Oct. 3, 2006
ORLANDO - The UCF men's soccer team faces a tough week of competition as the Golden Knights play host to a pair of Conference USA opponents, beginning with No. 17 Memphis on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex.
Due to the postponement of their Marshall match on Saturday, the Golden Knights (2-6-0, 0-1-0, C-USA) have not competed in a game situation for over a week but are prepared for the challenge that the Tigers (8-2-0, 1-1-0 C-USA) bring.
"I don't think of our team as having a week and half of rest," said UCF head coach Brent Erwin. "We traveled to Marshall and the players made themselves mentally ready to play that match. Even after the game was postponed, we got out on the field and trained. Our team is ready to play more matches and win points."
It won't be an easy task as Memphis comes in to Orlando as the third ranked team that UCF has played thus far this season. The Golden Knights debuted in late August against then No. 16 Wake Forest and No. 1 North Carolina. Looking ahead on the schedule, they will face two other currently ranked opponents - No. 1 SMU at home and No. 9 South Carolina on the road- before the end of the season. Two other teams - Kentucky and UAB - have also appeared in the rankings recently.
"Our early non-conference schedule helped prepare us for our upcoming games," said Erwin. "We've played good teams all year. Memphis is a very good and our guys are aware of that. Because our team was built using a group mentality, everybody on our roster is going to have to step up and do their jobs."
Entering Wednesday's game, Memphis is ranked among the top 15 in the nation in scoring offense with 2.4 goals scored per outing. One of the reasons has been the play of junior midfielder Kevin Walsh. He and sophomore Tripp Harkins lead the team in goals with six each, while Walsh is listed among the top 15 players in country in both points per game (11th - 2.11 ppg) and assists per game (3rd - 0.78 apg).
In the Tigers' net, junior Tyler Strom and freshman Michael Goodlett have split time almost equally with Strom earning the last three starts. He has a 1.09 goals-against-average, while Goodlett has a 1.23 GAA.
Admission to home UCF men'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.