Oct. 24, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Sophomore Lauren Halbert scored the match's only goal in the first half while freshman Aline Reis posted nine saves to guide the UCF women's soccer team (10-4-3, 5-2-2) to a 1-0 shutout of SMU (5-11-1, 3-6-0) Friday at the UCF Soccer Complex. The victory came on senior night, as Danielle Dos Santos, Sarah de Leon, Jessie Gardner and Hanna Wilde were all able to witness a `W' in their final home game as Knights.
"It was a must win so right now it's more of relief than excitement," said head coach Amanda Cromwell, whose team remains near the top of the Conference USA standings. "We fought well and created a lot of chances. In the first half, our big thing was we weren't getting a lot of shots on goal, but a lot of them were wide and low which is what we have been working on. And Lauren came in and got that goal as our `Super Sub.'
"I thought Danielle and Hanna were very dangerous. Hanna was cutting it up on the left flank and had a lot of good service in. Dani was in the right place but just couldn't get it in the back of the net. Sarah in the back played really well, and Jessie was coming off a start last week and played great for us (UCF defeated Houston, 6-0)."
With a 10-4-3 overall record, UCF has now posted double-digit victories in each of the last eight seasons. It also has collected at least 10 victories in nine of the 10 years under Cromwell.
Reis' nine-save performance was one shy of her season-high. It was her fifth shutout of her freshman campaign and the Knights' seventh overall in 2008. For Halbert, the goal was her second of the season, third of her career and first game-winner in a Black and Gold uniform. As a team, UCF outshot the Mustangs, 24-12, marking the sixth time in the last seven outings the Knights racked up 20 shots or more.
SMU did manage the first two shots on goal in the match, however dos Santos and Wilde, along with juniors Becca Thomas and Yvonne George, all eventually had great looks at the net but could get not one between the pipes.
The Knights continued to attack and delivered the first-half goal on their second corner of the evening. Taking it from the left corner, Thomas went far post where Halbert was waiting. From only three yards out, the ball struck Halbert's hip, deflected off keeper Courtney Webb and another SMU defender and traveled just inside the post for the 1-0 lead.
After outshooting SMU 10-6 in the opening frame, UCF came out after the break by posting a 14-6 advantage in the second half. While the Knights were hoping for some breathing room, it all came down to their backs of de Leon, Emily Maynard, Amaka Ofuani and Nikki Moore, who along with Reis were able to preserve the shutout.
UCF now concludes the regular season with a pair of road matches beginning Sunday at Tulsa at 2 p.m. ET.
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
SMU (5-11-1, 3-6-0) - 0
UCF (10-4-3, 5-2-2) - 1
Goals: UCF Lauren Halbert (2) 28th
- UCF improved its record to 12-0-1 in its last 13 regular-season home finales.
- The Knights now own a 4-3-0 series lead against SMU.
- UCF went 6-2-1 on its home surface in 2008.
- The corner kick advantage went to UCF which had eight attempts compared to SMU's one.
- It was UCF's fourth 1-0 victory of the year.
- Becca Thomas finished with five shots, while Danielle Dos Santos and Hanna Wilde each had four.
- Aline Reis has 78 saves on the season, which moves her into 10th place on the UCF single-season chart.