Nov. 3, 2004
ORLANDO - Five of the six qualifying teams for the 2004 Atlantic Sun Men's Soccer Championship are set, but the final spot and seeding all hinge on the outcome of the UCF at Jacksonville match-up which is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m.
The two-time defending tournament champion Golden Knights (7-5-2, 6-2) need the victory at Jacksonville in order to guarantee a first round bye and at least the No.2 seed, while a win for the Dolphins (8-7-1, 3-4-1) gives them the No.6 spot over Stetson. Florida Atlantic (11-2, 7-1), which currently holds the top spot, and Stetson (9-6-1, 4-4-0) also play tomorrow afternoon.
UCF has gone 15-13-2 against JU in the program's history and has the added confidence of having won the three most recent meetings, including a 3-2 overtime victory in 2003. The Golden Knights are coming off a big 2-1 win over Georgia State on Sunday and would like to be able to carry the momentum into next week's championship, which begins on Nov.11 in Macon, Ga.
UCF tied for second in the A-Sun with 237 through 14 matches this season, but fall into a tie for fifth with Mercer in goals scored with 22, of those 13 have been scored in the second half. Junior Jon Imran continues to lead the team and ranks in a tie for third with eight goals. He is also seventh in total points with 17.
Nine different players have scored for the Knights this season. In addition to Imran, only junior Billy Judino, sophomore tri-captain Alejandro Gessen and redshirt freshman Adham Rashwan have more than one goal to their credit.
Defensively, UCF has allowed 16 goals - an effort that ranks third in the A-Sun - and has given up five of those to conference foes. The Golden Knights are taking on a JU team that has scored 33 goals and boasts the league's top scorer in sophomore Tommy Krizanovic, who has tallied 13.
After visiting Jacksonville for the final A-Sun match, the Knights cap the season against in-state rival Florida International at the UCF Soccer Complex on Sunday.