On Thursday, UCF fans were treated to two big wins over rival USF. First, the men’s soccer team eliminated the Bulls from the NCAA Tournament. Then the men’s basketball team went on to score a big win in front of 7,653.

– UCF Basketball Improves To 3-0 –

Playing in front of an energetic crowd at the UCF Arena, the UCF men’s basketball team topped cross-state foe USF, 65-59. Junior guard A.J. Rompza led the Knights with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The victory was just the sixth in 25 tries for UCF against the Bulls (1-2).

The Knights led for the majority of the contest, but the Bulls got within two points with 25 seconds to play when Jawanza Poland hit a 3-pointer. Rompza was then fouled and nailed a pair of free throws to secure the win for the Knights.

“I am really proud of our team,” UCF Coach Donnie Jones said. “We have had two blowouts in our first games. We have gotten huge leads and haven’t been in any late-game situations. I am really proud of our team. I am really proud of A.J. Rompza and a lot of our veterans who really stepped up down the stretch.”

UCF led by as many as 12 points in the opening half and took a 38-29 advantage into intermission. The Bulls opened the second half with a 13-2 run and went up 41-40 with 13:55 to play when Ron Anderson scored inside. Rompza led the Knights right back, scoring a bucket and then finding an open Marcus Jordan for a 3-pointer that gave UCF the lead back for good, 45-43, with 13:08 on the clock.

UCF’s defensive pressure helped force 18 USF turnovers. The Knights recorded seven blocked shots in the win. Senior forward A.J. Tyler finished with four blocks. Junior guard Isaac Sosa finished with 13 points and three assists. Anderson led the Bulls with 18 points and Augustus Gilchrist added 14 points.

UCF will be back in action on Tuesday at Stetson.

– UCF Soccer Moves On In NCAA’s –

UCF goalkeeper Shawn Doyle recorded his eighth shutout of the year as the Knights cruised to a 3-0 win over USF in the opening round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship at the UCF Soccer Complex. It’s UCF’s first win over the Bulls since 2001. USF leads the all-time series 20-4-4.

With the win, UCF advances to face 10-seed Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Ann Arbor. Michigan is ranked No. 19 in the nation. The Knights now stand at 12-4-3, while the Bulls wrap up their 2010 campaign at 9-6-4. It is UCF’s seventh shutout in nine home contests this year. The Knights have conceded just three goals at the UCF Soccer Complex in 2010.

“I really felt good about the game going in,” UCF Coach Bryan Cunningham said. “I thought we matched up well with USF and they’re a tremendous team. Credit to (the team). They executed the game plan and a shutout is great against a high-powered team like that.”

In the 35th minute Cameron Cooksey flung a lengthy throw in from the far sideline that pressing and leaping defender Ben Hunt was able to flick off of his head past USF goalkeeper Jeff Attinella and into the top corner of the net for the first goal of the match.

Then with less than a minute to play before the half, Nik Robson calmly pushed a penalty kick past Attinella for his 10th goal of the season, giving the Knights a 2-0 advantage heading into intermission. UCF held a 10-3 edge in shots at the break. Yaron Bacher put UCF on top 3-0 when he fired a 25-yard free kick high into the far corner of the USF net.

Doyle finished with three saves and UCF held an 18-10 advantage in shots.

The Bulls were making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance while UCF was making its first NCAA appearance since 2004 and its fourth all-time. The last time the Knights advanced to the second round was in 2004, when they lost at Wake Forest.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– Soccer –

A few days after suffering an upset loss last week in the semifinals of the Conference USA Men’s Soccer Tournament, UCF learned it would host an NCAA Tournament game at the UCF Soccer Complex this Thursday at 5 p.m. against USF (9-5-4).

The winner moves on to face No. 19 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday. The Knights lost 2-1 to Tulsa in the conference tournament and earned one of 26 at-large bids into the NCAA field of 48 teams.

UCF (11-4-3) completed its best season under head coach Bryan Cunningham and qualified for the NCAA postseason for the fourth time in program history. Between 2002-04 the Knights earned bids as the Atlantic Sun Conference champs.

Joining UCF in the tournament from Conference USA are league-champion South Carolina, Tulsa and SMU.

– Basketball –

Following the soccer game, new head coach Donnie Jones and the 2-0 men’s basketball team takes on USF (1-1) at 7 p.m. at UCF Arena.

The Knights are averaging 97.5 points per game while shooting 63.6 percent from the field to start the season.

UCF has been led by guard Marcus Jordan and forward Keith Clanton. Jordan is averaging 20.5 points while Clanton is shooting 85.7 percent, averaging 18 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.

The Bulls participated in the postseason NIT a year ago and are led by Jawanza Poland, who is averaging 13.5 points per game.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– NCAA Track and Field Championships –

UCF sent a school-record 11 student-athletes to the NCAA East Championships and came away with three who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, beginning Wednesday in Eugene, Ore.

Sophomores Jackie Coward and Sheila Paul, and freshman Sonnisha Williams will be competing at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon from June 9-12.

Jackie Coward

Paul is scheduled to run in one of three semifinal heats of the 100-meter dash on Wednesday at 6 p.m., with the finals scheduled for Friday at 5:32 p.m. Coward competes in one of three semifinal heats of the 100-meter hurdles on Thursday night at 5:55 p.m., with the finals scheduled for Saturday at 11:09 a.m. Williams competes in the trials and finals of the long jump on Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m.

At stake are All-American accolades (finishing among the top-eight in each respective event), which would be the first for UCF in outdoor competition. The Knights have previously had four NCAA Indoor All-Americans, including Coward in 2009.

Coward is ranked seventh nationally in the 100mH with a season-best time of 12.99. She is seeded No. 11 after clocking in at 13.11 at the east championships. Paul recently ran a personal-best 11.36 and is ranked No. 16 overall entering the 100m. She is seeded No. 22 based on her time of 11.54 in the east championship finals. Williams is ranked No. 20 nationally in the long jump, No. 2 among freshman, after measuring in at a school-record jump of 20-6.25/6.25m at the east championships. She is seeded No. 18 at the event.

– Former Goalkeeper Makes Pro Soccer Debut –

Last month former UCF men’s soccer goalkeeper Sean Johnson made his professional debut for Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire, playing all 90 minutes in a 1-0 exhibition loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the opener of the Chicago Sister Cities International Cup at Toyota Park in Chicago.

Johnson, the 51st pick of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, made three saves in the game as Clement Chantome got a shot by him in the 14th minute. A two-year starter for UCF in 2007 and 2008, Johnson became the first UCF player to be drafted by an MLS team.

“I take full responsibility,” said Johnson of the goal against. “I was in good position, the ball hit a little divot and I should’ve gotten a little bit of a better push forward and parried it away to be safe. At the end of the day, my defense knows I’ll take the goal on me.”

In 2009, Johnson passed on playing for UCF after he was selected to play with the United States U-20 National Team. He participated in the U-20 World Cup this past fall.

Aside from the outcome of his professional debut, he was just happy to get some playing time.

“It was a good opportunity,” Johnson said. “I think you learn from playing and this being my first game I think I did alright.”

– Baseball Team Nabs Five C-USA Honors –

Among the five Conference USA award winners on UCF’s baseball team, Olympia alum Chris Taladay came away with perhaps the top honor.

The third baseman was recently voted as the 2010 C-USA Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Knight to claim a C-USA individual postseason award since the Knights joined the league in 2006.

Other award winners included senior outfielders Chris Duffy and Shane Brown, who were both first team selections. Taladay joined shortstop Darnell Sweeney and relief pitcher Joe Rogers on the All-Freshman Team. All three were also named Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball.

Taladay is UCF’s first conference freshman of the year since Dee Brown was tabbed the top frosh in 2002, when the Knights competed in the Atlantic Sun.

In 2010, he ranked in the top-five of all C-USA freshmen in batting average (.352), at-bats (210), runs (49), hits (74), doubles (19), homers (eight), RBI (47), total bases (117), slugging (.557), OPS (.960) and HBP (10) while leading all freshmen in doubles, total bases, slugging and OPS.

Duffy finished with a .447 batting average, the highest in both UCF and C-USA history. He also led the league with an .850 slugging percentage, 81 RBI and 175 total bases. His 21 home runs set a UCF single-season record and his 43 all-time homers, the last of which came on a grand slam in his last at-bat, ties Bobby Kiser for the school’s career mark.

Brown ranked third in the league with a .428 batting average, which also was the fourth highest in C-USA history. His .541 on-base percentage and 22 HBP topped the conference. He sits in the top-10 in slugging (.692), runs (58), hits (89), doubles (25), total bases (144) and walks (34). In four seasons, Brown hit .363 in his career, which stands as the sixth-best batting average in UCF history.

Duffy and Brown were also named Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball All-Americans as Duffy was awarded a spot on the second team and Brown got a spot on the third team.

The last time a Knight was selected as an All-American was in 2004 when pitchers Matt Fox and Kyle Bono received the accolade. UCF has now had nine All-Americans since it turned Division I in 1985. That list includes Tim Barker in 1985, Chad Mottola in 1992 and Justin Pope, Jason Arnold and Jeremy Kurella in 2001.

Sweeney was the only Knight to start all 55 games this season, finishing 2010 with a .358 batting average, the highest of all freshmen in the league. The shortstop also collected 51 runs, 38 RBI, 14 doubles, a triple, two triples and a UCF-high 17 stolen bases.

Rogers posted a 4-2 record with a 4.50 ERA, appearing in 23 games with three starts. He converted eight save opportunities, which are tied for the third-most saves ever by a Knight. His 43 strikeouts ranked third on the UCF pitching staff.

UCF closed out its season with a 33-22 overall record and a 10-14 mark in Conference USA, which goes down as the most C-USA victories by a UCF squad since joining the league in 2006.

– Softball Team Comes Away With Six C-USA Picks –

A program-record six student-athletes earned All-Conference USA softball honors, including three selections to the league’s first team.

Tiffany Lane, Natalie Land and Ashleigh Cole were the first team picks while Hillary Barrow and Abby McClain made the second team. Marissa Menendez was named to the all-freshman team.

Lane earned a spot on the first team for the second-consecutive year after setting the C-USA record with 21 career triples. She ranked sixth nationally in 2010 with six triples and led the Knights during the regular season in triples, total bases (68) and slugging percentage (.479), while ranking second in batting average (.310), runs scored (25), hits (44), doubles (9), RBI (18) and stolen bases (12).

Land, who was named to the all-freshman team in 2009, put together an impressive sophomore season. The second baseman paced the Knights in batting average (.317), runs scored (29), hits (46), sacrifice hits (15) and stolen bases (17), and sits among the top-10 in C-USA in five different categories.

Cole put together the best season of her career in the circle in 2010. She ended the regular season with a 21-12 record, making her only the fourth pitcher in program history to tally 20 or more wins in a season. She also had a 1.53 ERA, five shutouts and 149 strikeouts in 224.2 innings pitched. Cole ranks in the league’s top-10 in eight different pitching categories.

Cole also earned a spot on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Mideast Region Second Team, becoming the seventh player in program history to be named to an all-region squad.

McClain repeated as a second team selection after being voted to the squad last season. The junior started all 53 games behind the plate for UCF, catching 14 runners stealing and picking off one on the base paths. Offensively, she led UCF in on-base percentage (.399), walks (22) and times hit by pitch (6), while ranking third in batting average (.291), runs (25), hits (43), doubles (7) and home runs (2).

Barrow, one of the Knights’ five seniors, averaged a team-best 0.69 RBI per game as UCF’s No. 3 batter. The third baseman posted a team-high 36 RBI while also leading the squad in runs scored (29), doubles (10), home runs (5) and assists (122). Barrow hit her first career grand slam against Cornell at the UCF Softball Complex, while pacing UCF with eight multiple-RBI games.

Menendez batted .252 on the season with 38 hits, four doubles, three triples and one home run. She was the only freshman on the Knights’ roster to start all 53 regular-season contests, including 24 at first base, 15 as the designated player and 14 at second base. The rookie posted three-game winning RBI, including game-winners against both No. 16 Tennessee and No. 9 Alabama.

The Knights finished the regular season with a 33-20 overall record and a 16-7 league mark.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Chicago finished the 2009 season second in the Eastern Conference with an 11-7-12 record. The Fire acquired the pick that was used on the 6-foot-4, 20-year old out of Georgia from San Jose.

Sean Johnson

Johnson was the second keeper taken in all, two spots after United States Under-20 teammate Brian Perk out of UCLA was drafted at the start of the round by Philadelphia.

He now looks to become just the second UCF alum to ever compete in an MLS game, as he’ll follow in the footsteps of Eric Vasquez who played for the Columbus Crew in 2006 after being drafted in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft. Former Knight goalkeeper Ryan McIntosh came close to earning playing time with D.C. United, but never appeared in a game.

The MLS began play in 1996 and Chicago has competed in three MLS Cup games, winning in 1998 and losing in both 2000 and 2003.

Johnson was a two-year starter who never missed a game in 37 consecutive matches at UCF in 2007 and 2008. He ranks fifth all-time at the school in saves with 191 while his 108 stops in ‘08 are the most in a season-season since 1986 and are tied for the third-best single-season effort in program history.

Joining Johnson in being drafted by MLS teams out of Conference USA were Kentucky’s Jason Griffiths (48th overall by New England) and SMU’s Dane Saintus (54th overall by FC Dallas).

– More Sean Johnson Coverage –

Profile at UCF Athletics

He’s currently one of three goalkeepers, and 21 players, on the U.S. team which lost to Germany, 3-0, earlier in the week and defeated Cameroon, 4-1, on Tuesday in Group C play

Sean Johnson

UCLA’s Brian Perk is receiving the minutes in the net for the U.S. ahead of both Johnson and Major League Soccer’s Josh Lambo of FC Dallas. A win on Friday against Korea Republic (12:45 p.m. ET on ESPN2) ensures the U.S. a spot in the Round of 16 while a loss and a little bit of help may most likely do the same. The tournament wraps up Oct. 16.

Johnson, who also has competed with the Jamaican National Team, started 37 games while at UCF and finished ranked No. 5 on the school’s all-time saves list with 191 to his credit. In 2008 he allowed just 1.30 goals against per game and made 108 saves, the most for a keeper at UCF since 1986 when Dan Cordia did it. That number is good for a tie at No. 3 all-time amongst single season save marks in program history. Rick Bratincevic made 149 saves in 1982 and 143 saves in 1983.

Visit UCF Athletics for a question and answer session with Johnson about the experience.