WOMEN’S SOCCER … UCF knocked No. 5 Florida State from the unbeaten ranks Thursday when it defeated the Seminoles, 1-0, on Courtney Whidden‘s golden goal on a header off fellow senior Becca Thomas‘ free kick that touched off a massive celebration among the fans in a school record crowd of 1,142 in Orlando.
“I knew we could do it,” said Whidden. “This team has worked so hard and finally we are getting recognition. We are showing everybody that we need to be ranked. We got what we deserved tonight.”
UCF (4-1-1) had already beaten one ranked ACC team, defeating Duke, 3-2, on Stacie Hubbard‘s late goal off another set piece. The Knights’ only loss was a 4-0 defeat at No. 1 North Carolina.
“Credit to UCF,” said FSU coach Mark Krikorian. “They came in, had a great game plan and were very organized. They were disciplined in their defending and limited our chances. I would say it was a fair result for the game.”
Thursday’s Scoreboard
* WEEKEND TOP 25 ACTION:
Friday, Sept. 11
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 8 Purdue (Santa Clara Tournament)
No. 3 Portland vs. No. 20 Illinois (Nike Portland Invitational)
No. 10 Wake Forest vs. No. 23 Penn State (UConn Classic)
No. 16 Virginia vs. No. 15 West Virginia (Virginia Nike Classic)
Saturday, Sept. 12
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 21 Texas A&M
Sunday, Sept. 13
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (Santa Clara Classic)
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 24 UAB
* INJURY REPORT. Cincinnati lost defender Logan Ballinger with a season-ending injury in Sunday’s match against South Carolina. The junior, the Bearcats’ second-leading scorer when she was injured, will seek a medical redshirt.