June 4, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Coming off its 12th trip to the NCAA Tournament and a share of the Conference USA regular-season title, the UCF women's soccer team announced its 2008 schedule Wednesday. A total of 13 of the 19 programs the Knights will face had at least a .500 record a year ago, including four teams that reached the NCAA Tournament.
UCF finished with a No. 30 national ranking and a 15-4-4 record in 2007. The Black and Gold defeated Auburn in the NCAA first round in Gainesville before falling to No. 6 Florida on penalty kicks in round two. The Knights, meanwhile, posted a 7-1-1 mark in Conference USA to share the regular-season crown with Memphis. It was the 11th-consecutive season UCF did not lose more than two conference matches.
The 2008 campaign will force UCF to be ready right out of the gates. During the 2007 regular season, the Knights welcomed No. 11 Florida State to Orlando and recorded a 3-3 tie against the Seminoles. FSU later reached the NCAA College Cup finals only to fall to eventual national champion Southern Cal. This year, UCF meets Florida State in Tallahassee for the season-opener Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. Following the FSU contest, the Knights get back to work a week later for a rematch with Florida in Gainesville Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
"We definitely ended last year with a tough shootout loss to Florida in the NCAA Tournament," said 10th year head coach Amanda Cromwell. "The players remember how we lost in the second round and they are hungry this summer to train hard and come in fit and ready to go for two early games against in-state rivals Florida State and Florida."
Two days after traveling to Florida, UCF hosts Hartford for the home opener Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. It then heads west to meet Pacific Sept. 5 and UC Davis Sept. 7. The Knights defeated UC Davis last season, 3-0, but have never faced the Tigers of Pacific.
When UCF returns home, it entertains Illinois State Sept. 12, Illinois Sept. 14 and Kansas Sept. 19. ISU completed 2007 with a 10-4-4 mark and lost in a shootout in the Missouri Valley Conference finals, the Fighting Illini went 12-7-2 and advanced to the NCAA Second Round and the Jayhawks are 3-0-0 all-time vs. the Knights.
"Illinois will be a huge test as well, and in my years at UCF we have never defeated Kansas. We always have good battles with them, and they will be a team we are looking forward to facing again at home. The C-USA schedule is never easy either. We have trips to UTEP and Colorado College, and those are brutal because we have to acclimate ourselves to the altitude changes. We also have Memphis and UAB on the road and those are two of the top teams in the league."
The C-USA schedule gets underway Sept. 26 and Sept. 28 with journeys to UAB and Memphis, respectively. Other league road affairs include UTEP Oct. 10, Colorado College Oct. 12, Tulsa Oct. 26 and Southern Miss Oct. 31.
UCF's C-USA home slate features matchups with Marshall Oct. 3, East Carolina Oct. 5, Rice Oct. 17, Houston Oct. 19 and SMU Oct. 24.
The C-USA Championship will be hosted by the Rice Nov. 5-9, and this season's NCAA Tournament is scheduled to begin Nov. 14.
"Every weekend is important," said Cromwell. "We have to protect our home field, and when you go on the road, you have to play hard and hope for the best because our away schedule is very difficult."
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 Women's Soccer ScheduleAug. 16 - at USF (scrimmage) - 4 p.m.Aug. 22 - at Florida State - 7 p.m.Aug. 29 - at Florida - 7 p.m.Aug. 31 - Hartford - 1 p.m.Sept. 5 - at Pacific - 10 p.m.Sept. 7 - at UC Davis - 3 p.m.Sept. 12 - Illinois State - 7 p.m.Sept. 14 - Illinois - 12 p.m.Sept. 19 - Kansas - 7 p.m.Sept. 26 - at UAB - 8 p.m.Sept. 28 - at Memphis - 2 p.m.Oct. 3 - Marshall - 7 p.m.Oct. 5 - East Carolina - 1 p.m.Oct. 10 - at UTEP - 9 p.m.Oct. 12 - at Colorado College - 2 p.m.Oct. 17 - Rice - 7 p.m.Oct. 19 - Houston - 1 p.m.Oct. 24 - SMU - 7 p.m.Oct. 26 - at Tulsa - 2 p.m.Oct. 31 - at Southern Miss - 3 p.m.Nov. 5-9 - C-USA Championship - Hosted by RiceNov. 14 - NCAA Tournament BeginsAll Times Eastern