Nov. 6, 2015
DALLAS, Texas (UCFKnights.com) - It was a heartbreaker.
The UCF women's soccer team battled with rival No. 25 USF for 102 scoreless minutes on Thursday with a bid to the American Athletic Conference Championship match on the line.
But at 102:27, USF's Leticia Skeete was able to capitalize when a ball inserted into the box off a corner was bounced back her way. She broke through UCF goalkeeper Vera Varis' previously impenetrable net to lift the Bulls to their first win in the series since 1998.
"The girls really put their heart and soul into this match. They played together as a team and sometimes it just doesn't go your way." UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "At least we are still surviving because hopefully we'll get our NCAA at-large bid. We'll use this time to refocus."
Varis, an all-rookie selection, had an out-of-this-word performance with a career-high 11 saves.
"Vera absolutely kept us in the game tonight. She had so many amazing saves," Roberts Sahaydak said. "As a freshman, what a bright spot that we have with Vera in goal for us."
After a monsoon passed through during play in the first half, the Knights were never able to get into enough of a rhythm to score. The Bulls outshot the Knights, 28-9, with shots on goal registering as 12-3.
Up Next
* UCF finds out its fate for the NCAA Tournament when the selection show airs on NCAA.com at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
* The Knights have positioned themselves well to receive an at-large bid for their ninth-straight appearance in the Big Dance.
Story and video by Jenna Marina