Oct. 1, 2010
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
| UCF at Memphis Oct. 1, 2010 |
| From Memphis, Tenn. | |||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 1OT | 2OT | F |
| UCF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Memphis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
UCF Goals: Tishia Jewell (89th min)
MEM Goals: Alena Strnadova (11th min)
In Net
UCF: Aline Reis - 110:00 min, 1 GA, 7 SV
MEM: Jordan Boyle - 110:00 min, 1 GA, 2 SV
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - In a rematch of last year's Conference USA Championship title match, the No. 18 UCF women's soccer team got a goal in the 89th minute from sophomore Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) to earn a 1-1 draw at Memphis Friday. The Knights' C-USA regular-season undefeated streak stayed alive at 12 matches (11-0-1), while they moved their 2010 record to 7-2-2 overall and 2-0-1 in league play.
"There is a little satisfaction in getting the tie on the road against a team like Memphis, especially after we had to play behind and score late," said head coach Amanda Cromwell. "But we were playing to win, we went to a 3-4-3 in the last 10 minutes and after we scored we wanted to keep going. Both teams had chances to win it in overtime too. I can't say enough about Christina Petrucco, Ashley Nicol and Marissa Diggs on the backline when we changed the formation. And Aline Reis came up big on some crosses, flew over bodies and grabbed Memphis' corner kick in the last minute of overtime. We now have to recover and get ready for UAB."
UCF, which stands at 3-0-2 in their last five matches this season, had dropped its previous three decisions to the Tigers (7-3-1, 1-1-1) until Friday night. Memphis was nationally-ranked for the majority of 2010 before falling to UTEP last weekend, and in 2009 it joined the Knights as the two C-USA programs which reached the NCAA Tournament.
Friday marked the third-consecutive match in Memphis that the two schools needed overtime as the Knights are now 3-0-1 all-time on the Tigers' home field.
Jewell's goal was her sixth of the year, and she has scored at least one goal in three of her last four matches. The forward has a team-high 17 points in 2010 after a freshman campaign where she posted just four points on four assists.
"Tishia definitely made an impact and was a handful for Memphis," said Cromwell. "It's been hard to contain her all year, and she opened up a lot of chances for others tonight. Every time she finishes her confidence grows. Kim Newsome also created a lot of havoc, as did Nicolette Radovcic and Amanda Martorana. Stacie Hubbard did return to the lineup but we were without defenders Lauren Halbert and Sokhara Goodall so we didn't have as much depth tonight."
Reis, who already ranks third all-time at UCF with 224-career saves, racked up seven saves vs. the Tigers highlighted by three in the first overtime period. UCF and Memphis both completed the evening with 14 shots, while the Black and Gold held an 8-4 cushion in corner kicks.
Memphis got on the board early in the first half to take a 1-0 lead on an Alena Strnadova header in the 11th minute. The home team would take the first three shots and have one corner kick before the Black and Gold finally started to put some pressure on the Tigers' backline in the 23rd minute. The Knights fired off six-unanswered shots with four corner kicks to complete the half, however both teams entered the break with Memphis still clinging to a 1-0 advantage.
Each team generated chances in the second half, and Reis was able to stop both shots Memphis put on goal to keep UCF close. Yet the Knights' attack was held to one shot on goal until Jewell gave UCF new life with time running out following a ball sent over by Hubbard. Even though her initial shot was knocked away, Jewell secured the rebound and this time hit the back of the net with 1:50 showing on the clock.
With both teams now searching for the victory, Memphis outshot UCF in the two overtime sessions, 5-3, only to have Reis ensure that the Knights would escape Tennessee with one point in the C-USA standings.
The Knights will be staying on the road to finish the weekend as they travel to UAB for a Sunday showdown at 3 p.m. ET.