EFSC ’ s Courtney Butlion scores a goal at the national tournament .
EYE ON ATHLETICS
EFSC Women ’ s Soccer Team Makes Another
RUN AT A NATIONAL TITLE
THE EASTERN FLORIDA State College women ’ s soccer program has become one of the top programs in the nation .
And while they had to wait until the spring season to play this season due to COVID-19 , the Titans once again had an unbeaten regular season and won the South Atlantic District title for the ninth straight time . That win gave them an automatic bid into the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament for the 10th straight time .
And like they have the past four seasons , the Titans made another run in the national tournament , becoming one of the final four teams in the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament .
Eastern Florida State College came into the tournament as the No . 3 seed and won the Group C bracket , outscoring opponents 13-2 in the two matches to advance to the national semifinals . The Titans had seven different scorers in the two games as Paula Garrido and Courtney Butlion each had three goals .
The semifinals saw an afternoon filled with thunder , lightning and rain that pushed the game back from the original 7:30 p . m . start .
In fact , the call came at 9:30 p . m . that the semifinal games will begin at 11 p . m . It was a true battle between two of the best teams in the nation as Salt Lake Community College came into the semifinal leading the nation in goals per game , averaging 6.06 goals on the season .
But as they have all season , the Titans defense held strong led by Marte Taugbol , Sofie Soerum , Jess DeBiasse , Brazil Clark and goalkeeper Marcelle Thedinga .
“ We have a really good relationship , we trust each other 100 percent and even though we all don ’ t speak the same language we communicate well with each other ,” Soerum said of her defense during the national tournament .
But early in the second half , Salt Lake ’ s Hannah Lee found the back of the net on a shot from distance to give them a 1-0 lead .
Eastern Florida State College had a couple of good chances late in the game including a rocket off the foot of Julieta Limardo that Salt Lake goalkeeper Carli Jager tipped over the top of the net in the save of the match .
In the final couple of minutes , the Titans continued to test Salt Lake but could not find the equalizer .
Taugbol and Limardo were each named to the all-tournament team , announced during the championship game .
Limardo and Kurumi Arakawa were also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Team as the best players in junior college .
Kurumi Arakawa , a freshman midfielder from Oyama , Tochigi , Japan , started all 12 games for the Titans and was one of the leaders on the field . Arakawa scored in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament and was also named to the Region 8 first team .
Limardo , a sophomore midfielder , also started all 12 games and led the team in goals scored with 11 . Limardo finishes her Titans career with 20 goals and six assists in two seasons and is going to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in the fall .
Limardo was also named the Region 8 Player of the Year and to the NJCAA Division I all-tournament team .
“ To be recognized for an award like this is always special ,” Limardo said of being named to the alltournament team . “ I feel like this year has gone by so fast and I am sad about that but am grateful for the memories , experiences and friends here . I have grown so much and I wouldn ’ t trade it for anything .”
The 11-1-1 record marked the 10th straight season that the Titans won at least 10 games in a season and will take a short break before kicking back off for a new season in August .
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