Nov. 17, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO - This second-round issue for UCF's women's soccer team is the proverbial elephant in the room. Only this elephant-sized issue is talked about, obsessed over and one the Knights so desperately want to finally escape.
For a fifth-consecutive season, UCF (12-4-5) has reached the Second Round of the NCAA Championship and it will face Florida (17-7) Friday night at 7 p.m. in Gainesville. The dilemma, however, is that the Knights have stumbled in the second round of the tournament each of the previous four seasons. As if this game wasn't already important enough, the desire to get beyond the second round and delve deeper in the NCAA Tournament has heightened the senses for UCF.
``For the four years that I've been here we've always gotten eliminated in that second round. We're all like, `Oh my goodness, we have to get past this.' But we're very excited for this game,'' said UCF standout goalkeeper Aline Reis. ``The NCAA has changed how the format works and we're really happy about the change. We've had this entire week to prepare for the game. I think more than ever we're ready to go through the second round and move on.''
UCF defeated FIU 2-0 in the first round, while Florida blanked Florida Gulf Coast 3-0. The Knights and Gators will be meeting in the NCAA Championship for the fifth time. The teams last played in 2008 - in the second round, of course - and Florida won 2-0.
A win Friday against the Gators would put the Knights beyond the second round for the first time since 1987, the year the program advanced to the national semifinals. Assistant coach Donna Fishter gave the team a history lesson prior to practice on Thursday about UCF's glory days as a soccer program. And head coach Amanda Cromwell fully understands the historical significance of what a victory on Friday would do for her squad.
``Here it is, the second round. I don't even need to talk about it because they talk about it among themselves,'' Cromwell said. ``It's there and it's one of those things that we just want to run through and get to that next step. But at the same time you have to take each game for what it is and not look ahead in the bracket. We feel good about where we are health-wise and we feel like we're peaking at the right time. Florida will offer a lot of challenges, and we just hope we're up to the challenge.''
UCF likes its chances because of the rugged non-conference schedule that it played earlier to prepare for the NCAA Championship. UCF routed South Florida, tied San Diego State, beat San Diego in Southern California and won the prestigious Virginia Nike Soccer Classic by whipping both Penn State and Washington State.
Arranging a tougher schedule was done by design. Cromwell wanted to toughen her team for the elite competition that it would be facing in the NCAA Championship.
``Those games help us a lot. During the season you play all different types of teams and that gets you ready to play anybody in the tournament,'' said standout forward Tishia Jewell, UCF's leading scorer with seven goals, nine assists and 23 points. ``We played Penn State, Washington State and all of the good teams in our conference. So we have experience playing a lot of different styles.''
Added Reis: ``Those big games build our confidence and we know we can win against anyone. We know that all of the teams that we're going to face now are only the best teams. It's great that we had a tough schedule to build our confidence. We have it inside of ourselves that we can beat anyone.''
The fiery Reis, who is from Campinas, Brazil, knows that regardless of what happens Friday and over the course of the next few weeks that her decorated career at UCF is coming to a close. A Second-Team All-American as a freshman and a First-Team All-C-USA pick each of the past three seasons, Reis will leave UCF as one of the best players in school history. She had another 73 saves and nine shutouts this season, but wants nothing more than to beat Florida so that the Knights can advance deep into the NCAA tourney.
``Yesterday, I was thinking about it (being the end of her career). I kind of thought, `Either do it now or you are done,'^'' Reis said with a nervous laugh. ``I've always had the fire and have been so competitive, but this moment to me is everything right now. Each game could be my last one, and I just want to keep winning so badly.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.