Oct. 11, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (ucfathletics.com) - Sophomore Yaron Bacher (Atlanta, Ga.) picked a perfect time to score his first UCF goal as his tally in the 17th minute enabled the men's soccer team to defeat UAB, 1-0, Saturday at the UCF Soccer Complex. Classmate Sean Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) secured his fourth shutout of the year to help the Knights stay near the top of the Conference USA standings at 3-1-0 and 6-5-0 overall.
"The guys were resilient, hung in there for the entire 90 minutes and we came away with a nice win," said head coach Bryan Cunningham. "(After the UCF red card in the 69th minute) nothing changes. You still have to work extremely hard and compensate for the lack of a player. We did that, and we had some great leadership in the back with Bryan Collier and Ryan Roushandel. They settled the guys down and Sean did a great job as well for us."
Johnson now has six shutouts in two seasons for the Knights, while his 2008 save total jumped to 59 in 11 matches played. After being outshot 8-6 in the opening half, UAB (4-6-2, 1-2-0) completed its evening with a 15-8 lead in shots.
Some dazzling offensive moves by freshman Chris Feigenbaum (Fayetteville, Ga.) helped lead to the only goal of the match in the 17th minute. After Feigenbaum ripped off a low liner that UAB keeper Wes Johnson was able to tip wide, the Knights received a corner and took advantage.
Freshman Kyle Ellis (Bear, Del.) delivered the corner and it eventually went off a couple of bodies and over to Bacher. Seeing a wide open right side of the net, he picked his spot and placed a shot far post and into the mesh.
"When I saw the opening I just had a go at it," said Bacher, who is in his first season with the Black and Gold. "I was supposed to run short (off the corner), that's what coach tells me to do all of the time. And I saw they had that blocked off. When the ball popped out, I felt like my luck was going to turn and I was going to get a goal."
Bacher entered the match as the team-leader in shots, and finished Saturday's contest with a game-high four attempts.
The Knights finished the first half with six shots on goal but witnessed Wes Johnson record five saves to keep UAB close at 1-0.
Sean Johnson proved to be a tough task to handle for the Blazers the rest of the way, and the netminder made one of his best saves of the year with just less than 29 minutes remaining, punching away a point-blank attempt by Two-Boys Gumede. UAB had 10 corner kicks in the final stanza but the UCF defense remained strong and did not allow the Blazers a good look at the equalizer.
UCF's three-match homestand continues with a non-conference battle against in-state foe USF. The contest will get underway Tuesday at 7 p.m. 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.
Postgame Notes
UAB (4-6-2, 1-2-0) - 0
UCF (6-5-0, 3-1-0) - 1
Goals: UCF Yaron Bacher (1) 17th
-On Bacher's first goal of the year, Kevan George earned an assist. It was the freshman's first career helper.
-UCF has already surpassed its win total from last year, and Saturday's victory matched its output from the 2006 campaign. The Knights still have six regular-season matches left in the regular season.
-All four of Sean Johnson's shutouts this year were by 1-0 margins.
-The Knights are all alone in second place in the C-USA standings with a 3-1-0 record. They only trail 4-0-0 Tulsa, and those teams meet in Oklahoma Oct. 18.