Oct. 2, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Freshman Emily Grider scored her first-career goal Sunday to enable the No. 25 UCF women's soccer team to pick up a 1-1 draw against Colorado College in Orlando. The Knights moved their overall record to 7-2-3 while it went to 2-1-1 in Conference USA.
"We had a one-goal lead late in the game and we should have been able to get that shutout," said head coach Amanda Cromwell. "Colorado College was very good in the counter attack and we just got caught on their goal. But there are still a lot of conference games left so we're not worried about (our place in the standings right now)."
Colorado College (5-4-3, 3-0-1) entered the day having shut out its previous four opponents, but that streak ended with Grider's goal in the second half.
UCF capped off the afternoon with a 24-18 advantage in shots, including posting eight shots in the two overtime sessions. Tishia Jewell led the way with nine shots, and goalkeeper Aline Reis had three saves in 110:00 minutes in net.
A lucky bounce almost gave the visiting Tigers an early 1-0 lead in the ninth minute as a free kick found its way over the UCF backline and to Kaeli Vandersluis. The Colorado College midfielder tried a quick header only to witness Reis barely able to tip it over the crossbar for the save.
Reis went on to finish with a pair of saves in the opening 45 minutes, and UCF held a 7-6 edge in total shots however the two teams entered the break still scoreless.
That changed quickly when the whistle blew to open the second half. Controlling play at the end line and to the left of the net, Jennifer Martin delivered a low pass across the goal mouth and straight to Grider, who easily placed it past keeper Hanna Berglund and into the right corner of the net in the 54th minute.
Almost 20 minutes later though, Lauren DiGregorio capitalized on a breakaway opportunity in the 75th minute, ripping a shot into the left corner to make it 1-1. Colorado College came close to pulling out a victory in regulation as it received a free kick from 19 yards away with a minute left, and Brittney Lyman sent her attempt high and the two teams reached overtime.
Both programs had chances in the first overtime session, and DiGregorio came within inches of her second goal when her shot with 4:37 left struck the crossbar, and UCF's Kristina Trujic fired a shot off a corner kick that deflected off a Tiger defender and away from the goal. In all, the Knights had five shots and Berglund made two saves to keep UCF off the board.
In the final 10-minute overtime period, the Knights kept pressuring the Tigers' backline yet could not find a way into the back of the net to settle for the 1-1 draw.
UCF will now hit the road to face Marshall Oct. 7 and East Carolina Oct. 9. The Knights will eventually be back home Oct. 21 and Oct. 23 vs. UAB and Memphis, respectively.