Oct. 13, 2011
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By Andrew Jenette
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Unbeaten in five-straight matches, the No. 23 UCF women's soccer team will again hit the road this weekend in Houston against two Conference USA opponents. The action begins on Friday, as the Knights will travel to Rice at 8 p.m. ET. The weekend concludes on Sunday, as UCF will square off with Houston at 2 p.m. ET.
The Knights are looking to continue their impressive season as they currently hold an overall record of 8-2-4 with a 3-1-2 mark in conference play. UCF is hitting the home stretch of their season as it only has five regular-season contests remaining with all five of them coming against fellow C-USA members.
Friday's opponent, Rice, is 8-4-2 on the season with a 3-2-1 record in C-USA. The Owls are coming off a thrilling double overtime 2-2 draw against fellow conference foe UTEP on Oct. 9. Sophomore midfielder Jessica Howard scored the tying goal with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime and the Owls defense held firm during two overtime periods. Rice handed UTEP its first non-victory of the season in El Paso as the Miners were 8-0-0 at home before the contest. The Owls rely on their defense as they are currently second in the conference with just nine goals allowed in 14 contests. Rice has also allowed the fewest shots against of any team in the conference, another testament to its strong defensive mindset.
Sunday's opponent, Houston, is 4-10-0 on the year and 1-5-0 in conference play after going 0-4 on a recent four-game road trip. Houston, however, has three victories at home on the season and plays three of the next five games at home. They will look to get back to their winning ways this weekend using their offense as they are currently fifth in the conference at 1.50 goals per game. The Cougars are led by senior forward Jessica Zavalza who leads the team with 15 points despite breaking into the starting lineup halfway into the season.
UCF enters this weekend having outscored its opponents 25-12 and out-shot its opponents 209-141 on the season. The Knights' offense is led by junior forward Tishia Jewell who leads C-USA in points with 18. Hot on her heels is fellow junior forward Nicolette Radovcic who is tied for fourth in the conference with 15 points. Also UCF goalkeeper Aline Reis has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in women's soccer. Reis has played every minute in goal for the Knights this season and has posted a 0.80 goals against average in 14 contests.
Last weekend, the Knights travelled to Marshall and East Carolina for a two-game road trip. UCF battled to a scoreless draw on Oct. 10 as both team's defenses played exceptional. The Knights then earned a 2-0 victory over ECU on Oct. 9. Leading scorers Jewell and Radovicic provided the two goals for the Knights and Reis registered five saves in picking up her fifth shutout of the season.