Sept. 9, 2011
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Consistent play and attention to detail has helped the 12th-ranked UCF men's soccer team open the 2011 campaign in perfect fashion. The 4-0 Knights hope to continue those important traits, and their unbeaten start, Sunday when they face host Mercer in Macon, Ga.
The match at Bear Field will begin at 2 p.m. A win over Mercer would provide the Knights with a tie for the best start in program history at the Division I level. Both the 1997 and 2001 squads also started 5-0.
Mercer is 1-1-1 in 2011. The Bears face host Georgia State Friday in Atlanta. In 2010, Mercer posted a 10-6-1 mark.
"Mercer is going to be a tough away game. They have gotten better over the last few years under head coach Brad Ruzzo. We are expecting a tough battle," UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham said.
The Knights are enjoying success in 2011 thanks to solid play on the defensive end. UCF has allowed just two goals in four matches, and the team's opponents have gotten off only 32 total shots. Junior Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.) has been strong in the net, recording two shutouts. Four Knights have registered goals this season, led by sophomore McKauly Tulloch (Kingston, Jamaica), who has six scores and one assist in his first year at UCF after transferring from Akron.
The Knights are coming off of a 3-0 victory over visiting North Florida Wednesday. Tulloch tallied a goal in the win, as did juniors A.J. Nelson (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand).
UCF will be playing on the road for the second time this season when the squad faces Mercer. On Sunday, Cunningham wants his team to play with the same intensity that it has exhibited at home.
"We need to make sure that we start fast and don't get complacent. On the road, we need to be sure to come out with the same mentality that we do at home. We need to make the adjustments to the environment that we are going to be in."
UCF is 7-4-2 all-time against the Bears. The two schools spent much of the 1990s and early 2000s as rivals in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The contest at Mercer is the first of three-straight away from Orlando for the Knights. Next weekend, the Knights will travel to the Washington, D.C.-area to face George Mason and American. The squad's next home match is slated for Sept. 23 against Florida Gulf Coast.