East Carolina University
No. 23 UCF
Pirate Soccer Falls at No. 23 UCF, 2-0
October 24, 2014 | Soccer
Box Score | Box Score 
ORLA NDO - The East Carolina women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 loss at 23rd-ranked UCF in American Athletic Conference action Friday evening at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The Pirates, who entered the night in a four-way tie for third place in the league standings with 12 points, were unable to push ahead in the race for one of the top four seeds in next week's conference tournament, as the Knights clinched The American's regular-season crown.
"I thought the team did everything we asked tonight," head coach Rob Donnenwirth said. "They played hard and competed well."
UCF (14-3, 7-1 American) got started right from the opening kickoff, using a crisp passing game and sending numerous crosses into the Pirate goal box, before a cross by striker Tatiana Coleman from the near side was settled with the chest by Ashley Spivey and placed to the left of ECU goalkeeper Erika Lenns and into the back net for the game's first goal.
East Carolina (10-6-1, 4-4-0 American) squandered a golden scoring opportunity in the 26th minute on a free kick from just five yards beyond midfield after a UCF foul and yellow card. Goalkeeper Connie Organ, who charged out from her goal area, could not collect the service sent in by senior center back Kelley Johnson, and junior forward Kendall Frey took control of the ball approximately 15 yards out with her back to the goal. With Organ out of position, Frey turned to her right and took a shot at the empty net, but lost her footing as the ball rolled wide right.
Just five minutes later, the Knights raced deep into ECU's territory, as Coleman got past the final Pirate defender, but was tripped up inside the box and was awarded a penalty kick. Lenns dove to her right, but Coleman went the other way and drilled the shot into the right corner to put UCF ahead, 2-0. The Knights closed out the half and took the two-goal advantage into halftime.
The second half saw both sides hustle and battle for field position, as UCF went back to its strong passing game while taking just two shots in the second half. East Carolina took eight shots in the period and had a few more close calls in front of the Knights' defensive area, but could not cut into the deficit and dropped its fourth league match of the season.
The Pirates outshot UCF, 10-2, on the night, while the Knights owned a 5-2 advantage in corner kick chances.
East Carolina will travel to Tampa, Fla., for its regular-season finale on Sunday, Oct. 26 at USF. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
