The UCF women’s soccer team is inching closer and closer to its third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament next month as the Knights get set to hit the road with a 10-3-1 overall mark and a league-best 5-1-0 record in Conference USA. That makes nine-straight seasons with at least 10 wins for the program.

Aline Reis

After starting the season with big wins over Top-10 teams UCF has climbed into the national rankings, competing at No. 16 over the weekend, with a number of players coming away with personal accolades in the process.

This week senior defender Nikki Moore and senior midfielder Becca Thomas both earned C-USA honors while helping their team win its fourth in a row. That makes six UCF players in all who have been awarded hardware from the league this season.

Moore was named defensive player of the week after helping shut down a key offensive threat from UTEP and again holding her own in one-on-one situations against Colorado State. In that second game she also netted her first goal of the year after dribbling from midfield towards the box and landing a long shot into the far right corner of the net.

There have now been 13 different Knights who have found the back of the net during the 2009 season.

Thomas took home the offensive player of the week award thanks to game-winning goals against both UTEP and Colorado State. Her game-winners came on a penalty kick in the 55th minute on Friday and on a free kick past a wall of defenders in the 42nd minute on Sunday. She also had an assist over the weekend.

Yvonne George

The last time two Knights were recognized as both offensive and defensive players of the week, in the same week, was just a month ago when it was pulled off by sophomore goalkeeper Aline Reis and senior forward Courtney Whidden, who is perhaps the most clutch goal scorer in UCF history. Reis was also named NSCAA National Player of the Week this season.

Senior Lynzee Lee won defensive honors on Sept. 7 and Winter Springs native Yvonne George won offensive honors on Oct. 5 for the Knights, the third of her career.

UCF, who is ranked No. 14 by Soccer America and awaits rankings of two other polls, will be on the road at Rice, Houston, SMU and Tulsa before closing out the regular season at home on Friday, Oct. 30 against Southern Miss at 7 p.m.

The only conference loss for the Knights this season came in a 1-0 setback to Memphis. They also suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 12 South Carolina a little more than a month ago and have played one of the toughest schedules in the country. The C-USA Championship will be held at SMU in Dallas, Nov. 4-8.