Sept. 9, 2009
By Jared Greenbaum
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The Knights are off to a 2-1-0 season start after motivation and a clear willingness to win led them to home victories against UNF and Georgia Southern last weekend. Aggressive play helped the Knights to a considerable shot advantage in both games, as they bounced back from a hard-fought 2-1 loss at No. 11 USF.
After 6 days off, UCF will be in action again on Saturday, traveling to play at Jacksonville at 7 p.m. The Knights will be home again to host the second UCF Fall Classic on Friday, September 18, at 7:30 p.m. against Houston Baptist.
Youth Movement: UCF started eight freshmen in the season opener at No. 11 USF, seven freshmen in the following game vs. UNF, and eight freshmen again at the most recent game against Georgia Southern. Three different freshmen have scored, including Jeffrey Simmons (Monroeville, Pa.), Nicholas Keown-Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) and Ben Hunt (Auckland, New Zealand).
Gathering Goals: With six goals in three games, UCF has over a third of its 2008 total (16). It took the Knights' seven games to reach six goals last season. The six UCF goals have been scored by five different players, including three freshmen and four newcomers.
Shot Surplus: UCF has taken 57 shots in three games. The total is nearly a third of the way to the team's entire total for the 2008 season (183). The team is averaging 19.0 shots per contest. The Knights have outshot their opponents 57-32. In 2008, UCF was outshot 358-183.
Statistically Speaking: Gianni Piccoletti (Bariloche, Argentina) is not afraid to fire the ball at the net. Piccoletti tallied six shots and three shots on goal against USF, three shots and one shot on goal against UNF, and most recently posted two shots and a goal against Georgia Southern. With 11 shots, he is tied for second in Conference USA.
Advantage in the Corner: UCF has a 24-10 edge in corner kicks this season. Last season, the Knights had just 64 corner kicks all season compared to 124 for their foes.
Honor Roll: Strong individual performances have garnered accolades for some of the Knights players this season. A list of the honors and awards received thus far are below:
?Pre-Season C-USA All-Conference Team: Kevan George (Aug. 19)
?Bright House Student Athlete of the Week: Jeffrey Simmons (Sept. 8)
League Leader: In the early recording of statistics, UCF has fared well in many categories. As a team, The Knights are first in C-USA in shots (57) and tied for first in goals (6), assists (7) and corner kicks (24). Individually, several Knights are among the league leaders. Robson is tied for firsts in assists with two and tied for third in points (4). Simmons, who scored in his first two college games, is tied for third in goals. Redshirt freshman Shawn Doyle (Ft. Myers, Fla.) leads the league in saves with 14.
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.