Nov. 3, 2010
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After concluding home play with a 3-0 win over North Florida, the UCF men's soccer team will travel to Conference USA opponent No. 24 Tulsa for both teams' final game of the regular season. The matchup is set to kick-off at 8:05 p.m.
Tournament Berth: UCF has already clinched a berth to the 2010 Conference USA Men's Soccer Championship, and a victory over Tulsa on Friday would secure the second spot and a bye into the semifinals. Tulsa will be battling to hold on to the sixth and final spot in postseason play.
Game Recap: The Knights completed their home campaign by defeating the Ospreys, 3-0, on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. The Knights opened up the scoring early in the first half with an A.J. Nelson (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) goal. Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) found Spencer Scott (Palm City, Fla.) down the right sideline, who then crossed the ball to Nelson for a header goal inside the box. Nelson and Scott then recorded assists on the second goal in a similar manner when Scott crossed a low ball to Cameron Cooksey (Marietta, Ga.) who beat the keeper one-on-one. Freshman Christian Eissele (Lake Mary, Fla.) recorded his second goal of the season in the final two minutes of the game, receiving a through ball from Eduardo Jimenez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and beating the UNF keeper at the top of the penalty box.
Clean Sheet: Sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Doyle (Ft. Myers, Fla.) now has seven shutouts this season, with six coming at the UCF Soccer Complex. His three saves in the game kept the Ospreys off the board, while helping his save percentage this season improve to .793. Doyle's goals-against average in 2010 is an impressive 0.72 with the shutout.
Strong at Home: The victory over UNF boosts UCF to a 7-1 final record at home. The Knights outscored their opponents 22-3 at the UCF Soccer Complex this season, and saw exciting wins against conference opponents SMU, FIU and Memphis.
League Leader: UCF holds many top spots in C-USA this season. The Knights lead the conference in points with 109 and assists with 39 assists, while second in goals with 35. The team also boasts the lowest goals-against average (0.72) and goals allowed with just 12 in 16 games. UCF is also ranked second with seven shutouts.
Individual Leaders: Robson leads C-USA with 25 points and nine assists. Doyle boasts the lowest goals against average (0.72) and the league's best save percentage (.793). Doyle is also tied for the most shutouts in the conference with seven. All-Time Record: The Knights have never defeated the Golden Hurricane, as Tulsa holds the series lead 6-0-0. The two teams met last season when UCF fell at home, 6-2.