Aug. 20, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The 29th season of UCF women's soccer gets underway Friday when it hosts Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. Admission to all of the Knights' home matches is free, and fans will have the chance to pick up this year's poster and schedule card at the field as well.
UCF once again will be one of the favorites in Conference USA, putting a league-high four players on the C-USA Preseason Team as seniors Yvonne George, Becca Thomas and Nikki Moore along with sophomore goalkeeper Aline Reis were all named to the squad. Moore was voted as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Reis earned a spot on the Hermann Trophy Watch List, given out to the top soccer player in the country at the end of the year.
Completing the 2008 season with a 14-6-3 record, the Knights advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the second-straight campaign. They were nationally ranked during seven different weeks of the season, and from that team, they return eight of their 11 starters for 2009.
Dating back to its first year of competition in 1981, UCF holds a 16-11-1 record in season-openers, but has never played Florida Gulf Coast.
FGCU capped off 2008 by going 10-4-3, and should be even better this season as the Eagles lost only one starter. They outscored opponents 32-14, and both keepers, Kirsi Keenan and Stephanie Powers, combined to post a goals-against average of 0.79.
After taking on the Eagles, UCF heads out on a four-match road swing that starts with the Carolina Nike Classic next weekend. The Black and Gold will face No. 1 North Carolina Aug. 28 before meeting No. 14 Duke Aug. 30.
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.