DeLand, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The Knights earned another dramatic road win Sunday, this time against Stetson, with the deciding goal coming on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute.
Senior Cortney O'Connell had broken away and was charging toward the goal when she was taken down in the box by a Hatters defender, drawing a penalty kick. Fellow senior Carol Rodrigues stepped up to the spot and put away what turned out to be the game winner.
It was Rodrigues' second goal of the match and third of the weekend. Her first of the night was a header from close range after a perfect corner kick service from sophomore Carrie Lawrence. She also had the first goal against Oklahoma State Friday night, sparking the Knights to victory.
"She's scoring goals for us which is her job," UCF Head Coach Roberts Sahaydak said. "Overall I think we can get her the ball more. With every game we're getting better but I still think there is a lot more we will see from Carol."
The match was heavily contested from the beginning. Stetson had good early pressure and didn't waver after going down 1-0 in the 15th minute. The Hatters evened things up before halftime and continued to play the Knights tough until the final whistle.
"Stetson played us very well and put us under a lot of pressure," Roberts Sahaydak said. "The fact that we were able to pull one late, like we did on Friday, was very nerve racking. But I'm glad that we have the type of mentality where we don't stop, we keep going until we get the job done."
Numbers Game
* The Knights earned 4 corner kicks to the Hatters 3.
* UCF outshot Stetson 15-13 including a 9-3 shots-on-goal advantage.
* Freshman defender Julia Ekholm logged her sixth-straight complete game, bringing her season total to 546 minutes.
* 6 different Knights took shots including 6 from Rodrigues and 3 each from O'Connell and junior Morgan Ferrara.
* The Black and Gold remain perfect against Stetson, improving to 20-0-0 all-time.
A Road to Remember
* The Knights earned back-to-back road wins against Oklahoma State and Stetson, with both games being decided by a penalty shot.
* UCF improves to 2-2 on the road and are now 18-4-2 under Roberts Sahaydak in the month of September.
* After a tough 1-3 start, the Black and Gold improved to .500 on the season.
Next Up
* The Knights host FIU at the UCF Soccer Complex on Thursday Sept. 8 at 7:00 p.m.