Aug. 28, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - An eventful weekend is in store for the No. 29 UCF women's soccer team as it travels to No. 19 Florida Friday at 8 p.m. and hosts Hartford in the home-opener Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans heading to Gainesville should note the time change since the match with the Gators was originally scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Admission to Sunday's contest against the Hawks at the UCF Soccer Complex is free.
The Knights had a difficult task when they opened the season Monday at No. 4 Florida State. Even though they dropped a 5-0 decision, head coach Amanda Cromwell said the team committed some mistakes that should be correctable. She also acknowledged that redshirt freshman Aline Reis played well in goal and will likely get the start Friday.
Sitting at No. 29 in the national rankings, this week marks the third-straight Soccer Buzz poll that listed the Knights in the top 30. UCF finished the 2007 season at No. 30 before entering the first two polls of 2008 at No. 29. Meanwhile, Florida and UCF sit No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, in the Soccer Buzz Southeast rankings.
Gainesville served as the site of the two programs' previous meeting, as then-No. 6 Florida and unranked UCF tied 0-0 in the NCAA Tournament Second Round with the Gators advancing on penalty kicks. Overall, UF leads the series 9-1-1.
Florida already claims a 1-0-1 record this season with both matches on the road. It traveled to Boulder Aug. 22 and played Colorado to a 1-1 draw, then edged Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton Aug. 24, 2-1 in overtime. The Gators have been outshot 33-20 during those matches.
Hartford also sits at 1-0-1, tying Central Connecticut State, 0-0, Aug. 22 and cruising past Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-0, two days later. The Hawks, who own the reigning America East Rookie of the Week in attacker Breeanna Robinson, will take on Stetson on Friday before heading to Orlando. UCF has only faced Hartford once, grabbing a 4-0 victory in Connecticut in 1991.
UCF owns a 6-1-0 record in its last seven home openers, including a 2-1 win against UNLV last year.
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.