Oct. 12, 2010
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By Jared Greenbaum
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - A three-game homestand turned into a three-game sweep for the UCF men's soccer team last week. The Knights, who began the week unranked, handed previously unbeaten No. 5 SMU its first loss of the season, then shutout both FIU and Memphis to complete the sweep. Now, UCF has climbed to No. 23 in the national polls and to the top of the Conference USA standings at 4-0. They will put that mark on the line with the first of three straight road games Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Kentucky.
The 8-2 overall mark has helped the Knights reach the No. 23 spot in this week's College Soccer News rankings. UCF is also No. 24 in the SoccerTimes.com weekly poll, while the National Soccer Coaches Association of America has the Knights fifth in the South Region, ahead of perennial power Wake Forrest. The team has also risen in the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Rankings to No. 16.
This season, UCF leads C-USA in assists (25), assists per game (2.5), goals against (6) and shutouts (5).
Sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Doyle (Ft. Myers, Fla.) was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week for his shutouts of FIU and Memphis last week. Against both teams, Doyle turned aside three shots, including key saves in the final minutes of both games to preserve the clean sheets.
It took Luiz Yamashita (Sao Paulo, Brazil) until the ninth game of the season to score his first goal with the Knights. Yamashita didn't wait long to find the back of the net again, scoring his second in as many games against Memphis with the team's third goal of the match.
Kentucky comes into the game with a 4-6-1 record and is 1-1 in C-USA play, good for fifth place with three points. The Wildcats are lead by Tyler Riggs and his three goals and six points. Sam Brooks and Matt Lodge are tied for second as both have two goals and one assist for five points. Tyler Beadle has played every minute in goal for Kentucky this season, posting a 1.31 goals-against average and a save percentage of .706.
Junior Cameron Cooksey (Marietta, Ga.) will look to continue solid offensive play after scoring his second conference goal with the Knights' second tally against Memphis. He also netted the overtime winner at Marshall in the team's C-USA opener.
Sophomore Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) picked up two more assists against the Tigers. This season, the UCF midfielder has a team-best seven assists, good for seventh best in the nation. Robson leads the conference in points (21), points per game (2.1), assists (7), assists per game (.70), while third in goals (7) in 2010.
Following the Knights' matchup with the Wildcats, they will stay on the road for tilts at South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 16 and a non-conference matchup at Virginia Tech on Oct. 19.