Sept. 22, 2006
ORLANDO -The UCF men's soccer team opens its Conference USA campaign when the Golden Knights visit Tulsa schedule on Saturday, Sept. 23 for an 8 p.m. kickoff.
"We're excited for the start of conference play because it is the most important part of the season," said UCF head coach Brent Erwin. "We are fortunate to play in one of the top college soccer conferences in the country. Every game presents a challenge."
The Golden Knights (2-5-0) will meet that challenge in Tulsa, Okla. with the momentum from their 1-0 win over Furman last weekend. Sophomore Zak Boggs (Vienna, W.Va./The Pendleton School) scored his second goal in as many games, while sophomore Marcus Rein (Scotts Valley, Calif./Edison Academic Center) made six saves en route to his second shutout of the year.
Meanwhile, the Golden Hurricane owns a similar 2-5-0 record and has dropped the previous four contests. Junior Eric Burkolder leads the team with two goals and his classmate Dominic Cervi has recorded a 2.08 goals-against-average while playing six of the seven matches.
"Tulsa is a talented young team that plays well at home," said Erwin. "Tulsa is very similar to us in that it played some close matches in a tough early season schedule. This game will be a very good early test for us as we look toward the rest of conference play."
Tulsa holds a 1-0-0 series lead over UCF after defeating the Golden Knights, 2-0, in Tulsa, Okla. during the 2005 season.
Admission to UCF men's soccer for the 2006 season is free courtesy of McDonald's. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.