March 31, 2006
ORLANDO - The UCF men's soccer team capped off its spring season in impressive fashion as the Golden Knights tied 2005 NCAA College Cup finalist New Mexico, 2-2, on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
With both squads seeing opportunities on the attack in the opening minutes of the match, the Lobos offense struck first in the fourth minute. The Golden Knights countered five minutes later when freshman Tyler Davis crossed to classmate Mike Mattson for a goal.
After playing much of the second half at a disorganized, fast pace, New Mexico finally jumped ahead 2-1 in the 85th minute before Mattson knotted the scored at two all on a successful penalty kick with two minutes remaining.
Junior goalkeeper Brian Pope played his second complete game of the spring season.
"New Mexico was a very well-coached team. Even though they lost some of the strength from their College Cup finalist team to graduation, their future is certainly bright and it was a privilege to play a club of their caliber," said UCF head coach Brent Erwin. "It was a great first half that allowed both teams to get a lot of opportunities, but neither of us could establish possession in the second. I was very proud of our players to battle back and tie."