Nov. 18, 2004
ORLANDO - The UCF men's soccer team (10-6-2) will try to carry some of the momentum from winning its third consecutive Atlantic Sun Tournament title into the first round of the NCAA College Cup when the Golden Knights take on No.23 Florida International (11-6) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Miami.
After earning a share of the regular season championship thanks to a 7-2 record, the Golden Knights defeated host Mercer, 1-0, nearly a week ago to capture their third straight conference tournament crown. Now UCF faces a familiar foe in FIU and hopes that the third appearance in the NCAA does carry the charm.
Friday's match marks the third time the squads have met in the postseason with the Golden Panthers advancing the past two match-ups. FIU has won the previous five meetings, outscoring UCF by a 14-5. This season, Florida International spoiled the Knights' regular season finale and senior day on Nov. 7 as it came away with a 3-0 victory in Orlando.
Overall, the Knights have gone 6-23-3 all-time against FIU.
UCF has redrawn its game strategy after the recent loss, during which it was outshot by an 11-5 margin. The Knights are planning to utilize two forward spots and capitalize on their opportunities. The offensive duo of senior Xavier Delgado and junior Jon Imran combined for 17 shots over two games of the Atlantic Sun Tournament and will likely see time on the field again this weekend.
Senior Tim Sobczak rejoined the UCF defense during the conference tournament after missing the previous three matches, including the one against FIU, due to injury. The backfield only allowed 19 shots in two matches with the only goal being scored on a penalty kick by Georgia State.
In goal, junior and two-time Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year Ryan McIntosh continues to be solid. He needs only four saves to move into a tie for third with Dan Cordia on UCF's all-time career list.
FIU dropped two spot to No.23 in the country in the latest Soccer America poll that was released on Nov. 15. The Golden Panthers are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and advanced as far as the third round last season, where they lost to No.1 seed UCLA, 2-0.
Florida International posted a perfect 5-0 record in the Atlantic Soccer Conference this season, while going 11-6 overall. Junior Carron Williams leads the team in scoring with eight goals and three assists for 19 points, while Fernando Plentz has contributed seven goals and one assist for 15 points. Williams recorded a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over UCF earlier this season.After sitting out the 2003 season as a medical redshirt, sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Crowe has made 49 saves and posted a 1.57 goals-against-average. He stopped three shots - all in the second half - in the Nov. 7 shutout at UCF.
Tickets for Friday's game are $5 and will be available at the gate. Fans who can not attend can get live stats updates via ncaasports.com.