Oct. 5, 2010
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO (UCFAthletics.com) - Sometimes the toughest failures come before the greatest success, moments that test the resolve but ultimately pave the way for a program to climb to new heights.
That's certainly been the case for UCF's men's soccer team, which suffered a stunning setback at UMass three weeks ago, but managed to rebound with a three-game win streak and a landmark victory against fifth-ranked SMU this past Saturday night.
At 6-2 overall, 3-0 at home and 2-0 in Conference USA play, UCF has definitively announced itself as a promising program on the rise. When the Knights beat SMU on Spencer Scott's goal in the 66th minute, it was the Knights' first win against a Top 10 team in program history. And it showed that UCF's solid start to the season is no fluke and that it is a team now of reaching all of its goals.
``I think it pretty much shows everybody that we can beat any team out there on a given day,'' said sophomore Nik Robson, who is tied for third in the country in goals (seven) and ranks fourth nationally in points per game (2.25).
But before UCF started this stirring three-game winning streak heading into tonight's showdown Florida International (4-4, 0-1), there was a moment of tremendous heartbreak. And as it turned out, it was a moment that let head coach Bryan Cunningham know that this season would be different because of UCF's ability to bounce back.
Back on Sept. 17, UCF led UMass 1-0 on a goal by Robson in the 53rd minute. But what looked like a sure victory slipped away when the Knights allowed a goal 90 seconds later and then surrendered the loser in the final 40 seconds of play.
With a game two days later at Army, Cunningham was eager to see how his squad would respond. Much to his delight, UCF rallied from down a goal to beat Army 2-1 and hasn't lost since. And the crowning achievement, of course, was Saturday's defeat of previously unbeaten SMU.
``It all started for us with that loss at UMass. We felt pretty humbled to not just tie the match, but to lose with 40 seconds to go,'' Cunningham said. ``We wanted that win. And then to come out at Army and be down a goal and only on a day's rest and then win that game that really is a moment we can look at later in the season as a time that really helped us.''
As evidence of just how much effect one loss can have on a program, UCF senior Yaro Bacher and Robson said the Knights' players mentioned the last-minute UMass loss in the final seconds of Saturday's upset of SMU.
``When (SMU) had a free kick in the last minute, we were all saying, `This isn't UMass, boys!' We learned from that loss and we shut them off in the last minute,'' Robson said.
Added Bacher: ``That UMass loss was tough and we've had that happen to us a few times in the past. That loss brought us back to reality and it made us tougher. ... I think we've always had the feeling that we could beat anybody, but against SMU was the first time that we came out and proved it to the rest of the country. We put a full 90 minutes together and showed how good we can be.''
Cunningham has resisted the thoughts of thinking about how good the Knights can be, instead insisting that the team stick to the one game at a time mantra. But the numbers clearly show how dominant UCF has been so far. Among C-USA teams, UCF ranks fourth in goals per game (2.25), second in assists (2.12), second in goals against average (0.74) and third in shutouts (three).
Cunningham, who is in his fourth season as UCF's coach, is leery of placing too many expectations on this Knights team because it is loaded with mostly with underclassmen. UCF has only three seniors (Camilo Rendon, Josh Andone and Bacher), and its four top scorers are two sophomores (A.J. Nelson and Robson) and two juniors (Cameron Cooksey and Scott). And goalie Shawn Doyle, who had three shutouts and just six goals allowed all season, is a redshirt sophomore who transferred from NC State.
``We didn't do as well as we thought we would last year, but a lot of young kids played and at one time we were starting nine freshmen last year,'' Cunningham recalled. ``So you come back this year and they got the experience from a lot of one-goal games (last season). And the spring schedule really propelled us to the fall by playing the U.S. National Team and four professional teams.''
Robson, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, was UCF's leading scorer a year ago as a freshman and he came back even better this season after a summer of working for hours on his ball skills with both feet. Robson, a 6-foot-1, 170-pounder, has a distinct swagger about him and he backs it up on the pitch. He already has seven goals - one fewer than all of last season in 16 games - and he's added four assists for 18 total points.
``Over the summer I don't think there's anyone who worked as hard as I did,'' said Robson, who previously played for New Zealand's Under-20 National Team. ``I went back to New Zealand and I just worked every day. And I know the way to practice that other people don't. And I worked on my mental game. I'm using that now and it's helping me.''
As UCF responded favorably earlier this season to its toughest victory, Cunningham is now eager to see how the Knights handle their biggest triumph. Beating SMU was a historic moment for the program, and Cunningham wants the Knights to follow it up tonight with a solid showing against FIU.
``SMU hadn't lost a match yet, they were on a major high and back to where they used to be in the Top 5 and having a full head of steam, so that win was good for our players. From the very first whistle we were ready to play and we took control of the game and won,'' he said. ``We always talk about building blocks and that was a big one for us. You're always looking for that piece of the puzzle that makes everything come together and we think that was it for us. And it all leads up to the match against FIU, which is even more important now to validate the SMU win.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.