Nov. 13, 2004
MACON, Ga. - A successful penalty kick by sophomore tri-captain Alejandro Gessen gave the UCF men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over host Mercer as the Knights won their third consecutive Atlantic Sun Tournament title. With the conference championship, the Golden Knights (10-6-2) also earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year.
Mercer (11-9-1) was whistled for a handball in the box, which set up Gessen's third penalty kick of the season. He beat Bears keeper Martin Walker to the right at 84:36 to give the Knights and has been a flawless 3-for-3 on the year.
UCF outshot Mercer by an 18-11 margin. Junior goalkeeper and two-time Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year Ryan McIntosh stopped four shots for the Knights and earned the 17th shutout of his career. Walker made five saves.
Senior defender/midfielder John Sobczak, who scored the gamewinner in UCF's semifinal win over Georgia State, was named tournament MVP. Joining him on the all-tournament team were Gessen, senior tri-captain Tim Sobczak and freshman defender Phillip Michael Hall.
The Golden Knights will discover their postseason fate when the NCAA College Cup bracket is disclosed at 4 p.m. on Monday.