Sept. 1, 2006
ORLANDO- After going head-to-head with two of the top schools in the country during opening weekend, the UCF men's soccer team (0-2-0) returns to action in back-to-back matches against UNC-Wilmington (0-1-0) and host College of Charleston (1-0-1) at the Aaron Olitzky Memorial Classic on Saturday and Sunday.
Originally slated to take on Charleston tonight and UNCW Sunday, the threat of Tropical Storm Ernesto forced the change of schedule. The Golden Knights are currently set to face the Seahawks on Saturday at 11 a.m. followed by a match against the Cougars on Sunday at 6 p.m.
UCF head coach Brent Erwin believes playing consecutive matches is a challenge. "These are two quality in-region opponents. Both teams have a chance to win their conference championship, so needless to say, this is a tough task," he said. "Playing back-to-back should benefit us in the long run as we prepare to move through the rest of the season."
The Golden Knights have already been tested early as they competed in the Wake Forest Invitational last weekend. They opened up with a 5-0 loss to the No. 18-ranked Demon Deacons then regrouped and played tighter against North Carolina despite taking the 1-0 loss.
Riding the momentum from that effort, the UCF players feel they are prepared for the Charleston tournament.
"We have a lot of freshmen on the team and the game against Wake Forest was their first collegiate experience," said UCF sophomore goalkeeper Marcus Rein. "Now they have seen what it takes and everyone has picked up their intensity. Other than that, we have made a few tweaks here and there, but I think we have the right plan in place."