Sept. 17, 2009
By Jared Greenbaum
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - On Friday, the UCF men's soccer team will play host to its second UCF Fall Classic of the season. UCF, Houston Baptist, FAU and Manhattan are all set to play two games each. Manhattan is matched up against FAU on Friday at 5 p.m. UCF will follow at 7:30 p.m. against Houston Baptist. On Sunday, FAU will play Houston Baptist at 11 a.m., and UCF will close out its second Fall Classic against Manhattan at 1 p.m. All games will be played at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The Knights were successful in their first Fall Classic two weeks ago, winning both games. UCF outshot its opponents a combined 42-17 in the two games against UNF and Georgia Southern, and is hoping to continue the aggressive play on its opponent's half of the field.
Most recently, UCF played to a 0-0 draw against Jacksonville, a game that was shortened by inclement weather and considerably unplayable conditions. UCF coach Bryan Cunningham noted that it was a strong display of soccer by both teams, and "unfortunately in the end the weather won tonight." The Knights recorded nine shots in their 71 minutes of play, and Gianni Piccoletti (Bariloche, Argentina) tallied three shots, lifting him to a team-high 14 on the season. Another statistical standout was goalkeeper Shawn Doyle (Ft. Myers, Fla.), who registered three saves and his first collegiate shutout.
UCF will play its first game of the Fall Classic on Friday against Houston Baptist, which is 2-3-0 after the initial games of its regular season. The Knights have never faced the Huskies before, so Friday's match will be the two teams' first meeting in the history of each program.
Prior to the UCF-Houston Baptist game, Manhattan will face FAU. Manhattan has gone 1-4-0 in regular season play, and is recently coming off a last-minute loss to Richmond. FAU is now 2-2-0 on the season after falling 1-0 to Stetson.
2009 UCF FALL CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, September 18
Match 1 - Manhattan vs. FAU - 5 p.m.
Match 2 - UCF vs. Houston Baptist - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20
Match 3 - FAU vs. Houston Baptist - 11 a.m.
Match 4 - UCF vs. Manhattan - 1 p.m.
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.