Florida Soccer.
The NASL champion Tampa Bay Rowdies were honored for their 2012 NASL Soccer Bowl Championship as St. Petersburg City Council and Mayor Bill Foster proclaimed November 8, 2012 as Tampa Bay Rowdies Day…..The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL and the USL PRO Orlando City SC have announced that fans have voted the “I-4 Derby” as the official title for the new series between both clubs. The first match will be in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Saturday, March 9, 2013, with the second to follow on Saturday, March 30 at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg……West Florida women’s head coach Joe Bartlinski picked up his 200th coaching win when his Argonauts defeated the University of Tampa 2-0 in the NCAA Division II tournament’s third round……Jacksonville and Florida Gulf Coast had tied four consecutive meetings before FGCU shutout the Dolphins 2-0 in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. Melissa Arnold had the game-winner on a PK. JU finished the season 9-7-3 and graduates a senior class that never experienced a losing season …..Flagler College had three players named to the men’s 2012 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region teams. Senior midfielder Joseph Toby earned his second consecutive first-team all-region selection. He was a Daktronics All-America first-team last year. Junior defender Kevin Keenan also earned his second straight first-team all-region honor. Junior forward Zach Shanahan was selected to the second-team….The 2013 USL PRO Combine is scheduled for Jan. 24-27, and once again will be held at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. The annual event, now in its seventh year, will feature 102 of the top players from North America and overseas hoping to land a professional contract. Peter Mellor, USL National Technical Director, will head up the combine. Players will be selected for the Combine based on their playing background and soccer achievements. An online application is available under Events on www.uslsoccer.com…..The VSI Tampa Flames are a finalist for the 2012 USL W-League Rookie Franchise of the Year award with the Central S.C. Cobras.