Oct. 2, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's soccer team gets deep into the Conference USA schedule this weekend when it welcomes Marshall to town Friday at 7 p.m. as well as East Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches feature free admission to the UCF Soccer Complex, while the first 300 fans will receive a complimentary women's soccer C-USA Champions poster. There also will be a free autograph signing following the match.
A total of 10 of the 12 teams in C-USA split matches on the opening weekend, with East Carolina the only team to survive with a 2-0-0 league record. A strong showing by the Knights (6-3-1, 1-1-0) this weekend could help them jump into first place in the league standings.
UCF took down preseason C-USA favorite Memphis last weekend two days after suffering a loss at UAB. It is still receiving votes in two of the four major polls this week.
Three different Knights have collected at least seven points, with junior Becca Thomas (Burlington, Wash.) leading the way with four goals for eight points. Meanwhile, junior Yvonne George (Winter Springs, Fla.) and freshman Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) each have 2-3--7 totals. Standing tall in net, freshman Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) now has 52 saves, four shutouts and a 1.55 goals-against average.
Marshall also has a 1-1-0 record in C-USA, edging Houston, 2-1, before falling to Rice, 3-1. Overall, the Thundering Herd boasts a 3-3-4 mark with non-conference victories over St. Bonaventure and Mount St. Mary's. As a team, the Herd has outshot opponents 160-104 and has almost doubled up teams in corner kicks, 60-32. Sophomore Erika Duncan will be the player to watch for the Knights, as she has scored six goals and taken 30 shots this year.
For East Carolina, it blanked both Rice and Houston in the opening C-USA weekend to help get its overall record to 7-3-0 with two of those losses coming by just one goal. The Pirate offense has not scored more than two goals in a match this year, but has only given up two or more goals twice. Thirteen different players have notched at least two points, paced by freshman Amanda Malkiewicz who has two tallies and five helpers for nine points. Senior Amber Campbell has earned five shutouts en route to a 0.79 GAA.
This will be the second-straight year Marshall and ECU visit Orlando, as the Knights shut out both programs during the 2007 regular-season. However the win over the Pirates came with just 58 seconds left in double overtime as George tallied the game-winner.
The Black and Gold has never lost to either school, holding a 3-0-0 mark vs. the Thundering Herd and a 4-0-1 record against the Pirates.
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.