Oct. 12, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ucfathletics.com) - Sophomore defender Christina Petrucco (Plantation, Fla.) headed in a corner kick from junior Becca Thomas (Burlington, Wash.) with 2:17 remaining in the second overtime to lift the UCF women's soccer team past host Colorado College, 2-1, Sunday. Petrucco's first-career goal enabled the Knights to improve to 3-1-2 in Conference USA and 8-3-3 for the season.
"It was the second game of a long road weekend for us, and the wind and weather were a huge factor," said head coach Amanda Cromwell, who had to dress in layers on the sideline in Colorado Springs. "We gave up an early goal but responded very well. Tying it up before the half was extremely important. It wasn't the prettiest of games, but for the conditions we played really well and created enough chances to win.
"And it was great to see Petrucco get that header at the end. We have a signal that Becca would go far post with the corner and it worked out to our advantage. The first goal was off of a corner too and Becca was able to find Hanna Wilde inside the 18. So corners were very dangerous for us today."
It was the third-straight overtime match for the Knights, which stayed undefeated in OT this year at 2-0-3. Senior Sarah de Leon (Lakewood, Wash.) also headed in a game-winner in overtime at Memphis Sept. 28.
Thomas, who led C-USA with 11 assists last year, set up both goals vs. Colorado College (10-4-1, 4-2-0, an affiliate member of C-USA) for her first two helpers of 2008. Meanwhile, Wilde's goal was her third of the season and 13th in her career. Freshman Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) helped the Knights remain tied leading up to the game-winner, making five saves on the afternoon, including two in the overtime periods.
Coming off a six-goal performance vs. Southern Miss Oct. 10, Colorado College sprung to life early vs. UCF Sunday by picking up a Kelly Lavoie marker 3:36 into the match. However, that did not affect the Knights. Almost always finding a way to score a goal at key moments of a match, Wilde took a pass from Thomas off a corner in the 29th minute and hit the mesh to tie it up at 1-1.
UCF hoped to notch the go-ahead score by maintaining possession for the next seven minutes before the Tigers were finally able to march down field for an eventual corner with six minutes left in the half. CC finished the stanza with a 3-2 edge in corners, but the Knights were ahead 7-4 in the shot department.
The UCF offense went back to work after the break, and once again came close to making it 2-1. In the 60th minute, senior Danielle Dos Santos broke away from the defense and had a one-on-one with the keeper on the right side, but witnessed her shot to the far post sail just wide.
In the first overtime, the Tigers rattled off six shots with two on target yet could not finish off the Knights. It appeared UCF would have to settle for its fourth tie when the seconds started ticking down in the second OT. But with one final corner in the 108th minute, the Thomas-Petrucco combination struck for the game-winner. Taking it on the left side, Thomas got the call to go far post, where Petrucco timed her leap perfectly and headed it over the goal line, causing the UCF bench to empty in celebration.
"We would have liked two wins on this trip, but we're definitely happy with a win and a tie on the road," said Cromwell. "We certainly look forward to playing Rice and Houston at home next weekend."
UCF returns to Orlando for its final three home games of the season, beginning with a Friday evening affair with Rice starting at 7 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.
Postgame Notes
UCF (8-3-3, 3-1-2) - 2
Colorado College (10-4-1, 4-2-0) - 1
Goals: CC Kelly Lavoie (5) 4th, UCF Hanna Wilde (3) 29th, UCF Christina Petrucco (1) 108th
-UCF is now undefeated in its last five matches at 3-0-2. It is the second-straight time the Knights have posted an unbeaten streak of at least five games.
-UCF typically plays in temperatures in the mid-80s. However, game-time temperature was around 56 degrees.
-The three-straight overtime games marked the first time since the 2006 season the Knights played three-consecutive OT matches.
-Colorado College owned a 20-15 edge in shots, but UCF was ahead, 9-7, in corners.
-Becca Thomas came off the bench to post a game-high four shots, three on goal.
-The UCF win was important for the RPI standings, as the Knights were No. 26 entering the week and Colorado College came in at No. 38.