Sept. 29, 2007
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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Despite six saves from freshman goalkeeper Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga./Brookwood HS), the UCF men's soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 15 Saint Louis at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on Saturday night.
The Knights (4-4-1) held the Billikens (4-1-2) without a goal until the 38th minute when junior Calum Angus connected on a corner kick by junior Brandon Barklage.
"One of the keys to our game plan was to disrupt the rhythm in Saint Louis' game," said UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham. "Because we came out playing tentatively in the first half, we were unable to do that."
The Knights kicked off the second half with stronger play, nearly matching the Billikens shot-for-shot and corner-for-corner. One of UCF's best chances to score came in the 56th minute on a corner kick by freshman Dustin McCarty (Maitland, Fla./Winter Park HS). Junior Mike Mattson's resulting header was saved by Saint Louis keeper Ross Kaufman, who made three saves on the night.
Freshman Beau Bellomy would instead extend SLU's advantage in the 75th minute when he accepted a pass in the box from junior Kyle Patterson before junior Dado Hamzagic scored to put the home team up 3-0 four minutes later.
"Our players learned a valuable lesson tonight," said Cunningham. "They learned that no matter who the opponent, they have to believe in in themselves and their abilities and show the attributes of desire and discipline to move forward."
The Knights return home for a mid-week match-up against another new opponent as they host Charlotte on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics.