FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 19 West Florida women’s soccer team took an early 1-0 lead in Sunday morning’s match at Nova Southeastern, but NSU fought back into the game and scored a go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute to claim a 2-1 win. The loss was UWF’s first of the year, as the Argonauts fell to 1-1 for the season. Nova Southeastern (1-0) picked up the win in their season opener.
The Argonauts were aggressive early, attempting five shots in the first 15 minutes. Senior forward Tina Murray (Kingston, Jamaica/Meridian CC) had a shot hit off the post in the 15th minute, and the Argos took the lead one minute later when NSU was called for a foul just outside the penalty area. Senior defender Jordan Stone (Fort Walton Beach, Fla./Fort Walton Beach HS) converted the free kick and scored her first goal of the season at the 15:52 mark.
In an evenly played first half, NSU was able to break through with the equalizer in the 35th minute on a corner kick. Dilja Olafsdottir found the back of the net with a header off the corner kick to tie the score. Both teams finished the half with eight shots apiece, and they went into halftime tied 1-1.
The score remained tied for much of the second half, but the Sharks completed their comeback when Brianna Hanley scored off an assist by Shanoska Young at the 81:41 mark. The Argonauts tried to scramble to find their own equalizer, but the NSU defense did not allow a shot over the final eight minutes.
NSU finished with a 13-12 edge in shots attempted, but UWF led in corner kicks 4-2. Senior goalkeepers Lauren Byrd (Birmingham, Ala./Oak Mountain HS) and Ali Ryan (Batemans Bay, Australia/Darton) each played 45 minutes in goal for UWF; Byrd made four saves, and Ryan made three. Chrissy Hy made four saves in goal for the Sharks.
The loss for UWF was the team’s first in a true road game since Sep. 1, 2007, a school record streak spanning 30 games. Over that span, the Argonauts had three losses and two ties away from home, but they were all in neutral site games.
The Argonauts will regroup and prepare for next weekend’s trip to Central Florida, as the team will face regional rivals Rollins and Florida Southern on Friday, Sep. 9 and Sunday, Sep. 11, respectively. Fans can listen to all the action live at www.GoArgos.com.