Oct. 2, 2015
DALLAS, Texas (UCFKnights.com) - Senior forward Hadji Barry opened the scoring five minutes in, but SMU came back with a pair of first half goals in a three-minute span to record a 2-1 victory at Wescott Field.
"Unfortunately, we are right in the same script again," head coach Bryan Cunningham said. "We started really fast and were doing pretty well. It was a credit to our players to score the early goal. SMU is a really good team and we knew that we would have to work hard for the entire match."
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QUICK START
- Following a SMU corner, the Knights went on the counter attack and a cross field pass by freshman Juan Gamino gave Barry the ball on the right wing.
- Barry dribbled through a defender and beat the keeper from close range to put UCF (3-5-1, 0-1-1 The American) up, 1-0.
- It was his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign and he finished with three shots.
- The Rochester, N.Y., native has recorded a goal in each of the last three matches.
- The assist for Gamino was his first as a Knight.
AT THE HALF
- SMU (7-2-2, 2-0 The American) struck twice in a three-minute span to take the lead in the 37th minute.
- Mauro Cichero tallied both goals with the first one being a header off a corner and the second on a brilliant strike from 23-yards out that went into the top-right corner.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Zach Biggs made four stops and finished with a career-high seven saves.
"The second half was a little chaotic for both teams," Cunningham said. "We were chasing the game and they were trying to get the third goal to put the game away. Neither team was able to accomplish their goal."
NEXT UP
- The Knights return to the UCF Soccer Complex on Wednesday against Temple at 7 p.m..
- The match on Oct. 10 against Tulsa has been set for 1 p.m. before the UCF football game vs. UConn at 3:45 p.m.
"Hopefully, we can get our confidence back and generate some wins from playing at home," Cunningham said. "The next three opponents, even though they are at home, are going to be a tough test."