Oct. 8, 2010
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
| UCF vs. Houston Oct. 8, 2010 |
| From Orlando, Fla. | |||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | F | ||
| Houston | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| UCF | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
UH Goals: Lauri Byrne (47th min)
UCF Goals: Tishia Jewell (10th min), Stacie Hubbard (53rd min)
In Net
UH: Camio Koski - 90:00 min, 2 GA, 2 SV
UCF: Aline Reis - 90:00 min, 1 GA, 5 SV
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Stacie Hubbard's header in the 53rd minute enabled the No. 19 UCF women's soccer team to defeat Houston, 2-1, Friday at the UCF Soccer Complex. The Knights moved to 9-2-2 on the season and 4-0-1 in Conference USA, while they also improved to 13-0-1 in their last 14 regular season C-USA matches.
Both teams entered the evening in the top 50 of the latest NCAA RPI report (UCF at No. 14, UH at No. 48), but it was UCF which handed Houston its first C-USA loss as the Cougars dropped to 9-3-1 on the year and 4-1-0 in the league.
That sets up a true battle for first place Sunday when the Knights host the Rice Owls (8-5-0, 5-0-0) at 1 p.m. Admission is free.
"This team always makes it interesting. I think we worked hard for 90 minutes, but things broke down in possession a little bit and part of that was Houston picking up its pressure," said head coach Amanda Cromwell. "There are no easy games in this league. Every team we play is going to come after us. Rice has always been very good, and they beat us here once in overtime while we squeaked out a win last year. And they've been nationally ranked in the past. As a conference, we've beaten a lot of teams in other top conferences. So we've shown that we should be a top-five conference in the nation."
With a 5-0-2 record in its last seven matches, UCF stayed undefeated vs. Houston at 6-0-0. Yet on Friday the shots were even at 11-11, and keeper Aline Reis collected five saves for the victory. Offensively, Tishia Jewell also hit the back of the net for the Knights for the game's first goal in the 10th minute, while she also assisted on Hubbard's game-winner. Jewell's point total stretched to a team-high 21 on seven goals and seven assists this season.
UCF and Houston each put a shot on goal in the first two minutes, the first of which came from the Cougars but Reis was there to make the easy save after it deflected off a Knight in front. Then the home team immediately made a run towards the UH net only to have Jewell's attempt from close range be stopped by keeper Camille Koski
It would not be the last shot from Jewell though. Taking a header from Kristina Trujic, Nicolette Radovcic dribbled towards the goal before delivering a pass to Jewell in front who tapped it in for her seventh of the year in the 10th minute.
The Knights wanted to make it 2-0 before the half and came very close with 11:30 remaining, however Bianca Joswiak's shot sailed just over the crossbar after she beat two defenders towards the center of the pitch.
Following the halftime break, Houston wasted little time making it a new match. Just 1:31 into the second half, Lauri Byrne ripped a shot from outside the box that Reis was unable to reach as the Cougars tied it at 1-1.
That goal did not slow down the Knights. Even though Katie Jackson's corner did not produce a shot, Jewell gained possession a moment later near midfield and sent it back to Jackson on the left side. She then decided to send another ball into the 18 and this time three Knights were sprinting toward the goal. Jackson's cross found Hubbard only a few feet from the net and she quickly headed it in for her second of the year in the 53rd minute.
Now with a 2-1 lead, UCF did not allow Houston to earn many quality offensive runs until there was 14 minutes left. Looking for her second goal, Byrne found a shooting lane from 20 yards out and fired a shot on goal but Reis was in perfect position to make the save. Courtney Peacock also cranked a shot from about the same spot with 12 minutes left and once again Reis covered it up.
Those key stops preserved the win for UCF, and ultimately set up the first-place clash with Rice on Sunday.