Aug. 18, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Qualifiers for the second round of the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons, UCF's women's soccer team opens its season Friday night with a mindset of staying hungry and pushing for even more come the postseason.
More, as in finally getting past the second-round stumbling block and pushing for a spot in the NCAA's Final Four. And even though that opportunity won't come until months down the line, it's clearly never too soon to set lofty expectations for a program that has established itself as a national power.
``Hungry is the exact word to describe the team. We've been to the second round four straight years. They want to win the conference and be in the NCAAs, but our team's goal is to play in that Final Four,'' associate head coach Colby Hale said. ``We're tired of getting beat in the second round. Everybody says we had a great season (last year), but we're tired of losing in the second round. We're hungry for more this season.''
That bid begins Friday night as the Knights open the new soccer stadium at 7 p.m. against rival USF. The game will be televised by Bright House Networks Stadium.
It will be the first regular-season game at the facility that received a $1.2 million upgrade back in the spring. The improvements added 1,475 more seats and take the capacity to more than 2,000. There is also a new press box, sound system and permanent restroom facilities. The main entrance of the facility, which also serves as the home to UCF's award-winning track and field team, was upgraded as well.
A crowd of approximately 700 fans attended the Knights' 2-1 exhibition loss to Texas A&M last week and the new facility drew a host of raves. But it's the play on the field against the defending Big 12 conference champions in the modified scrimmage that impressed UCF's coaching staff the most. UCF is integrating four freshmen into its starting lineup this season and tinkering with some new sets and formations to better prepare the team for the grind of the regular season and the push in the NCAA tournament in November.
``Some of the young players, you don't know about them until they are in a match situation, but they did really well. And the seniors, you could tell who our leaders are in that match,'' Hale said. ``We were trying different formations and we were eager to see how they would look in a proper match against a very good team. I thought the things that we did really held up well.''
Head coach Amanda Cromwell has helped build UCF into a national power in her 12 years as head coach. She's 173-73-18 during that time while guiding the Knights to nine NCAA Tournaments, four Atlantic Sun titles and four Conference USA regular-season crowns.
UCF has established a culture of sustained success by forming a family-like bond that is shared by the players and coaching staff, Hale said.
``The senior leadership on this team is very strong. They've done a great job of creating a culture here where it's family. The incoming kids feel like they are an equal part of everything,'' Hale said. ``We start four freshmen, and the seniors have established a culture of knowing how to work and when to work. And they know when to have fun, too, so there's a good balance there.''
UCF's unquestioned leader is junior Tishia Jewell, the preseason pick to be the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. She ranked 23rd in the nation in scoring last season with 32 points coming off 10 goals and 12 assists.
``She's so dangerous and athletic and her first five steps are as good as there is in the game,'' Hale said of the star forward. "She's technical, she can play with her back to the goal and she's also really a good finisher when she gets in behind you.''
Whereas Jewell is the Knights' most talented player, goalkeeper Aline Reis is clearly the team's most emotional player. Reis was an inspiration to her teammates last season while playing through a myriad of injuries and still being C-USA's premier goalie. Her emotions got the best of her in the scrimmage against Texas A&M with a red card, but it's her fiery nature that often drives the Knights.
``She's so passionate, she's Brazilian and she comes from that background where football (soccer) is everything to them,'' Hale said. ``There's just nothing that would prevent her from playing. She's so passionate about the game, a great leader and a good goalie too.''
Marissa Diggs and Katie Jackson were also preseason All-C-USA picks along with Reis and Jewell and are expected to play major roles on the team. Redshirt junior Andrea Rodrigues, who had a goal and two assists as a reserve in 16 matches last season, has been one of the biggest surprises of the preseason and should play a major role this season.
``Andrea played in some games in the past, but I thought she really did well in the A&M match. She's very technical, she's got a great left foot and she plays wide,'' Hale said. ``It just seems like things have clicked for her this year. She's always had the physical tools, and now it's about knowing where to be and what to do.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.