 16 where they later lost to Lynn 2-1. Lynn later would go on to face the 2019 National Champions, the University of Charleston, in the Semifinal of the 2023 season.
About UWF
The Argos come into this match with a 12-1-5 record, with their only loss being to Lee University, who they later defeated in the GSC Championship Tournament. Leading the front line for the Argos is senior forward
Josiah Fontenot. After recording two goals in their last match against Wingate in the second round, Fontenot leads the team with twelve goals and three assists. Alongside Fontenot is South Region All-Second Team
Kendrick Hernandez. The young sophomore has tallied seven goals this season.
Keegan Ancelin, who opened scoring against Wingate, is also a front-line threat with six goals and four assists on the year.
South Region All-First Team defender
Fynn Geigle has continued to make this season special. As an outside back, the Germany native has tallied eight assists for the 2023 season, and has helped lead the Argos to nine shutouts this season. Also receiving All-Region selections is Florida native
Austin Marshick. Marshick was also voted Second-Team All Region, and has also contributed to the scoring for the Argos. Marshick has two goals on the season including a game-winner against Christian Brothers.
This UWF squad has continued to work during post season hoping to continue their track back to North Carolina.
About Florida Tech
In his 19th season as the Head Coach for the Panthers, Robin Chan leads his 12-2-4 Panthers in their 2023 season. Florida Tech is lead by four players who were just named to the CCA All Region Teams. Ettore Casadei leads Florida Tech this season with nine goals and 4 assists for the year. Casadei scored the game winning goal in double overtime (106th minute) against Lynn to give the Panthers their win and advance to the Sweet 16. Casadei was just named South Region All-Second Team. South Region All-First Team Fabio Amaral is also a name to watch out for. Amaral has recorded eight goals and two assists in his 2023 year. Sjur Drechsler was named to South Region All-First and has been lockdown for the Panthers defense, allowing just 1.20 goals per game. Nokkvi Nokkvason is a South Region All-Second Team recipient and has also been a vital key to the Panthers backline.
Where to Watch
The Super Region 2 matchup will be streamed on FloSports with a purchase to watch the game. Live Stats can be found through sidearm. Both of these can be found at goargos.com/mens-soccer/schedule.
Stay up to date on all social media posts and updates by following UWF on Instagram @uwfsoccer and X @UWFMSoccer
