Oct. 20, 2007
UCF Notes vs. Tulsa in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's soccer team takes on its third ranked team of the season when the Knights host No. 20 Tulsa in Conference USA action on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 2:30 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. Earlier this season, UCF (4-8-1, 0-3-1 C-USA) faced No. 15 Saint Louis and No. 11 SMU on the road. In addition, the Knights also opened the fall at USF, a team that has been ranked as high as No. 12.
UCF is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Kentucky on Oct. 17. Junior Mike Mattson (Boca Raton, Fla./Pope John Paul II HS) scored the Knights' first goal on a successful penalty kick then assisted on senior James Georgeff's (New Castle, Australia) tally that tied the game with less than five minutes to play in regulation. Freshman Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga./Brookwood HS), who leads all C-USA goalkeepers with a total of 61 saves, turned away four UK shots.
Also among the league standouts is Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School). The junior midfielder leads the conference in shots (47) and is tied for the lead in points (14) and goals (7).
Ranked No. 20 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and as high as No. 10 by Soccer America, the Golden Hurricane enters Sunday's match undefeated in conference play with a 2-0-2 mark and owns a 7-2-2 record overall. In its most recent contest on Oct. 13, Tulsa defeated South Carolina, 1-0, on a goal by senior Eric Burkholder, while senior goalkeeper Dominic Cervi made six saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season.
Thanks in part to his performance against the Gamecocks, Cervi claimed his second C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor of the year. Among league goalkeepers, he ranks sixth in goals-against average (1.13) and fourth in saves (49). Offensively, senior Todd Goddard is tied with UCF's Roushandel atop the C-USA stat card both in points (14) and in goals (7).
"Tulsa has played a strong schedule this season, which has enabled them to build confidence," said UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham. "They are a tough team, but I believe we're ready for the challenge."
Sunday's match is the second game of doubleheader as the UCF women's soccer team plays host to Colorado College at noon. Admission for both is free.
After closing out the two-game home-stand, the Knights visit C-USA rival UAB in Birmingham, Ala. on Oct. 27 before traveling to Jacksonville for a non-conference contest against North Florida on Oct. 30. They cap off the season at home against South Carolina and Marshall.
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.