Jan. 28, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's soccer season may have wrapped up in November, but it still was well represented on the annual Soccer Buzz awards list. Juniors Nikki Moore (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Becca Thomas (Burlington, Wash.) along with freshman Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) all received honors by the organization on Wednesday.
In 2008, the Knights posted a 14-6-3 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the second-consecutive season. It was the 22nd time in 28 years that the program collected at least 10 victories, as well as the seventh time in 10 seasons under head coach Amanda Cromwell that UCF finished with 14 wins or more.
A major reason for the Black and Gold's success was freshman goalkeeper Reis, who was already named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American, UCF's first since 1995. On Wednesday, Reis was tabbed as a Soccer Buzz Freshman All-America Fourth Team and All-Southeast Region Freshman Team member. She was a four-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honoree during the year, and completed her campaign with a 13-6-3 record, 107 saves and a .793 save percentage.
Securing a nod to the Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Second Team, Moore had a major influence in the Knights' defense as well. The defender was an All-C-USA First Team and NSCAA All-Southeast Region selection after starting all 23 games and guiding the Knights to eight team shutouts. Moore also tallied two assists during the season.
A Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region Third Team pick, Thomas once again served as an instrumental figure in the Knights' lineup in 2008 en route to being voted onto the All-C-USA First Team and the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Team. She finished her season with five goals and six assists for 16 points, and was fourth in C-USA with three game-winners.
The 2008 campaign marked the seventh occasion UCF had at least two players grab a spot on the Soccer Buzz all-region squads.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to 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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
UCF's Soccer Buzz 2008 Awards
Freshman All-America Fourth Team
Aline Reis, Fr., GK
All-Southeast Second Team
Nikki Moore, Jr., D
All-Southeast Third Team
Becca Thomas, Jr., MF
All-Southeast Freshman Team
Aline Reis, Fr., GK