UCF Press Release

November 14, 2002

ORLANDO - The UCF women's soccer team (18-4-0) battles Auburn in the opening round of the 2002 NCAA Women's College Cup Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Tallahassee, Fla. Even though the two teams have not played since the 1997 season, the two teams are familiar with each other since Auburn is coached by former UCF player/coach Karen Richter.
    The winner of the UCF/Auburn match will face the winner of the Ole Miss/Florida State match Sunday at 1 p.m. The Seminoles and Golden Knights have already played once this season, with FSU earning a 3-1 victory Oct. 4 in Tallahassee. All-time, UCF is 2-3 vs. the Seminoles and a perfect 3-0 vs. Auburn. UCF and Ole Miss have never met on the soccer field.
   
UCF In The NCAA Championships
    UCF continues its rich history in the NCAA Championships this weekend with the school's ninth appearance in the tournament. The Golden Knights are 7-8 all-time in NCAA play including two trips to the NCAA Final Four. UCF advanced to the NCAA Championship match in 1982, losing to North Carolina 2-0 in the first-ever NCAA Championship for women's soccer. The Golden Knights also advanced to the Final Four in 1987, losing to Massachusetts in the semifinals, 2-1.
    Under head coach Amanda Cromwell, UCF is 1-2 in NCAA play. Last season, UCF lost 4-0 in the opening round to Florida in Gainesville. In 1999, UCF defeated Furman 1-0 in the first round before falling to No. 3 North Carolina 8-0 in the second round.

Inside The Match With Auburn
    UCF will look to extend its perfect 3-0 all-time record vs. Auburn Friday in Tallahassee. The match is also a special one for UCF's senior class as they get to take on the coach who recruited them to UCF in Karen Richter.
    Richter was a standout goalkeeper for the Gold and Black from 1987-90 and still holds the school record for career shutouts (30.5) and career goals against average (0.59).         After her playing career with the Knights, Richter served as an assistant coach from 1991-92 at UCF before taking over the reigns as the head coach from 1993-98. In six seasons as head coach, Richter left UCF with a record of 64-44-9.
    Auburn enters Friday's tilt with a record of 14-3-2. The Tigers are receiving votes in both the NSCAA Coaches and Soccerbuzz.com Top 25 polls. Auburn finished the regular season 6-1-2 in the Southeastern Conference and earned the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers were upset in the first round of the SEC Tournament, falling to the No. 8 seed LSU, 1-0.

UCF's Title Run In The A-Sun
    UCF has been the most dominant school in the conference, winning eight A-Sun Championships, the most of any school. The Golden Knights are a resounding 14-2-1 all-time in A-Sun Postseason play after last weekend's two victories.
    With the 3-2 A-Sun Championship Match victory over Jacksonville, UCF has won the A-Sun Championship two straight years. UCF has also won the crown in 2001, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1994 and 1993. The Golden Knights have also reached the championship match in every conference tournament except in 2000, when Florida Atlantic knocked off UCF in the semifinals, 2-1.

A Season To Remember
    The 2002 season will go down as one of the best in UCF women's soccer history. The Golden Knights have set a new single-season record with 18 victories, eclipsing the old mark of 16 set in 1999.
    The 18-win season is also the third time in four seasons under Amanda Cromwell that UCF has won at least 10 matches. Last season, UCF finished with a 14-6-0 overall record and the '99 team finished 16-6-1 in Cromwell's first season at the helm in Orlando.

Montgomery Among The Nation's Elite
    Freshman forward Jennifer Montgomery has been sensational in her first season with the Golden Knights. The Colton, Calif., native was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman-of-the-Year while also earning a spot on the A-Sun First Team.
    The Colton, Calif. native is the first UCF player ever named the A-Sun's Freshman-of-the-Year.
    Montgomery ranks second among all NCAA Division I-A freshmen and 16th nationally with 46 points.    
   
Montgomery is also among the top freshmen in the country in goals scored, ranking second in the nation with 17 goals.
    In the NCAA rankings, Montgomery is 16th in the nation in points per game (2.09) and 29th in goals per game (0.77).

Freshman Sensation
    Jennifer Montgomery has passed some of soccer's all-time greats with the phenomenal season she has had with the Golden Knights. The freshman sensation has tied the UCF single-season record with 46 points in 2002, tying Amy Jones who scored 46 points in 1995.
    Montgomery is also closing in on the all-time single-season goals and assists records. The freshman forward has scored 17 goals this season along with 12 assists. Montgomery needs three more goals to tie Amy Jones (1995/20) for the single-season record and five more assists to equal Cally Howell's school record of 17 assists set during the 2000 campaign.

Only Two In NCAA Play From Florida
    UCF and Florida State are the only two institutions in the state of Florida to earn a bid to the 2002 NCAA Women's College Cup. The Golden Knights earned the automatic bid from the Atlantic Sun as the conference champions while the Seminoles earned an at-large bid.

Seven Golden Knights Garner A-Sun Honors
    Jennifer Montgomery was one of four UCF women's soccer players to be selected to the Atlantic Sun First Team Tuesday by the league's coaches. Montgomery was also voted as the Atlantic Sun Freshman-of-the-Year, the first time a UCF player has received the honor.
    Joining Montgomery on the first team included senior defender Jackie VanLooven, senior forward Nicole Cieslak and senior goalkeeper Jessica Kuhlman.
    Sophomore midfielder Allison Blagriff was named to the A-Sun Second Team while three UCF freshmen earned All-Freshmen honors. Joining Montgomery on the A-Sun All-Freshmen team included defender Summer Savage and midfielder Courtney Baines.
    The honor for VanLooven was the third time she has garnered a spot on the A-Sun First Team. She also joined an elite list of UCF players that have been named to the A-Sun First Team three times. Only Alyssa O'Brien (1996-98) and Leslie Golden (1994-96) have also earned spots on the A-Sun First Team three times during their careers at UCF.
    Cieslak picked up her second consecutive A-Sun First Team honor after being named to the team last season. The A-Sun First Team selection for Kuhlman was the first time in her career she has been selected to an A-Sun All-Conference Team.

UCF Wins With Defense
    The UCF defense has been a key factor in leading the Golden Knights to their 18-4-0 record in 2002. UCF has totaled 12 shutouts in its 22 matches while only allowing 22 goals all season long.
    The 12 shutout victories also rank the 2002 team second in single-season shutouts at UCF. The 1986 team holds the school record with 13 shutout wins while the 1987 team totaled 12.

Cieslak Moves Up The Career Charts
    Nicole Cieslak has had quite a senior season for the Golden Knights. The Orlando native ranks second on the team and fourth in the conference with 32 points. Cieslak has tallied 12 goals and eight assists on the year.
    Over her outstanding career at UCF, Cieslak has moved into the top 10 career lists in goals and points at UCF. Cieslak is tied for seventh in UCF history with 77 career points and eighth in career history with 29 goals.
    One of the top clutch players ever to wear the Black and Gold, Cieslak is tied for fifth on the career charts in game-winning goals with eight.

Kuhlman Keeping Her Cool In Net
    Jessica Kuhlman has been rock solid in net for UCF over her career and in 2002. Kuhlman has an impressive 17-4-0 record on the year including a sparkling 0.88 goals against average. The GAA also ranks Kuhlman first in the A-Sun in that category.
    Kuhlman has also recorded her name in the UCF record books. The St. Charles, Mo., native is fourth in school history with 148 career saves, just ahead of Karen Richter (135). Her 19 career shutouts also place her fifth in the UCF record books.
    The nine shutouts this season are tied for seventh on the single-season charts while her 82 saves in 2002 are eighth in single-season history at UCF.

Did You Know?
    Amanda Cromwell is the only active WUSA player that is currently the head coach of a Division I-A women's soccer program. Cromwell plays for the Atlanta Beat in the professional women's soccer league.
 

UCF In The Rankings
    UCF is tied for eighth this week in the Soccerbuzz.com Southeast Region Rankings. The Golden Knights improved one spot in the rankings from last week.

Soccerbuzz.com Southeast Rankings
1. North Carolina    17-1-4
2. Charlotte    16-1-2
3. Clemson    14-7-0
4. Florida State    11-6-3
5. Auburn    14-4-2
6. Florida    10-10-2
7. South Carolina    13-6-2
8. UCF        18-4-0
Duke        9-9-2
10. Furman    16-5-1
Wake Forest    12-7-1

Cromwell Named One Of The ACC's 50 Greatest
    UCF Head Coach Amanda Cromwell was selected to the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Women's Soccer Team, announced by ACC Commissioner John Swofford.
    "It's a great honor to be included on the list," commented Cromwell. "When you look at the players who were honored, it's a who's-who of the W-USA and the National Team."
    Cromwell was four-year standout at the University of Virginia from 1988-91. During her career with the Cavaliers, Cromwell was a two-time NSCAA All-American and a two-time Soccer America MVP. Cromwell was also a four-time All-ACC selection and a four-time all-region selection.
    Cromwell is one of the all-time greats to come out of the Virginia soccer program. She currently ranks fourth in school history with 84 career points and is third in career goals with 35. Even more impressive, Cromwell's teams went a combined 60-19-4 during her career in Charlottesville.
    "I enjoyed my time in the ACC and playing at Virginia. I had a great time and my career ended with a Final Four Appearance. Overall, the ACC is a great conference and it was a great experience throughout my career."


UCF On The A-Sun All-Tournament Team
    Since the Atlantic Sun started an all-tournament team in 1994, UCF has had 43 selections named to the squad including six tournament MVPs. The 43 selections to the all-tournament team along with the six tournament MVPs are also the most of any Atlantic Sun school.

UCF's A-Sun Tournament MVPs
2002    Allison Blagriff
2001    Michelle Anderson
1999    Cally Howell
1998    Alyssa O'Brien
1995    Liz Shaw
1994    Amy Geltz
   
    Sophomore midfielder Allison Blagriff captured tournament MVP honors after scoring two goals in two matches at the A-Sun Championship. Joining Blagriff on the all-tournament team from UCF included freshman midfielder Courtney Baines, who scored the game-winner vs. JU. Jackie VanLooven, Jessica Kuhlman and Summer Savage also garnered spots on the team.

Total Domination
    The Golden Knights have been potent on offense and stingy defensively all season long.
    UCF is sixth nationally in scoring offense with its 2.91 goals per game average. On the season, UCF has outscored the opposition 64-22 while totaling 395 shots and allowing just 198.
    UCF's .818 winning percentage is also among the national leaders, ranking 13th. The Golden Knights are also ranked 13th in the nation in shutout percentage with 55% of their games ending in shutouts.

A Goal To Remember
    Courtney Baines picked the perfect time to score her first career goal at UCF. The freshman midfielder from Indialantic, Fla. scored the game-winning goals for UCF in its 3-2 A-Sun Title Match victory over Jacksonville.
    An A-Sun All-Freshman selection, Baines had eight assists on the year without a goal entering the title match vs. JU. In the 79th minute of a 2-2 match, Baines received a perfect cross from Nicole Cieslak to tally her first goal as a Golden Knight.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP
    Allison Blagriff scored UCF's first goal of the game vs. Jacksonville State and Jacksonville to earn Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP honors.
    The Melbourne native was also a Second Team All-Atlantic Sun selection this season after totaling nine goals and three assists. The 21 points rank Blagriff third on the team.
    Blagriff also earned A-Sun All-Freshman honors after the 2001 season in which she scored five goals and handed out five assists from her midfield position.

Cromwell Closing In On UCF's Victories List
    Just in her fourth season at the helm, Amanda Cromwell is quickly moving up the career coaching wins list at UCF. The Golden Knights have had just four head coaches in 22 years of soccer.
    UCF's first head coach, Jim Rudy, coached the Gold and Black from 1981-87. Rudy is the school's all-time leader in wins with a record of 73-22-6.
    Karen Richter ranks second on the list with a career coaching record of 64-44-9 in six seasons in Orlando.
    Cromwell is just eight wins behind Richter with her career mark of 56-27-2 at UCF.


 

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