MADISON, Wis. (Nov. 13, 2009) - Courtney Whidden had two goals and an assist to lead No. 13 UCF to a 3-0 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s soccer team in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament Friday evening at McClimon Soccer Complex.
The Panthers (12-6-3) saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end while playing in their seventh NCAA Tournament. The Knights (17-4-1) advance to the second round Sunday, taking on the winner of host Wisconsin and Arizona State.
“This is a hard one to stomach,” UWM head coach Michael Moynihan said. “You look at the score line and it looks like we just got it handed to us, but in almost every regard we outplayed them.”
Despite the 3-0 final margin, Milwaukee looked to be the more dominant team for much of the match. The Panthers outshot UCF, 12-7, and had a 6-4 edge in corner kicks. Sophomore Sarah Hagen led the UWM attack with eight shots on her own, sending four on goal.
Aline Reis came up big for the Knights, making seven saves on the night for the shutout. Jamie Forbes made one stop for the Panthers.
UCF got on the board in the 18th minute off a corner kick. The ball was bending towards the far post and was cleared off the line by a UWM defender. The rebound went straight to Whidden, who put it back into the net. That shot was the Knights’ only shot of the first half, as the Panthers held possession for the majority of the half.
After halftime, Milwaukee pressed its attack forward, but to no avail. UCF, meanwhile, took advantage of the added attack pressure to score a pair of insurance goals. In the 64th minute Whidden struck again, while Alex Brandt made it 3-0 in the 77th minute.
Courtesy of Milwaukee SID Kevin Conway
