Sept. 24, 2006
ORLANDO - An unassisted goal by freshman Becca Thomas (Burlington, Wash./Homeschooled) in the 77th minute gave the UCF women's soccer team the 2-1 edge over UC Santa Barbara at the UCF Soccer Complex on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, which snapped a three-game losing skid, the Golden Knights improved to 4-4-1 overall, while UCSB fell to 2-4-3.
After a scoreless first half that saw both teams earn scoring chances, the Gauchos found the back of the net in the 60th minute. Sophomore Genelle Ives fed the ball to senior Chandi Bickford in the box. Bickford scored low to the left side of UCF junior goalkeeper Jennifer Manis (Pensacola, Fla./Washington HS).
Only 30 seconds later, the Golden Knights tied the game as freshman Sarah de Leon (Lakewood, Wash./Lake HS) corralled the ball 20 yards out and sent a shot over UCSB junior keeper Katie Wright.
Both squads continued to battle and earn opportunities, but it was Thomas who netted the game-winner from 25 yards.
The Golden Knights outshot the Gauchos by an 11-9 margin during the game and also held a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. Manis stopped four shots, including two in the second half, while Wright made three total saves.
"This was a great game between two evenly matched teams and we got two amazing goals from our freshmen," said UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell. "For us, it was important to get a strong win to regain our confidence and gather some momentum before heading into our conference schedule next week."
The Golden Knights open up play in Conference USA at No. 9 Rice on Friday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m.
Admission to the home UCF women's soccer matches 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.