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No. 21 UCF defeats No. 9 Florida Soccer in Exhibition Match
ORLANDO, Fla. - The No.
21 UCF women's soccer team made quite a statement in an exhibition 2-0
win over No. 9 Florida. For the first time since 1982, the Knights
topped the Gators on their home field.
Two newcomers were responsible for both goals to give Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak an auspicious start as UCF's head coach.
Freshman
Lena Petermann rebounded junior Jennifer Martin's attempt in the 27th
minute to put one past Florida keeper Nora Neset Gjoen.
Florida
came out controlling possession in the early going of the second half,
but Junior transfer Tatiana Coleman floated a ball over Florida keeper
Taylor Burke from long distance to add an insurance goal in the 54th
minute.
UCF
did have another good look at the goal in the 74th minute when a Knight
was alone just above the box. Junior Karina Gutsche sped back to end
the play before a shot was taken. Goalkeeper
Lianne Maldonado came up with a big save down the stretch, tipping
Savannah Jordan's attempt in the 82nd minute to secure the shutout. For the match, UCF turned in nine shots while the Gators posted seven.
“This
is why we play these exhibition games so that we can take a look at the
things we are a little deficit in and fix those. Tomorrow we are going
to spend some time watching video and discussing some things that need
to get better,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “Some examples
include our physical presence defensively has to get better. We also
need to have more trust in each other offensively to execute.”
The
Gators open the 2013 season with a home match versus Florida Gulf Coast
on Friday, Aug. 23. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the James G.
Pressly Stadium and admission is free. The first 500 fans receive a
banner clapper.
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