UCF Women’s Soccer Team Downs Ivy League Champions Harvard

By Jonathan Romero

Valencia Voice

ORLANDO, Fla  - The UCF women's soccer team continued their winning streak Friday with their fourth-straight  victory to improve their record to 4-1-0 with a 3-0 win over 2009 Ivy League champions, Harvard.

   

The match, at the UCF Soccer Complex, was the first meeting between UCF and Harvard since the Knights' inaugural season in 1981.  The Knights now lead the series 2-0 and proved to be too formidable an opponent for the Crimson, as they controlled the game right from the kickoff.

Katie Jackson notched her second goal of the season and opened up the scoring in the eighth minute with the first shot of the night, which put UCF ahead 1-0.  Forward Kim Newsome dribbled the ball down the left flank and crossed it into the box where she found an open Jackson waiting in front of the net for the easy put-away.

The Knights continued to control the tempo of the game and after 20 minutes  would find the back of the net again after an 80-yard sprint from Sophomore defender, Bianca Joswiak.  As Amanda Martorana pulled the attention of the Harvard defenders with her run down the right flank of the field, German-born Joswiak started her sprint from the opposite end and found a perfectly delivered cross at the far post to head in her second-career goal.

"I don't know how that happened," said Joswiak with a smile, "I just ran probably 80 yards so I knew I needed to get the ball. It was worth it. Tonight we had a lot more patience than usual so that was really good."

UCF started the second half with a 2-0 advantage, but would not relinquish their pressure and soon added a third within minutes.  Playing a give-and-go with forward Katie Bolinsky, Joswiak added to her tally in the 47th after Harvard goalie, Alexandra Millet, blocked her first shot attempt from 13 yards out, only to have it deflect back off the defender and trickle slowly in towards the net.  She gently tapped it in to finish with her second goal of the night and third for the season.

With a 3-0 lead, the Black and Gold were able to coast for the rest of the half and rest pivotal players for their upcoming match against No. 8 Florida State on Sunday in Tallahassee.   They finished with a 16-7 advantage in shots over Harvard and their third shutout of the season.

"Once we got into a rhythm, started moving forward, and finding it wide, we were pretty dangerous," said head coach, Amanda Cromwell.   "We are making better decisions in the attacking third and that's what we worked on all week.  I think we're happy with the patience we showed, the times we moved forward, and the times we took risks."

Next up for the women is a three-match away journey starting with Florida State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, followed by the University of Arizona on Sept. 17, and No. 24 Arizona State on Sept.  19.  They then open the Conference USA schedule at home against East Carolina on Sept. 24 and Marshall on Sept. 26 which can be seen on the Bright House Sports Network.

China documentary impresses judges

By Jonathan Romero

jromero@valenciavoice.com

“People always pick up on our differences and use it as an excuse to kill each other… I seek to document that which unifies us: the human experience.”

This is a personal notion that resonated with former student, Jeremy Veverka, while he was study- ing journalism at Valencia Community College, three years ago.

Veverka would later go on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University and co-direct/produce an Award Winning Documentary, “China: The Rebirth of an Empire,” with his brother, Jesse.

It was during his time in that year, that he found his passion for journalism and the importance of sharing his worldly experiences with others.

“We need to understand that the world is interconnected and everything that happens, affects and impacts us. You can choose to ignore it, but it’s still going to affect you,” warns a wiser and more mature Veverka.

In 2008, he and his brother, Jesse Veverka, jumped at the opportunity to cover a story about China, a country with unprecedented economic growth which had surpassed Japan as the world’s second largest economy and is now on the verge of possibly surpassing the United States within the next 15-20 years.

The question in their minds, was: With the upcoming Beijing Olympics that year, would China make a peaceful rise to power or is it already on its way to becoming a modern empire?

Sponsored by the East Asia Program, an international studies program of Cornell University and a $50,000 budget, the brothers and a film crew set off to Asia for three months.

They shot in nine different countries, weaving such diverse issues as Islamic fundamentalism, free trade and the Pro Tibet movement.

The Veverka brothers had their world premiere for the film at the Central Florida Film Festival in Ocoee on Sept. 4, and won Best Documentary at CENFLO 2010. Audience members admitted that the film alleviated previous assumptions about the region and cleared up misconceptions about the country itself.

“It opened my eyes so much,” said Bob Cook, an Ocoee native who grew up in the 1950s.

“It looked like the Chinese care more about their people and economy as opposed to building up for war, which is what we’ve been taught that the communist nations do.”

Donna Warner, another audience member, shared Cook’s sentiments and admitted that it left her wanting more information. “I really discovered how clueless I was about what’s going on in that country,” she said.

As for the Veverka brothers, this is just the beginning of a festival circuit that includes showings in Utah, Illinois, Ohio and ending up back in New York, this October. More information can be found on their website http://www.chinarebirth.com/.

Veverka hopes his movie will inspire to turn off their TVs and go immerse themselves in another culture and make friends with people whom are different. The notion of peace and understanding may be more easily attained, with this broader perspective of the world and humanity.

“I hope when people see the film, people will understand that the future will be a different place, but we need to figure out how we’re all going to live together and coexist peacefully.”