Oct. 23, 2009
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
DALLAS, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - A second-half goal by junior Kim Newsome was all the No. 11 UCF women's soccer team needed to defeat SMU on the road, 1-0, Friday in Dallas, Texas. It was the Knights' seventh-straight victory as they stretched their record to 13-3-1 overall and a league-best 8-1-0 in Conference USA.
The winning streak is now the Knights' longest since the 2003 season, while they have eight conference victories for the first time since 2005.
Sophomore goalkeeper Aline Reis accumulated four saves vs. the Mustangs (5-10-1, 3-5-1) for her fifth shutout of the year and her 11th in two seasons as a Knight.
Overall, UCF outshot SMU, 15-9, with corner kicks an even 4-4.
Although the Mustangs had a pair of early corner kicks in the first half, UCF controlled the action for most of the opening period. The Knights pressured the SMU defense by getting the ball in the box on several occasions but could not get on the scoreboard, as Mustang keeper Courtney Webb stopped all four UCF shots on net.
The offense continued to work when halftime came to a close, and eventually a corner kick with 35 minutes remaining proved to end the 0-0 draw. Taking the corner, senior Becca Thomas put one perfectly on the far right side for Newsome, who headed it in for her second goal of the year.
It was Thomas' sixth assist in 2009, giving her 27 in her career and moving the midfielder into a tie for sixth on UCF's all-time assist chart.
The goal would end up being the difference as the Black and Gold never allowed SMU to have a good look at the net the rest of the way.
The Knights will wrap up the regular-season road schedule when they meet Tulsa Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. They will return to Orlando for UCF's final home match Friday, Oct. 30, against Southern Miss at 7 p.m.
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.
Postgame Notes
No. 11 UCF (13-3-1, 8-1-0) - 1
SMU (5-10-1, 3-5-1) - 0
Goals: UCF Kim Newsome (2) 55th
-The Knights' longest winning streak in program history is 12 matches set during the 1987 Final Four season.
-The win was UCF's third-straight one-goal victory, and the first 1-0 triumph since defeating USF Sept. 13.
-UCF improved to 5-3-0 all-time against the Mustangs.
-A total of 10 different Knights registered at least one shot in the match.