MONTEVALLO - The Falcon women's soccer team lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to West Florida on Sunday afternoon at Varsity Field. The Falcons fell to 5-5 overall, but more importantly, UM slipped to 2-4 in the Gulf South Conference, which currently leaves them on the outside looking in at a GSC tournament spot. The top eight teams will advance to the conference tournament, which is scheduled for November 7th, 11th and 13th. The first round will be hosted on the campuses of the top four seeds, while the semifinals and championship games will be played in Pensacola, Fla.Â
"We knew we had a battle on our hands and I was proud of how we fought. I thought we gave ourselves chances throughout the game. Big games like this come down to the finest margins, and we came up short," said head coach
Jake Wyman.
Although the Falcons are currently tied for 10th place with Union with six points each, there are still several GSC games remaining. The final seven games of the season are conference matchups. Despite only two of the remaining games being on home turf, it may not be such bad news. The Falcons are 3-1 on the road and only 2-4 at Varsity Field in 2021.
On Sunday, it was a see-saw battle that featured the two teams exchanging goals throughout the contest. West Florida drew first blood with a goal in the 17th minute (16:58) by Peyton Peffers, with an assist from Desting Hird. Just before the half,
Miranda Fragoso tied the game, taking a pass from
Kaeri Ward and beating the UWF keeper in the 44th minute (43:27).
In the second half, the Argonauts reclaimed the lead with a goal by Blair Cowan in the 51st minute (50:16). Hannah Wooten had the assist, giving UWF a 2-1 lead. Six minutes later, the Falcons tied the score again at 2-2 when
Espy Sanchez scored off of an assist by
Madeline Milby in the 57th minute (56:18). However, just 15 seconds later, Julia Comin netted the game-winner for West Florida. The Falcons wouldn't be able to find the equalizer before time ran out.
Next weekend, the Falcons hit the road for two crucial conference matches. On Friday, UM travels to Huntsville to take on UAH. Then, the Falcons head to Livingston for a match against West Alabama.
