Oct. 3, 2014
Box Score
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By Jenna Marina
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The No. 22 UCF women's soccer team is in control of its destiny after Friday night's 3-0 win over SMU.
Heading into Friday's matchup, the Knights (10-2-0, 3-0-0 AAC) and Mustangs (5-7-0, 1-1-0 ) were the only two teams remaining in the league yet to record a loss in conference play.
Now, UCF is the last man standing with a clear road to defending its regular season championship if the team can keep its current win streak of seven matches active.
"Of course it feels good to be in the driver's seat, but I don't really want to focus on that and I don't want the team to focus on that. For us, every game matters and it's one game at a time," UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "We really talk about the details of playing well and if you do that you get the result. It's great to be up top, but one game and things change. ... We just really need to stay focused, stay committed, stay energized, and I have no doubt that this team will do that because they're a good group that have big goals."
Junior Megan Fish's first goal of the season in the 21st minute also happened to be the game-winner, the third of her career. She used some fancy footwork to give herself some space at the top of the box, allowing her to bury it to the upper right corner of the net for her first goal of the season.
Following the game, the midfielder, known for her headers, said it was the first time she has scored with her foot since high school.
"It feels like I'm actually a soccer player, for the first time," she said with a laugh. "Felt good though. Good movement on the ball with the team. One of our goals was to have a lot of passing completion, 70 percent, so we finally did that and you see with the result - 3-0 - it was a good team effort."
Three minutes later, senior Alex Piercy sent a nice ball to forward Tatiana Coleman, who crossed it deep in SMU's territory to the far, left post where junior midfielder Ashley Spivey got her foot on it to give UCF a 2-0 lead.
Senior Kayla Darden nearly scored for UCF after halftime when she played a ball off her defender and broke into the box. Her shot hit the left post and ricocheted in front of the net but no one was there to finish off the attempt.
UCF goalkeeper Connie Organ kept the Knights' seventh shutout of the year safe when she came up with two big saves off the Mustangs' only shots of the night in the 60th minute.
The Knights did break through once more in the 73rd minute off a freshmen connection. Hannah DeBose crossed a ball into Bridget Callahan at the top of the box, and she turned on her defender to record her first career goal for the 3-0 victory.
Sunday's matchup versus Houston at 1 p.m. is Harry Potter Fan Day, which will feature a number of promotions for the general public and students alike. A pair of tickets to Universal, which houses the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, will be given to one lucky fan who is deemed the best dressed during a halftime costume contest.
In addition, UCF students are eligible to receive 4,000 Knightmare Reward points. The first 500 students will receive an exclusive "Fast Pass" voucher that allows early entry to the football team's Thursday night home game against BYU.
UCF soccer is presented by Napleton's Volkswagen. For more information on how to purchase tickets, visit UCFKnights.com or call 407-UCF-1000.