Oct. 14, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Junior goalkeeper Brian Pope (Durham, N.H./Oyster River HS) made 10 saves as the UCF men's soccer team tied No. 1 SMU, 2-2, in double overtime Conference USA action at the UCF Soccer Complex on Saturday night.
"We went nose-to-nose with the unanimous number one team in the country," said UCF head coach Brent Erwin. "These players gave their all in representing their team and their university. I am filled with pride after what these players accomplished."
Coming off an injury and playing in his first game as a Golden Knight, Pope made five big saves in the first half before sophomore Mike Mattson (Boca Raton, Fla./Pope John Paul II HS) put UCF up, 1-0, in the 14th minute on a shot from 20 yards out that went in low to the right side.
In the 40th minute, Mattson served a free kick to junior James Georgeff (New Castle, Australia) for the header that gave UCF the 2-0 advantage before SMU sophomore Bruno Guarda halted Pope's shutout bid three minutes later. He scored from the right side from 18 yards.
Both teams continued to battle in the second half and were near even in shots with UCF holding a slight 8-7 advantage. The Golden Knights had a solid opportunity by freshman Andy Masteller (St. John, Ind./Andrean HS) in the 76th minute that was called offside, but the Mustangs were able to even the match at two all in the 82nd minute. The Golden Knights' defense pulled down a Mustang player in the box and senior Chase Wileman converted on the penalty kick.
The Golden Knights still tried to earn the victory. With five minutes remaining in regulation, Georgeff sent the ball to sophomore Zak Boggs (Vienna, W.Va./The Pendleton School). Boggs' shot hit the cross bar.
The two teams each had opportunities to score the "golden goal" in the extra sessions. Three minutes into the first overtime, Pope made a terrific save on Guarda off a corner kick by junior Scott Corbin. The Golden Knights outshot SMU, 3-0, in the second overtime with the best chance coming off the boot of sophomore Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School), but his shot hit the post.
SMU finished the night with a 22-18 advantage in shots and held an 8-5 margin in corner kicks. Mustang keeper Matt Wideman made seven saves.
The Golden Knights (3-7-2, 1-2-2 C-USA) are one of only two teams to put a blemish on the top-ranked Mustangs' near-perfect record (13-0-2, 3-0-1 C-USA). The other was No. 25 New Mexico on Sept. 15.
Next up, UCF travels to No. 11 South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 21 for a 7 p.m. match with the Gamecocks.
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.