Nov. 9, 2010
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFathletics.com) - There are times when UCF's Nik Robson will go back and watch video of one of his goals and wonder to himself what he was thinking at the time. Then, he realizes that he wasn't thinking at all and instead just doing what came natural.
No player on UCF's finest men's soccer team in years worked harder in the offseason to prepare himself for what has proved to be a historic season and the dramatic results have shown through for the sophomore from Auckland, New Zealand.
Robson trained both his body and his mind last summer back in his homeland, preparing himself for a season he hoped would be special for both he and the Knights. And both proved true as Robson ranked among the national leaders in several categories and UCF qualified for the Conference USA tournament for the first time in three seasons.
UCF, C-USA's second overall seed and the only team to beat top-seeded SMU this season, will play its first conference tournament game on Friday in Memphis against either third-seeded Kentucky or sixth-seeded Tulsa. The Knights were 11-3-3 this season with their most wins in six seasons and their nine-game stretch late in the season was their longest unbeaten span in 25 years. The Knights, who earned the all-important first-round bye, tied both Kentucky and Tulsa this season, so a potential rematch with SMU in Sunday's title game is very much a possibility.
A big reason for UCF's success, of course, is the confident and electric play of Robson. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder ranked eighth in the nation in assists per game (0.56), ninth in total assists (nine), 14th in points per game (1.56) and 45th in total goals (eight). And none of it came by accident for Robson, whom coaches and teammates describe as a maniacal worker when it comes to his soccer skills.
``Over the summer, I don't think there's anyone who worked as hard as I did. I went back to New Zealand and I just worked every day,'' Robson said. ``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. It was everyday training, a lot of gym work and work for speed and agility. On the field, it was a lot of work on technique. When I was younger I worked on my technique some, but this past summer I worked on my technique more than ever.''
And his UCF teammates certainly put in the work as well to author a solid season. The Knights were a high-scoring team, ranking 11th in the nation in scoring (2.12 goals a game) and 12th in goals (36), but it's defensively where the Knights improved and thrived the most.
UCF went into its final home conference game having yielded just one goal at home all season (to SMU), but it allowed two goals in a late loss to UAB that ended the chances of a regular-season crown. Still, UCF ranked 21st in the country in goals against average (0.73), 42nd in shutout percentage (0.41) and 31st in save percentage (0.819).
Head coach Bryan Cunningham had a feeling that this team had the potential to be a special one. With a perfect mix of senior leadership and dynamic youth, Cunningham felt the Knights had what it took to put together an unforgettable season.
``When I had my meeting with (Athletics Director) Mr. (Keith) Tribble last December, we were coming off a bad year, but I really thought this would be the year that we were going to turn the corner,'' Cunningham remembered. ``My first recruiting class, they're now all juniors and coming into their own. They know the system and they're teaching it to the younger players. Slowly but surely, we're building this to where we want it to be - a Top 25 team.''
And talented players such as Robson have helped that cause. Prior to coming to UCF, Robson was a standout player at Macleans College and also for the New Zealand Under-20 National Team. But he said he was able to take his game to an even higher level this season at UCF because he focused more on his mental approach.
When it came to thinking on the pitch, Robson said the less thoughts running through his head, the better off he tended to be.
``It's all about preparation and not doubting myself in certain situations,'' he said. ``It's a different mentality that you take from practice to games. In games, I used to think a lot when I played. Now, after I score a goal I don't know what I was thinking because I'm just basically running on instinct.''
Senior teammates Yaron Bacher marvels at Robson's dedication to the sport. He sees now how much progress the talented midfielder has made and how it's had a trickle-down effect on the Knights' confidence as a team.
``Nik's a perfectionist. He loves what he does and he works on his finishing abilities and it's showing,'' Bacher said. ``He's such a creative player and he's proving himself. He's making sure that everybody around the country knows who he is.''
Robson likes UCF's chances in the conference tournament because the growth that the team has made this season. A midseason loss to UMass proved to be a turning point in the season for the Knights as they ripped off their nine-game unbeaten streak immediately afterwards. And the late-season faltering against UAB is motivation heading into the C-USA tournament.
``We learned how those crucial mistakes cost us wins. And now that we've had that experience, those things aren't happening again,'' Robson said. ``Last year, we talked about winning the tournament too early. Now, we're taking games one at a time. We want to get to the (NCAA) tournament, but it's about the conference first. Then, when we get to the (NCAA) tournament, then we'll set goals our even higher than that.''
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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.