Sept. 7, 2006
ORLANDO - The UCF women's soccer team focuses upon keeping its unbeaten streak alive when it competes in the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. this weekend. The Golden Knights open the tournament against the host Rebels on Friday at 10 p.m. ET before facing Arizona State on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
UCF (2-1-1) has not lost a match since its season opener at Miami, recording wins over Florida International and Florida Atlantic and registering a tie with Fresno State. Thanks to solid defense and the play of junior goalkeeper Jennifer Manis, the reigning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, the Golden Knights have not allowed a goal in 231 minutes of play.
"Earning the shutouts against FAU and Fresno State gave both Jennifer and our defense a real boost in confidence," said UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell. "We are going to need to keep our composure in the back in order to win against both UNLV and Arizona State."
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights' offense continues to outshoot opponents by a 69-37 margin with a 37-15 advantage in shots on goal. Still they have only scored five goals this season with sophomore Hanna Wilde and junior Jessica Hallgren each recording two.
"We need to start capitalizing on our chances," said Cromwell. "There is sophistication in our attack but we need to be more patient in the attacking third."
Both UNLV and ASU have identical 2-1-1 record entering the weekend. It will be the first time that UCF has met either team.