Sept. 21, 2011
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By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With the No. 8 UCF men's soccer team off to the strongest start in school history, much of the focus has been on the Knights' offense which ranks ninth in the nation in scoring at 2.57 goals per game. The offense has simply overwhelmed many teams by relentlessly putting shots on goal each game.
However, if you talk to the members of the team as well as the coaching staff, you may be surprised to hear how much the Knights consider their defensive back line to be the heart and soul of the team.
One of those defenders, junior Andrew Quintana (Miami, Fla.), currently leads the team in minutes played and has played a key role in the Knights' defense which has already recorded three shutouts this season. The Knights currently are in the top 25 nationally in goals allowed at just 0.69 per game.
"We always try and look for a shutout every game," Quintana said. "Ben (Hunt) and I are the veterans back there we always try and keep attackers from getting to Shawn (Doyle) as best we can. Just as long as we work hard and keep the other team's shots down we know we'll be able to keep improving as a team because the offense is always going to do their part."
Despite not recording many offensive statistics, Quintana's teammates know the impact and he and his defensive partners provide not only during each game for the Knights, but also during each practice as well.
"We all know that people on our offense can all score," Quintana said. "Look at McKauly (Tulloch). He's averaging more than one goal a game by himself. We always know we've got power with Nik (Robson) and it's not even just those two. We have Luiz (Yamashita) and we also have quality guys coming off the bench like Eduardo Jimenez. At the same time, they have to face our defense in practice. Every day those guys get to face our defense which we believe is one of the best in the nation and our offense is better for it."
The Knights will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season Friday when the team hosts Florida Gulf Coast at the UCF Soccer Complex. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
Tickets to the contest will be available on Friday outside the soccer complex. The Gold Pass, which offers season tickets to all men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, softball and track & field events, is still available by calling (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com.
Due to an event at the UCF Arena, fans should park in the baseball grass lot behind the baseball scoreboard, or use the E8 surface lot off of Orion Blvd.