#9 UCF Tops Tulsa 3-2 in Double Overtime#9 UCF Tops Tulsa 3-2 in Double Overtime

#9 UCF Tops Tulsa 3-2 in Double Overtime

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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 9 UCF men's soccer found themselves playing in their third straight match in overtime. The Knights were able to weather the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and find the golden goal to take the 3-2 victory in double overtime. The Black and Gold have now gone 10 straight matches unbeaten.

"I think we could've won that game in regulation," said UCF head coach Scott Calabrese, "I think we had enough chances to do it. I guess it just comes with the territory of college soccer that you have overtimes. Tulsa deserves a lot of credit, and you saw the energy and effort from that group, running to press us and running to get forward. They put a lot into that second half and that's why the game flipped, and we didn't meet that level."

The Knights found a way to get on the board quickly, as they've done all season. Just 85 seconds into the match, UCF took advantage of a turnover near midfield. The Golden Hurricane mishap would eventually draw the goalkeeper out of his net, leading to a wide-open chance for Louis Perez as he buried it from 30 yards out for his fourth goal of the season. Perez extends his point streak to six matches with the score.

Cal Jennings had a great chance as he was crashing the net in the 15th minute. He wound up getting taken down from behind while he was in the box, setting up a penalty kick. It would be Yoni Sorokin who would take the penalty kick and buried it for his fourth goal of the season and tenth of his career. The goal also represented the second time Sorokin has netted a penalty kick attempt; he is two for three on the year.

That would be all the scoring either side could find in the first half. UCF outshot the Golden Hurricane by a count of 6-3.

The second half didn't see a ball hit the back of the net until Tulsa's Harris Partain scored in the 67th minute off assists from Mitchell Cashion and Chase Bromstedt.

Tulsa continued to push for that second goal, outworking the Knights down the home stretch. The Golden Hurricane found the equalizer as Partain was on the scene again as he rifled one into the back of the net in the 86th minute. Partain picked up a hat trick in Tulsa's last match against Oral Roberts and found himself with a pair of goals as regulation came to a close.

Neither team found anything in the first overtime. Each side had a corner kick opportunity but couldn't punch it home. UCF goalkeeper Yannik Oettl had to make one save in the extra frame.

Just as the second overtime had begun, UCF's Gideon Adu-Peprah earned his second yellow card of the match, resulting in an automatic red card, disqualifying him from competition. The Black and Gold would be forced to play down a man for the rest of the match.

The Knights would fire three shot attempts toward the net, with the final one ending the match. Jennings created another turnover, something he had done consistently throughout the night. He sprinted toward the net and passed the ball to his left, where Gino Vivi came flying in and booted the ball home in the 104th minute to keep UCF unbeaten in their last 10 matches. The Black and Gold haven't lost since Aug. 30 when they fell to then No. 4 Wake Forest 2-1.

UCF outshot the Golden Hurricane by a count of 16-11. The Knights came into the match ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 17.4 shot attempts per match. Despite being outshot, Tulsa landed more shots on goal, edging the Knights 7-5 in that category. UCF also earned the edge in corners by a count of 7-4. Coming into the match, the Black and Gold were ranked second in the country in corners per game, averaging 7.8.

The win was No. 299 for UCF at the Division I level. Their next win would make it an even 300 victories in DI and would be No. 392 all-time.

UP NEXT
The Knights will go on the road as they visit UConn for the final time as a conference opponent. They'll square off on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.

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