Oct. 30, 2006
TULSA, Okla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Sophomore Chris Andaur (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) recorded the game-winning goal and added an assist as the UCF men's soccer team earned a 4-2 victory over Marshall in Conference USA action on Monday afternoon.
With the win, the Golden Knights (6-8-2, 3-3-2 C-USA) became the No. 6 seed in the 2006 Conference USA Championship that begins Wednesday, Nov. 1. They are set to play host and No. 3 seed Tulsa at 9 p.m. ET. The Thundering Herd fell to 4-10-2 overall and 1-6-1 in the league and were eliminated from the tournament.
Marshall senior Karim Boukhemis opened up the scoring in the 36th minute as he took a shot from the right side of the box that found the left corner of the net.
The Thundering Herd held onto the 1-0 lead into the intermission, but UCF pressured its opponent early in the second half with two good opportunities, including a chance by freshman Andy Masteller (St. John, Ind./Andrean HS) that was cleared off the line by the Marshall defense.
Just under two minutes into the second half, sophomore Jake Howard (Lakeland, Fla./Lake Gibson HS) capitalized on the team's momentum and scored his second goal of the season with an assist to classmate Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School).
In the 58th minute, UCF sophomore Chris Andaur (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) recorded his first tally of the year on a deflection. He also sent the cross to Masteller, who gave the Golden Knights the 3-1 lead in the 71st minute.
Marshall closed the gap in the 89th minute when sophomore Kolby LaCrone scored off a corner kick by freshman J.D. Hill. With 50 seconds remaining, Masteller sent the through ball to senior Mark Wong (Miami, Fla./Killian HS), who netted the first goal of his career. Junior goalkeeper Brian Pope (Durham, N.H./Oyster River HS) also assisted on the play.
"We're really proud of the way the guys played and finished the conference regular season on a high note," said UCF head coach Brent Erwin. "In this game, we were able to use our depth to our advantage and got all four goals from players coming off the bench. We think that the players will be rested and ready to take on Tulsa in the first round of the conference tournament."
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