Oct. 28, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF (6-6-2, 2-4-0 C-USA) forced overtime with a late goal by freshman Nicholas Robson (Auckland, New Zealand), but visiting Kentucky (10-5-0, 3-3-0 C-USA) got a goal from Barry Rice with 34 seconds left in overtime to steal a 2-1 victory in Conference USA men's soccer action Wednesday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
Trailing late in the second half after a Kentucky goal in the 73rd minute, UCF responded with four quick substitutions, and one paid dividends just eight minutes later. A quick pass from sophomore Kevan George (Decatur, Ga.) found a streaking Ben Hunt (Auckland, New Zealand) down the left side. Hunt's cross found Robson, who flicked it past the keeper and off the post for the equalizer.
Robson's goal was his team-leading fifth of the season, with George tallying his third assist of his sophomore campaign.
"We were knocking the ball around nicely against a very good defensive team," said head coach Bryan Cunningham. "They are experienced and have an experienced goalkeeper who organizes everything for them well. Finally we started to get in on them, but unfortunately we didn't finish some chances and it came back to haunt us later on. Give credit to Kentucky, they kept fighting and were able to win the game in overtime. The loss stings, but we know what we are up against and the players have responded to that all season."
Freshman keeper Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.) had a strong game in net once again. One game after stopping a career-high nine shots, Doyle made eight saves in nearly 100 minutes Wednesday against the Wildcats, a team ranked as high as 13th nationally earlier in the season.
UCF returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Dallas to play at SMU at 8 p.m. ET. The Knights will then conclude their regular season on Nov. 7, hosting Tulsa at 7:30 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.
Soccer Game Summary (Final)
UK vs UCF (Oct 28, 2009 at Orlando, Fla.)
UK (10-5-0, 3-3-0 C-USA) vs. UCF (6-6-2, 2-4-0 C-USA)
Date: Oct 28, 2009 Attendance: 354
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85
Goals by period 1 2 OT Tot
UK.......................... 0 1 1 - 2
UCF........................ 0 1 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 72:54 UK Mark Lavery (1) (Taylor White;Tim Crone) - quick counter, pass to shot from right side
2. 80:43 UCF ROBSON, Nik (5) (HUNT, Benjamin;GEORGE, Kevan) - cross from far side to flick past keeper
3. 99:26 UK Barry Rice (1) (Brad Walker) - short cross to header in close
Shots: UK 17, UCF 13
Saves: UK 4 (Dan Williams 4), UCF 9 (Doyle, Shawn 8; TEAM 1)
Corner Kicks: UK 7, UCF 7
Fouls: UK 11, UCF 8
Offsides: UK 0, UCF 1