WEST FLORIDA SWEEPS GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE SOCCER TITLES

Photo captions: (TOP): Keith Savage had two goals to go with two assists in West Florida's 4-1 win over Montevallo in the Gulf South Conference men's soccer tournament championship game at Pensacola, Fla. on Sunday, October 29, 2006.

(BOTTOM): Brandi Adams scored her team's only goal in the second half, but that proved to be enough, as West Florida defeated Ouachita Baptist 1-0 in the title match of the Gulf South Conference women's soccer tournament at Pensacola, Fla. on Sunday, October 29, 2006.

Photos courtesy of University of West Florida Sports Information

Sunday was a very good day to be a University of West Florida Argonaut, at least on the soccer field, as both the men's and women's soccer teams swept the championship matches of the Gulf South Cofnerence tournament at Pensacola, Fla.

The top-seeded UWF women, who are currently ranked 11th in the nation, edged Ouachita Baptist 1-0, while the UWF men, also a top seed going into the GSC tournament, as well as the nation's fifth-ranked team at the NCAA Division II level, won its fourth straight tourney title with a 4-1 rout over third-seeded Montevallo in the men's title match.

Complete recaps courtesy of the University of West Florida

Women: UWF 1, OBU 0

Men: UWF 4, UM 1

HAT TRICK!--LANDER WINS THIRD STRAIGHT PBC MEN'S SOCCER TITLE

The Bearcats of Lander University reign supreme once again in the Peach Belt Conference men's soccer tournament, as they downed USC-Aiken 1-0 to win their straight tournament title.

Click here for a full recap, courtesy of the Peach Belt Conference.

COLUMBUS STATE WOMEN'S SOCCER WINS PBC TITLE IN SHOOTOUT

Photo Caption: Columbus State wins 2006 Peach Belt Conference Women's Soccer Tournament

Courtesy of the Peach Belt Conference

Columbus, GA - It took 110 minutes of play and eight extra kicks before the 2006 Peach Belt Conference Women's Soccer Tournament title was decided here Sunday. Columbus State and Armstrong Atlantic State battled to a 1-1 tie after two overtime periods before Columbus State won the title in a penalty kick shootout. CSU converted four of its attempts in the shootout while AASU made good on only two.

AASU (18-3-1) came out in the first half and took the game to the top-seeded Lady Cougars, basically beating CSU at its own game. The Pirates dominated in shots, getting off 12 in the half to just six for CSU and forced most of the action to take place on their offensive end.

Jamie Craine tallied the first goal of the game firing a shot inside the left post and past a diving Monica Sanchez for a 1-0 lead. The goal came in the 24th minute of play. Sanchez would record five saves during the remainder of the half, helping to keep her team in the game.

Krystin Mills, the lone senior for CSU, got the equalizer for the Lady Cougars at the 38-minute mark. She took a feed from Gina Goforth which had caromed off a defender and hammered it off the lower body of Pirate keeper Tarra Kohler and into the left side of the net to make it 1-1. Kohler finished the first half with two saves.

CSU took command of the pace of play in the second half and quickly erased the deficit in shots, peppering Kohler and the AASU defense with shots. The Lady Cougars had several opportunities to score, even having three shots hit the post. CSU posted 10 shots in the second half and Kohler came up with two more saves to preserve the tie. Sanchez was also equal to the task, collecting two saves in regulation and two more in the first overtime.

CSU got off three shots in overtime, one of which hit the post off the foot of Goforth, while AASU took a pair of shots. Each team had a shot in the second extra frame.

AASU won the toss and kicked first in the shootout. CSU coach Jay Entlich inserted freshman Kelly Nimmo in goal for the shootout and she was beaten on the first shot by Shana Neves. Kellie Myles then tied the score with the first CSU shot. Craine was next up for AASU and Nimmo came up big for CSU, stuffing the shot with a diving save. Lindsey Morgan then gave CSU a 2-1 advantage with her kick.

Jessica Chipple's shot then struck the crossbar for AASU, and CSU was able to take a 3-1 advantage as Goforth made her shot for the Lady Cougars. Ashley Elam pulled the Pirates to within one as she converted her shot, but Sarah Hawkins ended it with a low shot past Kohler into the right side of the net for the win.

Goforth was named the PBC Tournament MVP for CSU as she scored a goal and had two assists in the two games. CSU placed four players on the All-Tournament squad in addition to Goforth, while AASU placed three players on the squad. *(See full listing of All-Tournament team below)*Both squads will now await word on possible berths into the NCAA Southeast Regional next week.

Carson-Newman won the South Atlantic Conference tournament on Sunday and appears in the driver's seat with the other three spots to be determined by the region committee on Monday.

2006 PBC All-Tournament Team

Ali Caton - GC & SU

Melanie Cobb - UNC Pembroke

Kelly Curran - North Georgia

Annie Whitley - USC Aiken

Santana DeFreitas - USC Upstate

Jamie Young - USC Upstate

Loretta Ashu - Clayton State

Lairin King - Clayton State

Lyndsi Stricklen - Armstrong Atlantic State

Jamie Craine - Armstrong Atlantic State

Ginny Child - Armstrong Atlantic State

Hillary Holder - Columbus State

Megan Honig - Columbus State

Kellie Myles - Columbus State

Gina Goforth (MVP) - Columbus State

Source: Columbus State University Sports Information and Peach Belt Conference

SOCCER POSTSEASON UPDATE

It's the last weekend of October, which means only one thing! Post-season play has arrived for a mere handful of soccer teams in D-II South Nation. So, without further ado, let's do a quick recap of what happened so far in both the Gulf South Conference and Peach Belt Conference tournaments, respectively.

Starting with the Gulf South Conference tourney, the University of West Florida women's soccer team advanced to Sunday's championship match with a 5-0 win over West Georgia. The top-seeded Argonauts (14-2-2) will face second-seeded Ouachita Baptist (12-4). The Tigers advanced to the title game with a 1-0 shutout win over Harding.

On the men's side, fourth-seeded Alabama-Huntsville gave top-seeded UWF all it could handle, but the Argonauts still managed to pull out a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Chargers Friday night. The Argos (17-1-1) will face third-seeded Montevallo (14-4) in Sunday's title game. The Falcons stunned second-seeded Christian Brothers 2-1 in overtime.

In the Peach Belt Conference women's tournament at Columbus, Ga., the top-seeded Lady Cougars from Columbus State University had a relatively easy time against fifth-seeded USC Upstate, as they rolled past the Spartans 4-0 in one semifinal match. In the other semifinal game, second-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State needed 81 minutes to score, but that lone goal would prove to be enough, as the Pirates eliminated third-seeded Clayton State 1-0. That sets up a showdown be the top two seeds in Sunday's final match, as CSU battles AASU in a battle of 18-3 teams.

In PBC men's tournament action at Greenwood, S.C., both teams advanced to Sunday's championship game by identical 2-1 scores, as top-seeded Lander (15-3) got by fourth-seeded USC Upstate, while third seed USC Aiken upended second seed Clayton State. The match was originally scheduled to be played Saturday, but poor field conditions forced it to be moved to Sunday.

GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE SOCCER TOURNAMENT

It only seemed like yesterday, or more like late August, that the 2006 soccer season got underway for squads in the Gulf South Conference. Now for at least eight teams still playing, their season comes down to at least one match, as the Gulf South Conference soccer championships will start Friday in Pensacola, Fla. The nationally ranked teams from the University of West Florida both enter the GSC tourney as top seeds in their respective brackets.

Here are the pairings as follows. All times are Central.

WOMEN'S BRACKET

Friday, October 27

#3 Harding vs. #2 Ouachita Baptist--11 a.m.
#4 West Georgia vs. #1 West Florida--1:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 29

Championship Match

Semifinal winners--11 a.m.

For tournament information, please click here.

MEN'S BRACKET

Friday, October 27

#3 Montevallo vs. #2 Christian Brothers--4:30 p.m.
#4 Alabama-Huntsville vs. #1 West Florida--7 p.m.

Sunday, October 29

Championship Match

Semifinal winners--1:30 p.m.

Click here for previews, live stats, and more.

PBC WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT RECAP

The top two seeds in the Peach Belt Conference women's soccer tournament advanced, but not without major struggles. Both top-seeded Columbus State and second-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State advanced to the semi-final round with respective 1-0 wins over eighth-seeded GC&SU and seventh-seeded UNC Pembroke. The other two first-round matches also ended in shutouts, as fifth-seeded USC Upstate also did the 1-0 thing, as the Spartans eliminated fourth-seeded, while third-seeded Clayton State was the only team to win going away, routing sixth-seeded North Georgia 4-0.

PEACH BELT CONFERENCE WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT

The Peach Belt Conference women's soccer tournament starts Wednesday with four first round matches at four separate on-campus sites. All start times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

#8 Georgia College & State University at #1 Columbus State--4 p.m.

#7 UNC Pembroke at #2 Armstrong Atlantic State--3 p.m.

#6 North Georgia at #3 Clayton State--4 p.m.

#5 USC Upstate at #4 USC Aiken--7 p.m.

For more information, click here.

CLAYTON STATE ELIMINATES FRANCIS MARION, ADVANCES IN PBC TOURNAMENT

MORROW, Ga. --- OCTOBER 24, 2006 --- Not even a broken hand was going to keep Hailab Habtom from stepping to the forefront for the Clayton State Laker men’s soccer team on Tuesday.

Playing host to Francis Marion in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Peach Belt Conference Tournament, Habtom recorded a hat trick and the Lakers cruised to a convincing 5-1 victory over Francis Marion at Laker Field. With his three goals, Habtom is now tied with senior forward Kevin Crooks for the team lead in goals scored with nine.

The victory advances Clayton State (10-8) to the Peach Belt Tournament semifinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m. against USC-Aiken at Lander. The victory also gives the Lakers their ninth season of 10 or more victories, including the last eight straight.

Habtom scored twice in the first half to give Clayton State a 2-0 lead. He intercepted a clearing pass from Francis Marion goalkeeper Jeremy Crooks just outside the penalty box, split three defenders and hammered home the goal from 12 yards out in the 20th minute. Six minutes later, the junior midfielder recorded another steal in the penalty box and maneuvered himself for a 10-yard scoring strike from the left side of the goal.

Habtom finished off his hat trick in the 48th minute on a flicker off a cross pass from Mattias Faublas. However, the Lakers were far from finished.

Freshman Ryan Townson scored his first collegiate goal in the 74th minute, taking a pass from Daniel English down the left flank and penetrating for a 10-yard scoring strike. Then in the 87th minute, Faublas scored off a deflection from Patriot goalkeeper Nick Krywyi.

Jonathan Bartomioli scored the lone goal in the 86th minute for Francis Marion (4-12-1). Laker goalkeepers Heath Padgett and Chris Cantrell combined for one save in the victory.

Source: Clayton State University Sports Information

Click on the following links for recaps of other first round action from the Peach Belt Conference men's soccer tournament Tuesday night.

Lander 2, Georgia Southwestern 1

USC Aiken 2, North Georgia 1 (2 OT)

USC Upstate 3, UNC Pembroke 0

PBC MEN'S SOCCER TOURNEY STARTS TUESDAY

After an amazingly competitive regular season which saw all eight teams suffer at least two losses in conference play, as well as earn at least one draw, the Peach Belt Conference men's soccer tournament will get underway at four on-campus sites Tuesday. Lander (13-3) earned the #1 seed for the tournament after shutting out North Georgia 5-0, while Clayton State (9-8) fell to USC Upstate 1-0 to settle for the #2 seed. Both matches were played on Saturday. Both the Lakers and Bearcats shared the PBC regular season title with identical 5-2 league records.

Here are the pairings for the PBC men's soccer tournament as follows, with the semifinals and finals to be held at the site of the highest remaining seed. All first round matches will start at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday. All matches are listed in bracket order.

#8 Georgia Southwestern at #1 Lander

#7 Francis Marion at #2 Clayton State

#6 North Georgia at #3 USC Aiken

#5 UNC Pembroke at #4 USC Upstate

CLAYTON STATE MEN'S SOCCER NIPS USC-AIKEN

MORROW, Ga. --- OCTOBER 18, 2006 --- Lightning struck twice for the Clayton State Laker men’s soccer team and forward Kevin Crooks.

Last week, the senior scored the game-winner in overtime as Clayton State knocked off Georgia Southwestern. Fast forward one week later on Wednesday night and the scenario was the same – Crooks scored the game-winning goal in the 105th minute of the second overtime, giving Clayton State a thrilling 2-1 victory over 25th-ranked USC-Aiken at Laker Field.

The victory, coupled with USC-Upstate’s shocking 1-0 double-overtime defeat against North Georgia, assured Clayton State (9-7, 5-1) of at least a tie for the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship.

It was an exclamation point for Crooks on Senior Night as he and fellow Laker seniors Andre Rall, Heath Padgett, Todd Denson, Steve Weston and Junior Smith played their final regular season games at Laker Field.

After a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation and a scoreless first overtime period, Clayton State got the break it needed in the second overtime. Johnny Lara ran down a loose ball and fed a pass to Hailab Habtom at midfield. Habtom then found Crooks on a breakaway pass down the right sideline for a 12-yard strike past Pacer goalkeeper Harold Tate for the game-winner.

Clayton State took a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute as Habtom scored on a header off a cross pass from Rall. However, USC-Aiken (9-5-2, 3-1-2) converted the equalizer on a goal by Adam Lambert in the 68th minute.

Clayton State 16 shots to 11 for USC-Aiken.

Clayton State can wrap up its second straight outright Peach Belt championship on Saturday at 7 p.m. at USC-Upstate.

Source: Clayton State University Sports Information

MUST SEE MATCH-UPS

KEY: Volleyball--RED Women's Soccer--BLUE Men's Soccer--GREEN

Most important matches are in BOLD type.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

USC Aiken (9-4-2, 3-0-2) at Clayton State (8-7, 4-1)--5 p.m. EDT

(It's the Lakers playing host to the Pacers in this crucial Peach Belt Conference men's soccer match)

MUST SEE MATCH-UPS

KEY: Volleyball--RED Women's Soccer--BLUE Men's Soccer--GREEN

Most important match-ups in BOLD type.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

UNC Pembroke (7-5-1, 4-1) at Lander (10-3, 3-2)--3:30 p.m. EDT

USC Upstate (5-6-2, 4-2) at USC Aiken (6-8-2, 3-2-1)--5 p.m. EDT

USC Upstate (10-1-1, 3-1) at USC Aiken (9-4-1, 3-0-1)--7 p.m. EDT

UNCP MEN'S SOCCER WINS LAST SECOND THRILLER!

From UNCP Sports Information

Late Goal ends FMU upset bid at UNCP

PEMBROKE, N.C. – UNC Pembroke peppered the Francis Marion University goal 38 times through the first 89 minutes of the game to no avail, but Dominik Rometsch made number 39 count with five seconds remaining as the Braves vaulted back into first place in the Peach Belt Conference standings with a 1-0 win over the Patriots, Wednesday evening (Oct. 11) at the Belk Complex.

Rometsch fired off a team-high 10 shots, including six on goal, and punched in his fourth goal of the season to highlight the offense for the Braves (7-5-1, 4-1-0 PBC), with Florian Eissen and Thomas Schwer both registering assists. Francis Marion ( 3-9-1 , 1-4-1 ) got two shots apiece from three different players, but suffered its sixth consecutive loss.

Goalkeeper Rich Sallin stopped all three shots on goal he faced to record his second clean sheet of the season for UNCP. FMU netminder Jeremy Crooks turned in a career-high 16-save night for the Patriots, with two other saves credited to the FMU roster.

The Braves took five of the game’s first six shots, but a couple dazzling saves by Crooks kept the hosts off the scoreboard. The Braves' Thomas Morrow had a pair of late first-half chances, but the junior’s shots sailed just wide of the far post. FMU got a pair of quality chances as well, both times seeing a ray of light in the UNCP defense, but both times the shots sailed wide.

UNCP had several chances to blow the game wide open in the second stanza, but Crooks, with a little help from the woodwork, kept the Black and Gold wanting. Rometsch’s shots in the 69th and 75th minutes both caught a piece of the woodwork, while his 85th minute breakaway was played perfectly by Crooks who came charging out to challenge. In the 89th minute, UNCP, again felt a taste of bad luck when Schwer’s rebound shot was deflected out of danger by Morrow who was standing near the FMU end line.

Francis Marion plays at Clayton State University, Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Morrow, Ga. The Braves also return to action on Saturday when they play at 21st-ranked Lander University at 3:30 p.m.


Scoring Summary
At Pembroke , N.C. (Belk Complex)

Francis Marion 0 0 - 0
UNCP 0 1 - 1

UNCP 89:55 Dominik Rometsch (assists Florian Eissen ; Thomas Schwer)

Records – Francis Marion: 3-9-1 , 1-4-1 PBC; UNCP – 7-5-1 , 4-1-0 PBC

COLUMBUS STATE SOCCER WIN STREAK SNAPPED

**Story Courtesy Catawba Sports Information**

SALISBURY, NC -- Senior McKenzie Burman scored the lone goal as the host Catawba Indians knocked off 10th-ranked Columbus State 1-0 in women’s soccer action on Wednesday night at Frock Field. Catawba improve to 10-2-2, while the Lady Cougars fall to 14-2 and see a 12-match winning streak come to an end.

Columbus State had the best opportunity of the first half, but Gina Goforth had a shot from 10 yards out saved by Kathleen Blake at the near post. The match remained scoreless until just past the hour when Burman headed home a cross from freshman Tasha Wilhelm.

Blake made five saves in goal for Catawba to notch her fifth shutout. Monica Sanchez (Riverview, FL) also had five saves for Columbus State.

The loss was the first for CSU since falling 1-0 to West Georgia on September 3. The Lady Cougars had put together a school-record 12-game win streak, besting the previous record of 10 straight set last season. CSU has still not allowed more than one goal in a game this season.

The Lady Cougars will play their final regular-season home game on Friday at the CSU complex, as they host another tough region opponent in Mars Hill College. Opening kick is set for 5 PM.

#10 COLUMBUS ST. (14-2) 0 0 - 0
CATAWBA (10-2-2) 0 1 - 1

SCORING SUMMARY
C - 61:24 – McKenzie Burman (4) (Tasha Wilhelm)

Shots at Goal: Columbus St. 11, Catawba 9
Corner Kicks: Catawba 4, Columbus St. 2
Goalkeeper Saves: Columbus St. – Monica Sanchez 5 Catawba – Kathleen Blake 5
Offsides: Catawba 1, Columbus St. 0
Fouls: Catawba 18, Columbus St. 11
Cautions: None.

COLUMBUS STATE SOCCER MAKES NATIONAL TOP TEN

Columbus, GA - The Columbus State women's soccer team continued its rise through the Division II rankings on Tuesday, entering the top 10 for the first time in the program's short history. CSU jumped three spots from 13th a week ago to 10th in the nation this week in the NSCAA/Adidas Division II National Rankings.

CSU is currently riding a 12-game unbeaten streak as it prepares for a region contest at Catawba on Wednesday. The Lady Cougars won a pair of close games last week, defeating North Georgia on the road and then USC Upstate at home. CSU did allow goals in consecutive games for the first time this year, but rebounded on Monday with the team's 11th shutout in 15 games in a 4-0 win at Erskine.

In the NSCAA region poll, CSU remains second behind Tusculum. Carson-Newman is third, followed by Armstrong Atlantic State and Catawba - Wednesday's opponent. In the first NCAA regional poll released last week, CSU is in the top spot with Tusculum second. The NCAA poll is the one from which participants in post-season play are selected.

After its game at Catawba on Wednesday, CSU will host its final regular-season home game on Friday as another region opponent comes to Columbus. Mars Hill (eighth in the NSCAA region poll) will come in for a 5 PM game at the CSU Complex.

Source: Columbus State University Sports Information

AASU SOCCER FALLS TO TUSCULUM

Pirates Edged By No. 4 Tusculum

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Heather Craft's goal off of a Tusculum corner kick byAshley Moreira in the 24th minute was enough as No. 4-ranked Tusculumedged Armstrong Atlantic, 1-0, in collegiate women's soccer action inGreeneville, Tenn., on Monday.

The Pioneers (10-0-2) handed the Pirates (11-3) their first shutout lossin 16 matches, dating back to last season, and snapped AASU's five-match win streak. AASU falls to 1-3 this season against teams ranked in theNSCAA's Top 25 as well.

PBC Player of the Week Kristin Burton led the Pirates statistically with five shots, while junior goalkeeper Tarra Kohler registered nine saves onthe afternoon. Tusculum outshot the Pirates, 25-16, and enjoyed an 8-5 edge in corner kicks.

AASU returns to action on Friday, October 13, as the Pirates host Anderson in a non-conference clash at 4:00 p.m. at Cingular Field.

Source: Armstrong Atlantic State University Sports Information

Analysis: In just its second year of competition, the Armstrong Atlantic State University women's soccer has quickly established as one of the top programs in the Peach Belt Conference, if not the nation. Still, the fact that the Pirates have struggled against nationally-ranked opponents is a good sign that AASU may not be quite ready for prime time just yet. Fortunately for Armstrong, there's still a lot of soccer left to be played.

INAUGURAL CBI TOURNAMENT DATE SET

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MUST SEE MATCH-UPS

KEY: Volleyball--RED Women's Soccer--BLUE Men's Soccer--GREEN

Most important match-ups are in BOLD type.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Columbus State (11-1, 6-0) at North Georgia (7-4-1, 2-2)--4 p.m. EDT

GC&SU (4-4-2, 1-2-2) at Clayton State (3-7, 2-2)--7 p.m. EDT

Lander (9-1, 2-1) at USC Aiken (6-4-1, 1-0-1)--7 p.m. EDT

MUST SEE MATCH-UPS

KEY: Volleyball--RED Women's Soccer--BLUE Men's Soccer--GREEN

Most important matches are in BOLD type.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

USC Upstate (5-4-2, 4-0) at Armstrong Atlantic State (9-2, 4-1)--4 p.m. EDT

(Battle for second place in Peach Belt Conference women's soccer)

Alabama-Huntsville (5-15, 2-4) at Montevallo (13-9, 2-4)--7 p.m. CDT

Ouachita Baptist (11-8, 3-2) at Harding (14-4, 5-0)--7 p.m. CDT

(Key showdown in Gulf South Conference West Division action)