Oct. 7, 2005
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ORLANDO - The UCF men's soccer team (6-2-1) continues its first Conference USA campaign when the Golden Knights renew their rivalry with Florida International (5-3-1) for 7 p.m. match on Saturday in Miami. The two squads are familiar with one another after meeting on six occasions in the last three years, including three times in first round of the NCAA Tournament.
FIU and UCF enter the weekend tied for second place in C-USA with identical 1-0-1 records. The Golden Panthers earned a 1-1 double overtime tie with Kentucky and a 7-0 win over Marshall in the opening weekend of conference play. The Knights, meanwhile, tied Marshall, 4-4, in double overtime before taking a 2-1 victory over Kentucky.
Both squads are chasing SMU, which sits atop the C-USA standings at a perfect 2-0.
SCOUTING FIU The Golden Panthers are ranked ninth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) South Region poll. Senior Carron Williams is one of the two leading goal scorers in C-USA with seven, while he is also tied for second in overall points with 14. Senior Lucas Scudeler leads the league in assists with six.
FIU continues to be impressive defensively as well, posting a 1.41 goals-against-average - good enough for third in the conference. Junior Shawn Crowe has recorded a 1.33 GAA with 27 saves made and two shutouts.
SERIES RECORD Saturday marks the 35th time that FIU and UCF have met on the soccer field with Florida International owning a 24-7-3 advantage. Prior to the Golden Knights' 1-0 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Golden Panthers had won six previous matches, dating back to 2001.
UCF IN CONFERENCE USA The Golden Knights are the second best defensive team in the C-USA after allowing only 10 goals in contests with a 1.08 goals-against-average. Senior goalkeeper Ryan McIntosh tops all players in both save percentage (.839) and saves per game (5.78), while he is second in GAA (1.08)
Offensively, the Knights rank fifth in both goals and points. Individually, senior captain Billy Judino is listed among the top players in points (10) and is tied for fifth in assists (4). Judino is also listed in a tie along with Jermaine Walters, Adham Rashwan, Mike Mattson, Alejandro Gessen and Jon Imran and a group of other players for fifth in game-winning goals with one each.
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE As of the NCAA's latest statistical release on Oct. 2, Ryan McIntosh was listed in 14th with 5.78 saves per game.
COMEBACK KIDS UCF's rally from three goals down against Marshall was chosen by College Soccer News as the Comeback of the Week. The Golden Knights were down 4-1 when they scored three goals in the final 10 minutes to tie the match. Jermaine Walters jumpstarted the squad with a goal in the 80th minute followed by two more by Jon Imran. "Our team showed a lot of character coming back from being down 4-1," said first-year UCF head coach Brent Erwin after the double overtime contest. "It isn't an easy feat to accomplish in this game."
FRESHMEN FRENZY Rookies continue to make an impact on the Golden Knights as the team enters the mid-point of the season. Five freshmen have logged time on the field in a majority of the matches and some have made contributions on the scoreboard. Defender Jake Howard earned a starting role in the backfield straight out of the preseason and is one of only four players to start all nine matches thus far.
Mike Mattson tallied his first collegiate goal in the win over Central Connecticut State and is tied for the team lead in goals scored with three, including the game-winner against Kentucky. Another forward Tyler Davis posted an assist on Islam Rashwan's tally over CCSU.
Jermaine Walters recorded his first goal - the game-deciding tally - at North Florida before adding a second to start UCF's comeback against Marshall. Bryan Haisley has earned two starts in recent matches.
"I am very happy with the effort that the freshmen have given us this season," said Brent Erwin. "They have accepted the challenges put before them and continue to work very hard to make meaningful contributions to the team."
THE POWER OF ONE Six of UCF's matches have been decided by a goal with the team going 4-2 in those contests. The only two losses came as 1-0 decisions at the hands of then No. 23 Davidson and Hofstra at the UCF adidas Classic in mid-September.
HOT SHOTS The Golden Knights have outshot their foes in seven of nine matches thus far this season and hold 131-93 overall advantage. They recorded a season-high 21 shots against Marshall. Jon Imran has posted the top two individual efforts with eight shots against Marshall and six against Florida Atlantic.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN Senior captain Billy Judino continues to lead the Golden Knights in more ways than one as he tops the stat sheet with 10 points (3 goals, 4 assists) and has a team-high 21 total shots.
Judino earned his first accolade of the season when he was chosen as the SoccerFla.com Player of the Week on Sept. 27 after recording five points in two matches against in-state rivals. He recorded the game-winning goal and added an assist in the 2-1 victory over Florida Atlantic then scored his second tally of the season in a 3-1 win at North Florida.
Judino's versatility has enabled him to play in various positions throughout his career at UCF. After starting the 2004 season up front, he moved to the backfield by the end of the year. In 65 matches, he has collected seven goals and 18 assists for 32 points. With the helper on Mike Mattson's goal against FAU, Judino moved into sole possession of eighth place on UCF's list for most assists in a career.
BIG MAC Joining Billy Judino as the only two players on the roster that have played all four seasons at UCF, Ryan McIntosh has also made his mark in the program and has left his name in the record books. The Cooper City native made two saves in the win over Stetson on Sept. 13 to move ahead of Didier Mendard on UCF's career saves list. With 339 during his career, McIntosh sits in second. Three-time All-American Rick Brantincevic is first with 444 saves.
McIntosh's shutout of the Hatters was his 20th career shutout and moved one closer to tying Brantincevic (21) in second place.
McIntosh has started 71 consecutive matches in goal since his freshman year. He also became the first UCF Athlete to be honored by Conference USA when he was tapped as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE The Golden Knights went 4-2 as they opened the season with a six-game homestand. September's schedule featured seven matches at the UCF Soccer Complex, including the team's C-USA debut against Marshall on the 30th. They are currently an impressive 5-2-1 at home.
October is the reverse. After opening the month in Orlando against Kentucky, the team hits the road for three tough C-USA contests at Florida International, SMU and Tulsa. The Knights return home for matches versus East Carolina and South Carolina then finish the season on the road at UAB and Memphis.