Oct. 1, 2009
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Ranked in the top-25 for the third-straight week, the No. 21 UCF women's soccer team hits the road to face Marshall Friday at 7 p.m. The Black and Gold (6-3-1, 1-1-0 Conference USA) will then meet East Carolina in Greenville Sunday at 1 p.m.
Along with owning a spot in the national rankings, the Knights are first in the Central Region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. The region consists of all teams from Conference USA and the Big 12.
Meanwhile, UCF is also No. 5 in the country in the latest unofficial RPI report released Sept. 28, which uses a formula similar to the one the NCAA puts together.
The Knights are coming off a weekend in which they went 1-1-0 with a 3-1 win over UAB and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Memphis. A total of 12 players have at least two points on the season, led by Courtney Whidden's 13 points on six goals and one assist.
Outshooting opponents 142-117, both the UCF offense and defense have been stepping it up in the second half in 2009. The Knights have amassed 79 shots in the final frame compared to 56 in the first half, while the combination of keepers Lynzee Lee and Aline Reis have made 31 of their 48 total saves in the second half.
Marshall has been on a roll since the season began, winning its first seven games which included posting shutouts in its first six. Even though the Thundering Herd lost to Western Kentucky Sept. 18, they came back to beat Houston and Rice in West Virginia to bring a 9-1-0 overall record and 2-0-0 mark in C-USA into this weekend's action. Marshall does not have a player with double-digit points, but has outshot teams 122-67 and keeper Liz Orton holds a 0.70 goals-against average.
East Carolina stands at 6-2-2 after splitting its first two C-USA contests, defeating Rice, 1-0, before falling to Houston, 2-1, which was its first loss at home this season. Bailey Wilcox and Amanda Malkiewicz each have 11 points for a team that has outscored the competition, 18-13. In net, Berit Hansen and Jen Kurowicki have played over 400 minutes apiece, posting a combined 1.22 GAA.
UCF has never lost to either program, holding a 4-0-0 mark vs. the Thundering Herd and a 4-0-2 record against the Pirates.
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.