Dec. 30, 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 John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - As the final days of 2011 fade away and 2012 approaches, we here at UCFAthletics.com want to look back at the best moments of the past year and honor arguably the most significant 12 months in school history.
No. 10 Moment
No. 9 Moment
No. 8 Moment
No. 7 Moment
No. 6 Moment
No. 5 Moment
No. 4 Moment
No. 3 Moment
Here is a breakdown of the No. 2 moment of 2011 for UCF Athletics in 2011:
MOMENT: Women's soccer defeats North Carolina to reach NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight
DATES: Nov. 20
SITE: Gainesville, University of Florida's Pressly Field
SIGNIFICANCE: Just two days after stunning host Florida, UCF notched one of the biggest wins in school history by defeating perennial powerhouse North Carolina. In a matter of two days, UCF defeated two teams (UNC and Florida) that have combined to win 22 national championships. It was also the first time that UCF advanced to the Elite Eight since 1987.
WHAT HAPPENED: Leading 1-0 after a goal by sophomore Kristina Trujic, UCF yielded a potentially crushing goal to North Carolina in the 85th minute. But the Knights held tough through two scoreless overtime periods to set up a showdown in penalty kicks. And on the sixth round of penalty kicks, standout goal keeper Aline Reis made the save that gave UCF a 5-4 edge and a historic victory. In the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 and one victory from the Final Four, UCF lost to Wake Forest to end the season. Still, the season will be remembered for UCF's dazzling run through the NCAA Tournament.
THEY SAID IT: ``Obviously it was a very exciting match going to PKs. I think we gave the crowd a lot to cheer for and I couldn't be prouder of our girls,'' UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell said. ``They fought so hard. To give a goal up in the last five minutes was tough and a lot of teams I think would've crumbled mentally from that. We stood strong and held them off. UNC is a great team with a great tradition with plenty of attacking players and a lot of athleticism. We came out strong and got the important goal from Tina (Kristina Trujic). I can't say enough about Aline in goal in both games. (She was) huge with two saves in PKs.''