Oct. 29, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Despite a first half goal by freshman Sarah de Leon (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes HS), UCF settled for a 1-1 overtime tie with Tulsa in Conference USA women's soccer action at the UCF Soccer Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The tie gave the Golden Knights (11-5-2, 7-1-2 C-USA) 22 points in the league standings, making them the No. 2 seed in the upcoming C-USA Championship. Tulsa (7-10-1, 3-5-2 C-USA) earned the tournament's No. 8 seed with 10 total points.
UCF owned the match territorially in the first half, outshooting the visiting Golden Hurricane by a 7-2 margin. In the 45th minute, de Leon just past midfield when she served up the ball and it sailed under the crossbar. It was her second goal of the season.
After changing up the lineup in the second half, the Golden Knights emerged with a 6-2 advantage in shots. In the 77th minute, Tulsa was able to capitalize on its second shot. Senior Katie Ward took a through ball from freshman Shannon Locke and dribbled past UCF's defense before finding the back of the net on a low shot.
Both teams had two shots in the first overtime. UCF senior Roberta Pelarigo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) earned an ample opportunity that was called offside in the 97th minute. The Golden Knights controlled the second overtime with a 3-0 margin in shots, including two off the head of de Leon in the box.
UCF finished the afternoon with an 18-6 advantage in shots and an 8-3 margin in corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Jennifer Manis (Pensacola, Fla./Washington HS) made one save for the Golden Knights, while her Tulsa counterpart Meredith Hart had three.
"To be honest, I was more nervous for today than I was for the match against SMU on Friday because I knew that Tulsa would come in here fighting for that final spot in the tournament," said UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell. "We weren't able to capitalize and finish on the opportunities we were given to put the game away."
The Golden Knights open the 2006 Conference USA Championship against No. 7 seeded UAB on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The tournament, which will be hosted by No. 1 seed SMU in Dallas, Texas, continues with the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 3 and the championship final on Sunday, Nov. 5.
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