UCF Women's Soccer Team Maintains No. 23 Rank With Wins Over Conference Rivals East Carolina and Marshall

Second half comeback shows Knight's determination and fighting spirit

By Jonathan Romero

Valencia Voice

ORLANDO, Fla  -- In their second Conference USA match of the year, following a monumental battle in monsoon-like conditions in Friday night's 5-3 win against East Carolina, the UCF women's soccer team improved their record to 7-2-1 Sunday, with a well-fought comeback victory over Marshall to win the game 2-1.  Having conceded early, it took the Knights just three minutes in the second half to take the lead for the eventual win. 

Their Conference USA record now stands at 2-0-0 after the eventful weekend, but their opponents’ drive and vitality isn't something that is escaping the notice of Head Coach Amanda Cromwell.  "This is the kind of game we can expect in the Conference USA.  We have a target on our back and our kids can't just show up," said Cromwell after the game.  "I give a lot of credit to Marshall in the first half.  They came out and defended well, had a game plan, and really pressured our kids.  They deserved to be up in the first half."

After a dismal first half where the Knights looked flat and lethargic, the girls came out of the locker room after half time with a new mentality.  "At halftime we said to them, 'All you are right now is talented, but you're not good.  You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't work, it doesn't matter.'  That was something we tried to slam into their heads," said Cromwell.

That message seemed to resonate with the team and motivated them to fight for each other and put in the work they lacked in the first half.  "After the halftime speech, we really wanted to work hard.  We wanted to grind it out and win.  That's something our team says a lot," said Marissa Diggs, whose game-winning goal in the 66^th minute put the team in front.

Marshall (3-4-2) opened up the scoring in the 14^th minute on a Megan Tabler goal from 20 yards out.  After a combination of passes between midfielders, Erika Duncan and Meghan Wetzel, Tabler collected a through-ball pass in the box and finished it into the left side of the net.  The Knights, who held an advantage in shots (20-7), only managed to put three on target before half-time, as Marshall keeper, Lexa Hughes, made the easy saves each time.

Coming into the second half, the Black and Gold looked sharper and started connecting with each other.  With 30 minutes left on the clock, they earned a free kick near the center circle of the field.  Defender Christina Petrucco delivered the ball into the box and found fellow Senior, Amanda Martorana, who timed her header perfectly and helped UCF pull even at 1-1 with her second goal of the season in the 62^nd minute.

Less than four minutes later, the Knights would get their game-winning goal after earning themselves another set-piece with a corner from Katie Jackson, one of UCF's top scorers this season.  Jackson delivered the ball into the 18, and amid the confusion of the Marshall defenders, it took an awkward deflection and somehow inexplicably found the foot of Diggs who tapped in the easy goal from a few yards out.  It was the defender's first-collegiate goal and one that put the Knights in the lead and in the driver's seat for the win.  From then on, UCF played a game of containment and maintained the lead for the remaining 20 minutes until the final whistle.

Looking ahead, UCF faces Conference USA teams from now until the end of the season.  Their next game on October 1^st is against reigning Conference Tournament Champions, Memphis.  As Regular Season Champions, UCF sees the game against Memphis as the game of the season.  "Memphis is the team to beat.  To win the Conference, we need to beat them," said Martorana.  Coach Cromwell reiterated that and emphasized the importance of winning against their biggest Conference rivals.  "We're both ranked and vying for the top spot in the league, so Friday we gotta go out and win; it's a statement game."