Oct. 5, 2007
UCF Men's Soccer Notes at SMU in PDF Format
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's soccer team returns to Conference USA action as the Knights (4-5-1, 0-0-1 C-USA) travel to Dallas, Texas where they face No. 11 SMU (5-2-2, 0-0-1 C-USA) on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. ET.
"We're excited to get back into our conference schedule," said UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham, whose team began league play on Sept. 15 with 1-1 double overtime tie at Memphis. "SMU is a well-organized, well-coached team. We know that in order to get a result, we are going to have to compete in every aspect of the game and play from endline to endline."
Among C-USA teams, UCF is second only to SMU in total shots with 147, compared to the Mustangs 155. A pair of Knights is also ranked among the top-10 individuals in shots. Junior Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) leads all players with 36, while senior James Georgeff (New Castle, Australia) is tied for eighth with 22. Roushandel is also among the top-5 goal scorers in the league with five goals.
The Knights and freshman goalkeeper Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga./Brookwood HS) rank second in the league in saves.
Saturday's match is UCF's second contest against a nationally ranked opponent in the past week as the Knights closed the month of September against No. 14 Saint Louis. Four of UCF's 2007 opponents are currently ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coaches' Poll - SMU, Saint Louis, No. 12 USF and No. 20 Tulsa.
In SMU's most recent match on Oct. 3, the Mustangs blanked Missouri State, 2-0. Junior Bruno Guarda leads all conference players in points with 14 on four goals and six assists and sophomore Dean Saintus is also among the top 10 with nine points on three goals and three assists. Senior goalkeeper Steve Sanbo has a 1.27 goals-against-average in eight matches.
The Mustangs kicked off their C-USA slate with a 2-2 double overtime tie with No. 23 Tulsa on Sept. 28.
SMU holds a 1-0-1 advantage in the short history between the two teams. In 2006, UCF tied the then top-ranked Mustangs, 2-2, in double overtime at the UCF Soccer Complex. In that contest, current junior Mike Mattson (Boca Raton, Fla./Pope John Paul II HS) and Georgeff each netted a goal to put the Knights up 2-0 in the opening half before SMU staged a comeback.
The two league rivals first met in Dallas during the 2005 season, resulting in a 1-0 victory for SMU.
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.