Sept. 17, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Bringing a 5-1-1 record into its final non-conference match of the season, the No. 17 UCF women's soccer team will travel to No. 12 South Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. The Gamecocks will be the fourth school the Knights will have faced this season that is ranked in the top 12 in the country.
UCF currently is 2-1-0 vs. top-10 teams, and this week's clash with USC might not be the final time it squares off with a ranked opponent. The Black and Gold kicks off the Conference USA schedule at home Sept. 25 vs. UAB and Sept. 27 vs. Memphis. Both of those programs, along with Colorado College which the Knights host Oct. 11, all have been in the top 25 at one point this year.
The Knights are coming off 1-0 victories over No. 4 Florida State and USF, and performances by senior forward Courtney Whidden and sophomore keeper Aline Reis helped the pair sweep the C-USA weekly awards. In all, Reis along with senior netminder Lynzee Lee have not allowed a goal since defeating No. 10 Duke Aug. 30. That is a stretch of 400:05 minutes.
Fans that missed this week's edition of UCF SportsKnight on television can check it out online at UCF.TV. The show hosted by UCF's own Jeff Sharon went behind the scenes with the Knights, including putting a mic on head coach Amanda Cromwell during their overtime win over FSU. The show is available by heading to UCF.TV and clicking on Original Programs.
As a team this year, the points have been spread around in 2009 as 16 of the 20 Knights who have seen action all have at least one point this season, led by Whidden's total of nine.
South Carolina has climbed up the polls for a reason, as it claims a perfect 6-0-0 record and has not allowed a goal all year. Those victories include matches against College of Charleston, Western Carolina, Louisville, Cincinnati, Clemson and UNC Wilmington. Overall they have outscored the competition 18-0 and allowed 24 shots on goal.
It will be the first meeting between UCF and South Carolina. The Gamecocks did head to Orlando for the 2007 UCF Invitational but the two programs never met on the pitch.
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.