Aug. 24, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's soccer team played its final tune-up for the 2008 regular season Sunday afternoon at the UCF Soccer Complex, playing a scoreless 90 minutes against visiting College of Charleston. The two teams also played a third 45-minute period with College of Charleston winning 2-1.
"They played excellent," head coach Bryan Cunningham said of his team's play. "We were able to give our first team a good run for the first 90 minutes, and we were able to score a great goal. We really looked good on the things we have worked on this past week despite the weather we have faced."
A physical opening half saw 20 combined fouls and two yellow cards handed out to the visiting Cougars. UCF had the first good scoring opportunity early in the period, but senior Chris Andaur's shot sailed high over the crossbar.
After a UCF foul in the box, sophomore keeper Sean Johnson made the play of the half, diving to his right to save a penalty kick from College of Charleston's Casey Gold.
"Sean is well-versed and has some great experience," Cunningham said. "Penalty kicks can go either way, and Sean reacted and made a great save. He had a good year last year playing every minute of every game. His hard work over the summer has paid off, and his leadership and experience are really helping us."
The second half was more of the same, with both teams continuing to play strong defense. In the 80th minute, UCF threatened with a breakaway. Freshman Zach Bove found senior Bryan Collier making a run up the middle of the field. Collier had a one-on-one with keeper Brendan Smith, who was able to deflect the shot away.
The two teams remained scoreless for the remainder of the half, ending the 90 minutes in a scoreless tie. Johnson made five saves in goal for the Knights, while Smith stopped seven for the Cougars.
Both teams fired 12 shots in the contest, with the Knights outshooting College of Charleston 9-7 in the second half.
The two coaches decided to play a third period to get more playing time for their deep rosters. Freshman Andres Marmol got UCF on the scoreboard first, depositing a shot from 15 yards into the back of the net in the 21st minute, beating the Cougars' keeper to the far post.
College of Charleston answered 10 minutes later to tie the period 1-1. Kareem Yearwood was on the tail end of two effective passes from Wes Knight and Zach Prince. Yearwood flipped a shot over the keeper for the equalizer.
With just under a minute to play, Zach Prince sent a rocket into the back of the net to give the visitors a one-goal advantage in the last period.
"The team has progressed tremendously through the preseason," Cunningham stated. "We talked to them after the game about how they have really grown as a team and really grown into the tactics. Our young guys have adapted to the college game pretty quickly, and we are excited about playing Penn State next Friday night."
UCF gets the 2008 season underway with five consecutive games away from their home field. The Knights open the season against two Big Ten opponents at the Ohio State Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic in Columbus, Ohio. The squad begins with a 5:00 p.m. tilt against Penn State on Friday, August 29. Two days later, UCF will square off against the host Buckeyes, ranked ninth in the NSCAA/adidas preseason poll, at 2:30 p.m.
All home matches at the UCF Soccer Complex are free to the public this season. The Knights will have a total of seven games on their home field, including the opener against Memphis on Saturday, September 20, at 7:00 p.m.
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.