With the victory, 麻豆原创 earned its second-ever win over the Gators in the NCAA Tournament, with the last coming in 2004. The Knights also handed UF its third-straight second-round exit.

“I think tonight was a typical UF-麻豆原创 match where we had leads and they pressed for a goal and we had to defend at the end,” head coach Amanda Cromwell said after the match. “You saw two high quality teams and it is a shame that we met so early because it was an excellent NCAA Second Round match”

The Knights burst into the scoring column just five minutes into the match after a UF handball led to a Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) free kick in 麻豆原创’s attacking third. Jewell’s cross from the sideline into traffic in front of the goal netted midfielder Madison Barney’s (Sammamish, Wash.) first-career goal on the Knights’ first shot of the match. For Jewell, it was her 10th assist of the season and 26th of her career. Senior Katie Hubbard (Jacksonville, Fla.) also chipped in with her third assist of the year on the play as she tapped it to Barney for opening score.

Florida struck back at the 23:33 mark as midfielder Erika Tymrak dribbled past three 麻豆原创 defenders and sent a cross to forward Tahnai Annis for a header over the outstretched arms of keeper Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) to even the match at 1-1.

One goal wouldn’t be all for the Knights in the first half as senior Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) dribbled into the UF defense, passed to Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany), who then fed sophomore Kristina Trujic (Venice, Fla.) as she blasted an arching shot over Florida keeper Taylor Burke to give 麻豆原创 a 2-1 lead at the 33:06 mark. It was the third goal and eighth point of the year for Trujic and the third and second assist of the year, respectively, for Jackson and Joswiak.

In the second half, UF narrowly tied the match at the 65 minute mark as an Annis shot slipped by Reyes and headed just wide of the goalpost and out of bounds. Just six minutes later the Knights would take a 3-1 advantage as junior Nicolette Radovcic (Rockaway, N.J.) blew past the Gator (17-8) defense and around keeper Burke for her team-leading ninth goal of the season.

Florida would not go away quietly as Annie Speese’s free kick with six minutes left in the match found the bottom right corner of the 麻豆原创 goal to draw the Gators within one point. But as the Knights did earlier in the contest, they used strong defense to stave off UF for good.

“I was prepared and really excited to make saves like that. I was upset about the goals I allowed, but I am just a keeper and I get upset about those goals,” Reis laughed after recording five saves with four crucial blocks coming in the final half.

The Knights will now set their sights on a No. 3 seed North Carolina team that dismantled Baylor 5-0 earlier Friday. 麻豆原创 has never defeated the Tar Heels in 19 career contests, but Cromwell is excited for the opportunity that Sunday brings.

“There is a big contingent (of alumni) coming up on Sunday that said `If you win Friday, we will be there Sunday,'” Cromwell said of the large alumni base still in Orlando. “So some of the girls that played in the Final Four will be there on Sunday. They are the ones that battled against UNC a while back when there was a small group of schools that played back when women’s soccer started. It’s cool to have those alumni to join in and share that with us on Sunday.”

麻豆原创 scored in the fifth minute of the match when junior Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany) found the back of the net and then added another goal at the 55-minute mark when sophomore Marissa Diggs (Rowlet, Texas) scored.

The Knights outshot Southern Miss (4-13-3, 1-9-1) 19-4. 麻豆原创 recorded 11 shots on goal and also had a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.

Twenty Knights saw action in the match as 麻豆原创 entered the day having already secured a spot in the C-USA Championship, which will begin on Nov. 2 in Memphis, Tenn.

“We’ll take a 2-0 win,” 麻豆原创 head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “We were consistent over the 90 minutes. A lot of our subs played very well. This was a good game to get confidence both as individuals and as a team going into the conference tournament.”

Joswiak scored when her intended cross sailed into the back corner of the goal. Senior Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) assisted on the goal. Diggs knocked in a shot from sophomore Kristina Trujic (Venice, Fla.) that was deflected by a Southern Miss defender.

麻豆原创 improved to 7-0-0 all-time against Southern Miss.

Diggs was the lone Knight who logged 90 minutes in the contest. Senior Stacie Hubbard (Jacksonville, Fla.) totaled four shots in the winning effort, and junior Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) logged two shots on goal.

The Golden Eagles threatened to score in the 80th minute, but sophomore Lianne Maldonado (Clifton, N.J.) stopped a shot by Chelsea Cruthirds. Maldonado, who was making her season debut, played 16 minutes in a reserve role for senior Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil).

The win was the seventh of the year away from home for the Knights.

Cromwell says that the Knights will focus on the basics as they prepare for the conference championship next week.

“The focus will be on scoring goals and dominating play. We have to get something out of our possessions. We need to be efficient in the attacking third. Defensively, we need to stay cohesive as a unit,” she said.

Less than two minutes into the contest, junior Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) scored 麻豆原创’s opening goal from 18 yards out, with junior Nicolette Radovcic (Rockaway, NJ) picking up the assist. Senior Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) scored the Knights’ second goal of the night as she placed a shot into the far right corner of the net past USF goalkeeper Nicole McClure.

“It’s huge, coming out scoring in the first two minutes of the game and then to score again early in the second half too,” head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “It is important to score early and both halves we scored within the two minutes so that gives us the confidence we need and it’s a rival team so we know we need to get to them somehow.”

麻豆原创’s third goal of the night came as Jewell chipped a ball over the USF keeper into the left side of the net to give the team the three-goal advantage. Radovcic and junior Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany) collected the assists on the tally.

The Knights came out strong in the second half as Joswaik scored her first of the match off a corner kick in the 47th minute.

The Bulls got onto the just three minutes after Joswiak put the Knights up by four when Demi Stokes put a pass across the box to Chelsea Klotz who finished the play to make it a three-goal game again.

With 麻豆原创 in control and sitting on a comfortable lead already, Joswaik netted her second goal of the night off a corner kick, finishing a play started by Jewell and Hubbard, who each collected assists.

“We finished really well with five goals and we did some good things in the midfield and our defending was really good,” Cromwell said. “We didn’t give up a corner kick the whole night and did some positive things in the attack. We just have to prepare for Wake Forest on Sunday night which we know is going to be a hard game.”

The Black and Gold outshot the Bulls, 18-12, and held a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks in the game. Seven of the nine came in the second half as the Knights finished the game strong to earn the season-opening victory.

“Tonight they get to relax a little bit and enjoy this win, and tomorrow we will get back to training and get ready for Wake Forest,” Cromwell added.

麻豆原创 matched Oklahoma State for the most selections to the all-region teams, as the Central Region is made up mostly of schools from C-USA and the Big 12. Memphis and Houston tied for second among C-USA programs with two all-region picks each.

Only a sophomore, Jewell became the fourth-different Knight in history to register at least 10 goals and 10 assists in the same season (joining a list highlighted by Michelle Akers) by finishing with 10 goals and 12 assists for 32 points. The forward also completed her year with 73 shots with 35 of them on goal.

Picking up All-Central Region Second Team accolades for the Knights were junior goalkeeper Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) and junior midfielder Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.). Reis has now earned an all-region award all three years she has suited up as a Knight, including her All-American season of 2008 as a freshman. She collected five shutouts in 2010, posting a 1.03 goals-against average and 77 saves. In front of Reis at midfield, Jackson scored six goals and added seven assists for a career-high 19 points to rank third on the team.

Reis and Jackson were both members of the All-C-USA First Team this year.

And representing the Knights on the All-Central Region Third Team were sophomore defender Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany) and senior forward Kim Newsome (Apopka, Fla.). Even though she helped anchor the backline, Joswiak finished 2010 sixth on the squad in points by scoring three goals and racking up eight assists for 14 points. On defense, she guided 麻豆原创 to a 0.92 team GAA and eight shutouts. Conversely, Newsome matched Jewell with 10 goals while amassing seven assists for 27 points in her final year as a Knight, scoring five game-winners in the process.

The five student-athletes helped 麻豆原创 finish the 2010 campaign with a 15-5-3 record and its second-straight C-USA regular-season title. The Black and Gold also was a national seed for the second-consecutive year in the NCAA Tournament where it was shipped out to Los Angeles and defeated Fresno State in the First Round only to fall to the host UCLA Bruins, 2-1, in the Second Round. It was 麻豆原创’s 15th trip to the postseason.

Jewell became the first Knight to be named the Offensive Player of the Year since 麻豆原创 joined C-USA in 2005. In all, the Black and Gold has had five players in six seasons earn major awards in C-USA including Jewell. Courtney Baines (Defensive – 2005), Jennifer Manis (Defensive – 2007), Danielle Dos Santos (Newcomer – 2007) and Becca Thomas (Midfielder – 2009) also were honored as players of the year by the conference.

After a freshman year where she did not score a goal and had four assists in 21 matches, Jewell has burst onto the national scene in 2010. She ranks third in the country with 12 total assists and 12th with 32 points. She also has scored 10 goals this year to become just the fourth-different Knight to post at least 10 goals and 10 assists, a list that includes Michelle Akers who accomplished the feat twice.

Along with her prestigious award, Jewell was one of six Knights who grabbed a spot on the all-conference teams. 麻豆原创 has now put six on the All-C-USA squads in each of the past two seasons.

Jewell joined junior midfielder Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) and junior goalkeeper Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) on the All-C-USA First Team this year. Its Jackson’s first time as an All-C-USA performer, while it was Reis’ second-straight season she was voted onto the first team. Jackson has scored six goals while adding six assists for 18 points, and Reis has recorded four shutouts, a 10-3-3 record and a 1.04 goals-against average in net.

Claiming spots on the All-C-USA Second Team for the Knights were senior forward Kim Newsome (Apopka, Fla.) and freshman defender Marissa Diggs (Rowlett, Texas). Newsome finished the regular season tied with Jewell for a league-high six goals in C-USA games, and she has nine goals and six assists for 24 points overall. And 麻豆原创’s representative on the C-USA All-Freshman Team as well, Diggs came on strong in C-USA matches. Along with scoring two goals, she has started 13 matches in her first year at the Division I level and has helped the 麻豆原创 defense post a combined 0.91 GAA and seven shutouts.

Capping off 麻豆原创’s awards was sophomore defender Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany), who received a spot on the All-C-USA Third Team for the second-consecutive season. Even though she serves as an outside back for the Knights, Joswiak has scored two goals and racked up seven assists for 11 points. Her six assists in league matches were second in C-USA behind only eight by Jewell.

The talented group of student-athletes helped guide the Knights to a 13-3-3 overall record, their fourth regular-season title in six years and a No. 1 seed in the C-USA Championship Wednesday-Sunday at the 麻豆原创 Soccer Complex. 麻豆原创, which is ranked No. 23 by Soccer America, received a bye in to the semifinals and will take on the winner of No. 4 SMU and No. 5 Rice Friday at 7:30 p.m.

麻豆原创’s Conference USA Awards

Offensive Player of the Year

All-C-USA First Team

All-C-USA Second Team

All-C-USA Third Team

C-USA All-Freshman Team

Entering the week with a RPI of No. 16, the Knights are now in perfect position to earn at least an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in school history. However they will be searching for C-USA’s automatic bid instead when they will be the No. 1 seed for the C-USA Championship in Orlando Nov. 3-7. With a first-round bye in the six-team field, the Knights will play either No. 4 seed SMU or No. 5 seed Rice Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. The finals are set for Sunday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. live on CBS College Sports.

Friday also witnessed 麻豆原创 go over the 5,000-fan mark for the first time in program history as 885 fans came out for the doubleheader (the men’s soccer team played UAB before the women’s match). In 11 matches this year, 5,858 fans ventured out to the 麻豆原创 Soccer Complex to break the single-season record of 4,601 set last year.

Lauren Halbert, Kacie Horner, Amanda Martorana, Jaclyn Meade, Kim Newsome, Christina Petrucco and Brianna Schooley were all honored before the match, and all seven seniors got the start Friday vs. Southern Miss (3-14-2, 0-10-1).

Schooley tallied three assists in the victory, which tied for the fourth-most in a match in 麻豆原创 history. Meanwhile, Martorana racked up six points on two goals and a pair of assists, and took nine shots against the Golden Eagles.

“It was an awesome atmosphere tonight, but we’re taking it one step at a time,” said Schooley. “We’re regular-season champions now but we haven’t been conference tournament champs before and that’s going to be our next goal. We’re going to take the next week to prepare, practice hard and use our home-field advantage to come out strong next Friday.”

Meade needed to make just two saves in net for her second shutout in three starts this season, as the Knights led in shots, 33-6. During the current four-match winning streak, 麻豆原创 has outscored its opponents 16-1, and Friday’s 6-0 victory was its largest shutout win since a 6-0 triumph over Houston in 2008 (those two matches were the only occasions in which the Knights scored six goals in a match since 2005).

With a title on the line, it was a pair of seniors who sparked the attack vs. the Golden Eagles and it quickly gave the Knights a 1-0 lead. With possession in the center of the pitch, Schooley found Newsome sprinting in on the left side, and after dribbling into the box, Newsome calmly hit the back of the net in the fourth minute for her ninth goal on the year.

The lead would then be doubled in the 14th minute, and this time three seniors combined for the goal. Following a pass from Newsome, Martorana fired a shot that was blocked in front, however Horner stepped in for the rebound and delivered her second-career goal and her first since the 2007 campaign.

The Black and Gold completed the half by making it 4-0 in the 40th minute, as Schooley sent it in for Martorana who received it perfectly and cranked a shot past keeper Lindsey Schwarner for her second goal of the night.

With a 4-0 advantage in the second half, the Knights settled down but still lit up the scoreboard in the 74th minute, where Katie Jackson put a corner kick into the box and after passes from Katy Ling and Martorana, Marissa Diggs drove home her second goal of the year.

And to cap off the evening, Katy Ling registered her second goal of 2010 by getting in the way of keeper Hannah Vanderboegh as she came out of the box to try and clear it only to have Ling intercept it and be all alone to make it 6-0 in the 81st minute.

With the regular-season completed, 麻豆原创 will turn its attention to the C-USA Championship held at the 麻豆原创 Soccer Complex next week. Ticket information and more details can be found on the women’s soccer page at 麻豆原创Athletics.com or by heading to ConferenceUSA.com.

C-USA Championship Schedule at 麻豆原创

Wednesday, Nov. 3

Friday, Nov. 5

Sunday, Nov. 7

“But we have a huge home weekend coming up. We host Houston Friday and Rice Sunday and they are both tied for first with 4-0-0 records. You have to give them credit for getting the job done, but we want to be in first place so we have some work to do and we hope our fans come out and support us in one of the biggest weekends of the year.”

The 3-0-1 start in C-USA marks 麻豆原创’s best record to open its conference schedule since going 4-0-0 in 2007.

Undefeated in its previous six matches (4-0-2), 麻豆原创 outshot the Blazers (5-6-1, 1-2-1), 17-9, but 16 of those attempts came in the first half. The Knights also led in corners, 10-2, while keeper Aline Reis posted three saves, highlighted by two in the second half with the home team trailing by one.

Jackson’s performance Sunday marked her first multi-goal game in her career, and the two goals also gave her six for the season to set a career-high (she scored three goals in 2008 and five in 2009).

UAB’s backline had to work right out of the gate against the Knights’ attack. Through the first 13 minutes, 麻豆原创 racked up seven shots, two of which were saved by keeper Kate Blankenship, two were saved by Blazer defenders and two more were blocked. It was not until the 28th minute where the Black and Gold finally struck for the day’s first goal. Earning her sixth assist of 2010, Tishia Jewell found Newsome in the box who headed in her fifth of the season.

Just less than two minutes later, defender Bianca Joswiak sent a ball over to Jackson right in front for the easy goal to make it 2-0 as Andrea Rodrigues also earned an assist on the play. And to close out the half, a handball by UAB inside the six gave Jackson a penalty-kick chance in the 36th minute and she capitalized to bring the advantage to 3-0.

Even though 麻豆原创 controlled all of the momentum entering the second half, UAB’s Sam Bradford turned it into a whole new match by scoring two goals in a span of 49 seconds in the 55th and 56th minutes. The Blazers then hoped to find the equalizer, taking five more shots the rest of the match only to have Reis and the 麻豆原创 defense hold on for the win.

With the first C-USA road trip behind it, 麻豆原创 returns home to host Houston Friday at 7 p.m. and Rice Sunday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m.