Sept. 30, 2009
By Jared Greenbaum
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Leading Conference USA in corner kicks, firing 117 shots in eight games and tallying over two-thirds of the goal total last year in less than half the current season, it is safe to say that the Knights have made a solid improvement to their offensive game. Aggressive play has helped the UCF men's soccer team to a midseason 3-3-2 record, with all three of the losses occuring by just a single goal.
After a week absent of games, UCF will be in action again on Sunday, hosting South Carolina in a C-USA match at 2:30 p.m. The October 4 game will start a series of very important games for the Knights, who will play seven of the remaining eight games within their conference.
New Zealanders in the Lead: UCF is currently led in points by freshman Nicholas Keown-Robson (Auckland, New Zealand), who has recorded three goals and three assists on the season for a total of nine points. Tied for second with three others is freshman Ben Hunt (Auckland, New Zealand), who has found the back of the net twice for a total of four points.
Gathering Goals: With 11 goals in eight games, UCF has approximately 70% of its 2008 total (16) in only half of its 2009 season. The 11 UCF goals have been scored by six different players, including three freshmen, two returning sophomores, and four newcomers.
Shot Surplus: UCF has taken 117 shots in eight games. The total is nearly two-thirds of the way to the team's entire total for the 2008 season (183). The team is averaging over 14 shots per contest and has outshot their opponents 117-77. In 2008, UCF was outshot 358-183.
Old Face, New Statistics: After his transition to midfielder, sophomore Spencer Scott (Palm City, Fla.) has scored one goal and tallied two assists on the season, in comparison to the absence of either of those stats last year. Scott has played in all eight games thus far, and has already doubled his shot attempts from the previous season.
Increase in Assists: The Knights have registered 13 assists on the season, passing last season's total of ten. Four UCF players are top ten on the leaderboard for assists in C-USA, including Nicholas Keown-Robson, Andrew Quintana (Miami, Fla.), Yaron Bacher (Atlanta, Ga.) and Spencer Scott.
Advantage in the Corner: UCF has a 57-21 edge in corner kicks this season, and currently leads C-USA in total corner kicks and average corner kicks per game.
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.