Oct. 28, 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
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's soccer team tallied an early goal and then cruised to a 2-0 Conference USA victory over Southern Miss Friday at Southern Miss Soccer Stadium. The contest served as the regular-season finale for the Knights, who improved to 11-3-5 overall and 6-2-3 in league play with the win.
UCF scored in the fifth minute of the match when junior Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany) found the back of the net and then added another goal at the 55-minute mark when sophomore Marissa Diggs (Rowlet, Texas) scored.
The Knights outshot Southern Miss (4-13-3, 1-9-1) 19-4. UCF recorded 11 shots on goal and also had a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.
Twenty Knights saw action in the match as UCF entered the day having already secured a spot in the C-USA Championship, which will begin on Nov. 2 in Memphis, Tenn.
"We'll take a 2-0 win," UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell said. "We were consistent over the 90 minutes. A lot of our subs played very well. This was a good game to get confidence both as individuals and as a team going into the conference tournament."
Joswiak scored when her intended cross sailed into the back corner of the goal. Senior Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) assisted on the goal. Diggs knocked in a shot from sophomore Kristina Trujic (Venice, Fla.) that was deflected by a Southern Miss defender.
UCF improved to 7-0-0 all-time against Southern Miss.
Diggs was the lone Knight who logged 90 minutes in the contest. Senior Stacie Hubbard (Jacksonville, Fla.) totaled four shots in the winning effort, and junior Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) logged two shots on goal.
The Golden Eagles threatened to score in the 80th minute, but sophomore Lianne Maldonado (Clifton, N.J.) stopped a shot by Chelsea Cruthirds. Maldonado, who was making her season debut, played 16 minutes in a reserve role for senior Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil).
The win was the seventh of the year away from home for the Knights.
Cromwell says that the Knights will focus on the basics as they prepare for the conference championship next week.
"The focus will be on scoring goals and dominating play. We have to get something out of our possessions. We need to be efficient in the attacking third. Defensively, we need to stay cohesive as a unit," she said.