Nov. 16, 2007
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Following UCF's 3-1 victory over Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, head coach Amanda Cromwell, Becca Thomas and Amanda Martorana provided their thoughts on their match and playing in the postseason.
Head coach Amanda Cromwell
Opening Statement...
"A victory in the first round is always great," said head coach Amanda Cromwell. "Getting those two goals in the first half was key, and I think we finished well from the shots we created. And Jennifer Manis was stellar in goal. I cannot say enough about her."
On UCF getting goals from more than just two or three players this season...
"We are so dangerous anytime we get around the goal and we have multiple players that score goals. Becca can crack a shot from long distance and last year she had quite a few from 25-30 yards out. She hadn't done that this year and she had injury that kind of limited her ability shoot with one leg. A couple of games ago I told her, `you are due for one from distance, you're due Becca.' We had talked that the first free kick you get you're going to slam it. So I was happy to see it go in. She is just one of those players that is very quiet most of the game. She's not very flashy, but runs around and does her job. If you asked a lot of our conference coaches who they like the best a lot of people mention No. 4 because of her work rate and skill. She's a very good possession player and obviously she's dangerous because she can shoot from distance and put it away."
On UCF trying to advance past the second round for the first time since 1987, and returning to the field Sunday...
"Getting to the Sweet Sixteen is a huge step. We haven't been there in my nine years. We've been to the second round before and this will be a tough game. Friday-Sunday games are tough. It's about recovery and getting their legs back. So we are hoping (that) our schedule throughout the year and our season preparation will carry us through on Sunday."
On what her team will work on to prepare for Sunday's match...
"I think the one thing that we got better on from the first half to the second tonight was our defensive pressure. The first half we were letting them turn and face and run at us a little bit. But the backs stepped up and the midfield played much better. The first 15 minutes we didn't have any composure, and I think we need to use Nikki Moore more on the right flank and get her into the attack. Arielle Orr can do that as well."
On facing either Florida or Miami...
"They are both great teams. Against Miami we scored in the last two seconds to tie the game. We didn't see Florida but we have game film on them. They have great attacking players and defend well. At this point forward, every game will be a battle."
Sophomore Becca Thomas
On scoring her first goal of the night...
"I felt really good. Yesterday we were working on it, but actually I wasn't hitting hit well the other day so I was just trying to keep it low. I looked at where the keeper was and she wasn't covering the far post so I just hit far post."
On putting two into the net even though she ranks in the top 10 in the nation in assists per game...
"Actually there were a couple of girls on the team bugging me about that, because last year I scored awesome goals outside of the box. I hadn't really scored any of those this year, so they were like, `you're going to get one, you're going to get one.' So it was awesome to have support from my teammates."
On her experience so far in the NCAA Tournament...
"It's overwhelming but also a relief. The first game we weren't too sure what to expect. Now we've got one down and we will enjoy it tonight, but we have to move on. It's an awesome feeling, but there's more to come."
On UCF playing for Sunday for the right to advance to the third round...
"It would mean a lot, not just to our team but to our alumni. We were talking about it before the game that we have a lot of support, not just from our teammates but from people that have played here. It's kind of like a respect to them too. Our program is not just going to die after we've had all of these awesome players play here. We are building and moving forward."
Freshman Amanda Martorana
On her first collegiate goal occurring in the NCAA Tournament...
"I am really excited. We just worked it up the field as a team, and coach kept saying on the bench to take half chances so I just kind of one-touched it into the corner."
On playing in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman...
"I had not idea what to expect at all. I was just really excited to play today. Now that we won, it's a really good feeling. But now we have to get ready for Sunday."