r
Jan. 23, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Five home dates, including a meeting with Malmo, a Swedish 1st Division team, highlight the 2008 UCF men's soccer spring schedule, announced Wednesday by head coach Bryan Cunningham.
The Knights are looking to build on their 2007 campaign, which featured tournament championships at both the New Mexico Invitational and the UCF Invitational. UCF returns a pair of All-Conference USA selections in junior Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga.), who was a member of the All-C-USA Second Team last season, while rookie Dustin McCarty (Maitland, Fla.) was selected to the league's All-Freshman Team.
The Knights open their 2008 spring schedule on Feb. 23 when they play host to a round-robin tournament featuring 35-minute contests with in-state foes Stetson, St. Leo and Jacksonville. The Hatters, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference are coming off an 11-5-2 record, which marked the seventh time in their program history that they won 10 or more games in a single season. St. Leo, of the Sunshine State Conference, finished last year with a 9-5-3 record, while Jacksonville (11-7-2), an Atlantic Sun Member, just missed an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament last season when it fell in penalty kicks in the finals of the league tournament.
The Knights then play host to Malmo, a first-division team from the Sweden Allsvenskan, two days later at 7 p.m. The professional team finished with a 9-10-7 record last season, finishing ninth in its 14-team league standings.
UCF's only road match of the spring schedule comes at Rollins College in nearby Winter Park. The March 28 kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Barker Family Stadium. The Tars finished the 2007 campaign with a 10-6-2 mark, including a 5-2-1 record in Sunshine State Conference play. It marked the team's 10th consecutive season with 10 or more wins.
The Knights wrap up spring competition by playing host to Warner Southern at 7 p.m. on April 11. The Royals, located in Lake Worth, Fla., are an NAIA member that compete in the Florida Sun Conference. The team then plays host to its alumni game at the UCF Soccer Complex on April 12 at 11 a.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 pictures.
2008 UCF Men's Soccer Spring Schedule
Date Opponent Location TimeFeb. 23 Stetson, St. Leo, Jacksonville (round robin) Orlando, Fla. TBAMarch 2 Palm Beach Pumas Orlando, Fla. 12 p.m.March 4 Malmo (Swedish 1st Division team) Orlando, Fla. 7 p.m.March 28 at Rollins College Winter Park, Fla. 7 p.m.April 11 Warner Southern Orlando, Fla. 7 p.m.April 12 Alumni Game Orlando, Fla. 11 a.m.