Pensacola clinches Third Coast crown
While the Lady Pelicans outscored PFC’s academy 7-1 Wednesday, the Florida Roots rolled to a 6-1 win against TLH Reckoning. With three matches remaining, nobody can catch undefeated Pensacola.
Paige Phillips, who played for Milton High School and Pensacola State College, scored three goals to lead Pensacola FC’s undefeated senior women’s team to a 7-1 win Wednesday against PFC’s Academy side. CREDIT: Pensacola State College
Race’s end surprises Pelicans’ coach
Sometimes you really don’t see the forest for the trees. That was the case for first-year Pensacola FC senior women’s team coach Chandler Castleman when he learned the Lady Pelicans had clinched first place in their division.
“I’m a game by game person,” Castleman told Southeast Soccer Report on Friday. “So much so, I was completely unaware that we had won the (division) when we did.”
The Pelicans (7-0-0, 21 points) protected their undefeated record Wednesday at Ashton Brosnaham Stadium with a 7-1 win against PFC’s Academy side (2-3-2, 8 points). Meanwhile, about 60 miles east at Choctawhatchee High School’s Joe Etheredge Stadium in Fort Walton Beach, the Florida Roots routed TLH Reckoning 6-1 to claw its way into the playoff race and ensure the team from Tallahassee can finish no better than second.
How PFC clinched the division
The Pelicans, ranked third in the most recent Women’s Premier Soccer League South Region power rankings, have scored 25 goals and conceded only twice this season; with three points for each of their seven wins, Pensacola already has 21 points earned. Both Roots and Reckoning have 10 points, but the Roots (3-4-1) have played one game more than the Reckoning (3-3-1); at best, these teams can earn 16 and 19 points, respectively.
Castleman chalks Pensacola’s performance up to talent and hard work.
“I firmly believe in being a successful coach you need great players, and we have those in abundance. I can without a doubt say a large part of our success is down to their ability and the commitment they’ve shown to us this summer,” he said. “I think so much of it is down to the sacrifices and commitment that everyone within the organization has made, from the players, to the coaches, owner, backroom staff, managers, video, announcers, etc.”
Race for second
The race for second in the six-team Third Coast Division of the WPSL’s Gulf Coast Conference could come down to the last match of the regular season.
The Reckoning must be the favorites, but if they falter, Roots and Gulf Coast United (2-3-1, 7 points with four matches remaining) are likely replacements. PFC Academy (2-3-2, 8 points, three matches remaining) is a contender but Union 10 FC (2-5-1, 7 points with just two games left to play) has to be considered a long shot.
The Lady Pelicans will host the Delta Basin Division’s runner-up in the conference semifinals. LA Krewe Rush (4-2-0, 12 points before Friday’s match at Shreveport United (2-3-0, 6 points) leads the conference’s western division, with Mississippi Blues SC (2-0-3, 9 points) in second and Hattiesburg FC (2-1-2, 8 points) third. Only Baton Rouge United, with one point from its first five matches, seems unlikely to challenge for a playoff slot, but they aren’t yet eliminated from contention.
“I honestly haven’t looked that far ahead,” Castleman said when asked about the playoffs. “Whoever we play, we will do our best to win; our ultimate goal is to be back at nationals, so just one step at a time for us at this point.”
Keeping the gang together
Most summer “pre-professional” leagues face the same challenge as seasons wind down and playoffs begin: many of their players are student athletes on summer break and must return to campus, sometimes as early as mid-July.
Castleman said he hopes to keep the Pelicans together as long as possible.
“As everyone does, we might lose a few here or there,” he said, but, “We expect our core group to be with us and ultimately all these other clubs are in the same boat as us. Thankfully, we have a lot of local kids who probably won’t be leaving as early to their colleges as players who aren’t from here would be.”
The Gulf Coast Conference regular season ends Saturday, June 28. Unofficially, conference playoffs will be the first weekend in July, with the regional and national tournaments played July 12-13 and July 18-20, respectively.
The WPSL national tournament will be played at Neal Patterson Stadium on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
‘Coastal Clash’
Pensacola’s senior and Academy teams both host matches this weekend. The division champs kickoff against Gulf Coast United at 4 p.m. at Ashton Brosnaham Stadium, the first of a senior teams doubleheader billed as “Coastal Clash.” The Pensacola men’s senior team, which leads its division in The League for Clubs’ Gulf Coast Conference, hosts Gaffa FC at 7:15 p.m.
Adult tickets for the doubleheader are $10 each; Coastal Rush member families will be admitted free. Concessions, including beer, will be available and the club plans several activities throughout the day to celebrate soccer in the First City.
The PFC women’s Academy team will play Roots at 5 p.m. Sunday at Ashton Brosnaham.
WPSL Gulf Coast Conference
DELTA BASIN DIVISION
1. LA Krewe Rush, 4-2-0, 12 points, +8
2. Mississippi Blues SC, 2-0-3, 9 points, +9
3. Hattiesburg FC, 2-1-2, 8 points, +2
4. Shreveport United, 2-3-0, 6 points, -10
5. Baton Rouge United, 0-4-1, 1 point, -9
THIRD COAST DIVISION
1. Pensacola FC, 7-0-0, 21 points, +23
2. Florida Roots, 3-4-1, 10 points, +1
3. TLH Reckoning, 3-3-1, 10 points, -1
4. PFC Academy, 2-3-2, 8 points, -11
5. Gulf Coast United, 2-3-1, 7 points, -4
6. Union 10 FC, 2-5-1, 7 points, -16
WEEK 7 MATCHES
(Times CDT)
DELTA BASIN DIVISION
Tuesday, June 17
• LA Krewe Rush 2, Baton Rouge United 0
Wednesday, June 18
• Mississippi Blues SC 0, Hattiesburg FC 0
Friday, June 20
• Shreveport United vs. LA Krewe Rush, 7:15 p.m., Lee Hedges Stadium, Shreveport, La.
Saturday, June 21
• Baton Rouge United vs. Hattiesburg FC, 7:15 p.m., Olympia Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
Sunday, June 22
• Shreveport United vs. Mississippi Blues SC, 5 p.m., Lee Hedges Stadium, Shreveport, La.
THIRD COAST DIVISION
Tuesday, June 17
• Union 10 FC vs. Gulf Coast United, ppd.
Wednesday, June 18
• Florida Roots 6, TLH Reckoning 1
• PFC Academy 1, Pensacola FC 7
Saturday, June 21
• Union 10 FC vs. TLH Reckoning, 3 p.m., Village Park, Daphne, Ala.
• Pensacola FC VS. Gulf Coast United, 4 p.m., Ashton Brosnaham Stadium, Pensacola, Fla.
Sunday, June 22
• PFC Academy vs. Florida Roots, 5 p.m., Ashton Brosnaham Stadium, Pensacola, Fla.
WEEK 8 MATCHES
(Times CDT)
DELTA BASIN DIVISION
Tuesday, June 24
• LA Krewe Rush vs. Mississippi Blues SC, 6 p.m., Lafayette Christian Academy, Lafayette, La.
Wednesday, June 25
• Shreveport United vs. Baton Rouge United, 6 p.m., Lee Hedges Stadium, Shreveport, La.
Saturday, June 28
• Baton Rouge United vs. Mississippi Blues SC, 4:30 p.m., Olimpia Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
• Hattiesburg vs. LA Krewe Rush, 7:15 p.m., Tatum Park, Hattiesburg, Miss.
THIRD COAST DIVISION
Friday, June 27
• Pensacola FC vs. Union 10 FC, 7 p.m., Ashton Brosnaham Stadium, Pensacola, Fla.
Saturday, June 28
• TLH Reckoning vs. PFC Academy, 11:30 a.m., Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla.
• Gulf Coast United vs. Florida Roots, 4 p.m., Herbert Wilson Stadium, Gulfport, Miss.