Aug. 22, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - A wild 2007 season for the UCF women's soccer team ended with a 15-4-4 record, a Conference USA title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. It will be hard to top that success, but the Knights will certainly try when they begin the 2008 campaign Sunday at No. 4 Florida State at 1 p.m.
The match was originally slated for Friday night in Tallahassee, but Tropical Storm Fay forced the change of plans.
If UCF hopes to have another memorable year, its offense might be the sparkplug in that journey. In all, the Black and Gold returns its top nine points scorers, as well as two other players who had at least two points each. The junior class leads the way with the top four offensive performers in Courtney Whidden, Yvonne George, Becca Thomas and Brianna Schooley.
Whidden accumulated 13 goals as a sophomore, with many of them set up by Thomas who had 11 assists overall. Meanwhile, George broke out with 21 points and Schooley racked up 15 points, including four game-winning goals.
Preseason All-C-USA Team members Hanna Wilde and Nikki Moore also will provide some activity from their midfield and back spots, respectively. Wilde scored four goals with three assists last season, and Moore added a goal and six helpers.
One area to watch will be the keeper in net. In 2007, Jennifer Manis played every minute for the Knights en route to being named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. To fill that role, redshirt freshman Aline Reis, senior Jessie Gardner and junior transfer Lynzee Lee may all see time between the pipes.
On the Florida State side, the Seminoles are ranked as high as No. 4 in the country and are coming off a runner-up performance in the NCAA College Cup. They completed 2007 with an 18-6-3 mark and tied for second in the ACC. FSU may have lost Hermann Trophy award winner Mami Yamaguchi to the professional ranks, but it still returns sophomore Sanna Talonen, who had 18-6--42 totals as a freshman, and both keepers as well.
In the all-time series, FSU leads, 6-2-1. However, UCF erased a 3-1 halftime deficit in Orlando last season for a 3-3 draw. Wilde scored the equalizer in the 87th minute in front of 956 fans at the UCF Soccer Complex.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.