Sept. 20, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Freshman Nicholas Robson (Auckland, NewZealand) had an assist and the game-winning goal as UCF (3-2-1) rallied for a 2-1 victory over visiting Manhattan (1-5-1) Sunday afternoon at the UCF Soccer Complex. The game was the finale of the UCF Fall Classic, which was won by FAU with a 1-0-1 record.
The Knights put constant pressure on the Manhattan defense, firing 27 shots during the game. The 27 shots matches the sixth-highest total ever at the UCF Soccer Complex and the most for a UCF team at home since Oct. 7, 2006.
"We talked to the players about being resilient and coming out today playing hard," said head coach Bryan Cunningham. "It was going to require a lot of hard work today dealing with a feisty Manhattan team."
In the second half, Robson broke a 1-1 tie with a crafty goal in the 56th minute, taking a through ball from freshman Eduardo Jiminez (Miami, Fla.) at the top of the box and dribbling past the keeper to an open net for his second goal of the season. It was the first career assist for Jiminez.
"We just had talked about at halftime that the keeper was committing too much so I just faked a shot and was able to slide it into the back of the net," said Robson. "We were not happy with our performance on Friday, but we came out and did well today after that loss."
After going down 1-0 early in the game, another pair of freshmen connected for the equalizer in the 30th minute. Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) sent a corner kick to the back side of the goal, and Ben Hunt (Auckland, New Zealand) fired a short shot into the net. It was Hunt's second marker of the season and Robson's team-leading third assist.
The Knights found themselves in an early hole for the second-straight game when Stephen Van Rossem got the ball at his feet in the box and scored a goal in the second minute.
The first half was all UCF after the Jaspers' goal as the Knights held a 10-4 shot edge and a 5-1 edge in corner kicks going into halftime.
Freshman keeper Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.) made four saves to earn the victory in goal for the Knights.
UCF travels to Boca Raton on Wednesday to face FAU at 7 p.m. The Knights do not return home until Sunday, Oct. 4, when they host South Carolina at 2:30 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.
2009 UCF Men's Soccer Game Summary
Manhattan vs UCF (Sep 20, 2009 at Orlando, Fla.)
Manhattan (1-5-1) vs. UCF (3-2-1)
Date: Sep 20, 2009 Attendance: 265
Weather: clear, breezy, 80s
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
Manhattan..................... 1 0 - 1
UCF......................... 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 1:25 MAN Van Rossem, Stephen (1) (Holihan, Chris;Russell, Sean) - free ball into box, touch to goal in close
2. 29:03 UCF HUNT, Benjamin (2) (ROBSON, Nik) - corner to far post, second effort past keeper
3. 55:15 UCF ROBSON, Nik (2) (JIMENEZ, Eduardo) - through ball, beat keeper one on one to open net
Shots: Manhattan 12, UCF 27
Saves: Manhattan 7 (Lorenz, Joseph 7), UCF 4 (Doyle, Shawn 4)
Corner Kicks: Manhattan 2, UCF 12
Fouls: Manhattan 17, UCF 7