March 22, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - A second half goal by junior James Georgeff (New Castle, Australia) gave the UCF men's soccer team a 1-1 regulation tie against Swedish club BK Hacken in an exhibition match on Thursday night.
"We talked to the team before the game tonight about learning how to get a result," said head coach Bryan Cunningham. "It was unfortunate that we weren't able to finish more of our chances in the second half and get the win, but it was important to get the result."
After freshman Akin Akinrinade (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville HS) made a defensive save in the 20th minute, the Golden Knights missed the chance to go up 1-0 seven minutes later as sophomore Mike Mattson (Boca Raton, Fla./Pope John Paul II HS) couldn't connect off a pass through the box. The visitors took over and found the back of the net in the 42nd minute to take the lead into halftime.
UCF controlled the second period, outshooting BK Hacken by a 10-9 margin with six of those 10 shots on goal. In the 63rd minute, Mattson flicked the ball to Georgeff for the score. Sophomore Jake Howard (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS) received the secondary assist on the throw-in.
The Golden Knights continued to pressure the ball, earning a pair of chances under the 20-minute mark. The first came off a corner kick from Georgeff that freshman Seung Tak Nam (Seoul, South Korea) redirected before the save was made, while the second was a shot from Mattson in the 80th minute that was knocked just over the crossbar by the goalkeeper.
Junior goalkeeper Brian Pope (Durham, N.H./Oyster River HS) made five saves on the night, including two in the last three minutes to preserve the tie.
"In the first half, the work ethic was there but the soccer wasn't," said Cunningham. "We made the necessary adjustments at the half and combined that work ethic with the soccer in the second half. We were able to control the tempo and got a lot of chances."
BK Hacken played Sweden's top league Allsvenskan last season. The club has been training in the United States since March 12.
The Golden Knights continue their spring schedule against local college teams, hosting Rollins College on Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. 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.