Women’s Soccer Defeats East Carolina on George’s Overtime Goal

Sophomore from Winter Springs helps Knights defeat Pirates, 1-0, with just 58 seconds left in the second OT period.

10/7/07

ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) – A very wet afternoon turned into a memorable day for the UCF women’s soccer team Sunday, as the Knights edged East Carolina, 1-0, to stay undefeated at home and in Conference USA play. Sophomore Yvonne George (Winter Springs, Fla.) gave UCF the win with only 58 seconds left in the second overtime period, helping her team improve to 7-2-2 on the season and 2-0-0 in C-USA.



“From halftime on, that was our game,” said head coach Amanda Cromwell. “We were exerting our will and attacking a bunch. ECU is a great defensive team; they’ve had only four goals scored against them all year. So we knew it was going to be hard to score. But the great thing about this UCF group is that they never give up. They are so resilient and weren’t satisfied with a tie. So in the second overtime we were doing everything possible to stick one in.”



UCF keeper Jennifer Manis (Pensacola, Fla.) recorded her second-straight shutout to begin the C-USA season, and her third overall on the year. She made three saves in the victory, while the defense prevented the Pirates (7-2-2, 1-1-0) from gaining offensive momentum after halftime. Meanwhile, George finished the contest with a match-high six shots. UCF went on to outshoot ECU, 21-7, including 16-1 following the conclusion of the first half. The Knights also stretched its home record to 5-0-2 with the triumph.



The start of the match was delayed for 50 minutes due to inclement weather. When the game finally got going, ECU earned the first two scoring chances in the sixth minute but could not convert. Blair Heffner had the first opportunity but saw her shot turned aside by Manis. Amy Szilard grabbed the rebound in the box and appeared to have a clear look at the net, but the Knights’ defense quickly closed the shooting lane and blocked Szilard’s shot on the goal line.



Senior Kate Begley (Hatfield, Pa.) and junior Danielle dos Santos (Campinas, Brazil) then had UCF’s best chances to get on the board first, only to see both of their attempts tipped away from the net by ECU goalkeeper Amber Campbell with less than 16 minutes left in the half.



Besides a soft shot that glanced high off the crossbar seven minutes into the second half by East Carolina, neither team could get a good look at the goal in the final stanza. Both keepers finished the half without having to make a save.



In the first overtime session, the Knights appeared to beat Campbell 2:30 into the frame. George connected with classmate Courtney Whidden (Palm Harbor, Fla.), who promptly sent sophomore Becca Thomas (Burlington, Wash.) a perfect pass in the box on the right side. However, Thomas’ shot sailed off the right post as the match remained scoreless.



UCF continued to dominate action in the second and final OT session, and with less than a minute remaining, the Knights’ bench emptied in celebration. Whidden gained control deep in the ECU zone and found George all alone in the right portion of the box. After receiving the pass, George took her time and cranked the game-winner into the lower left corner. It was her fifth goal of the season and third game-winner of 2007.



With the five-game homestand completed, UCF returns to the road when it travels to Tulsa Oct. 12 and SMU Oct. 14.



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