Knights Fall to USF on Penalty Kicks in AAC Tournament Final

(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)

Match Recap

ORLANDO, Fla. – For the No. 1-seeded UCF Knights (1-0-1) and No. 2-seeded USF Bulls, 110 minutes weren’t enough. With another American Athletic Conference title on the line, the Bulls (1-0-1) won the AAC Tournament final 5-3 on penalty kicks after both teams drew 0-0 after two overtime periods at the UCF Soccer & Track Complex Sunday afternoon.

“Well I’m just glad that we’re not, and we’re still alive,” fifth-year UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said after the match. “And we’ve positioned ourselves, still, to be successful… So, I know emotionally, it’s hard to lose on a penalty kick, but, technically, you know, it was a tied game, and our goals are bigger than the AAC Tournament. So, our big goals are to go far into the NCAA tournament, and the girls are focused on that, and I know that, you know, they’re not gonna, like, let this bring them down.

“You know, it’s okay to have this emotion right now and to feel like a loss, and, you know that’s just part of our journey, and you’re always going to look at things positively, and, you know, this is just something that we’re gonna feel as part of our journey, and we re-focus and move on.”

Defender Kathellen Sousa and forwards Stefanie Sanders and Christine Creighton each made the first three penalty kicks, but it was UCF’s leading scorer, Morgan Ferrara, who ultimately had the Knights’ final, fatal error, as her attempt from the spot was saved by USF goalkeeper Kat Elliott. Leah Ferlin and Kelli Burney capped the win, notching the Bulls’ final two penalty kicks.

“PKs are PKs, like, all the time. You can be really close and not make a save,” Knights goalkeeper Vera Varis said after the match. “You can guess the wrong way and still, like, ‘It was a good guess.’ So, I don’t feel unlucky. I did my best, and that’s it.”

Dina Orschmann, the conference rookie of the year, led a UCF counter from midfield in the 79th minute for UCF’s best chance of regulation and a potential game-winner. She worked her way to the right part of USF’s box and led Kayla Adamek toward the center of the box for a shot on goal that was narrowly saved by Elliott for her third save of the match.

Just seven minutes later, UCF defender Saga Fredriksson drew a foul just outside the left part of USF’s box. In the 86th minute, UCF attempted a quick restart, but the shot by Ferrara was deflected. Adamek found possession for the Knights, again, but her ensuing touch was knocked away for a USF throw-in.

Roberts Sahaydak knew Sunday’s rematch with USF would be another difficult challenge for the Knights, as she acknowledged the Bulls’ success at disrupting UCF’s attack. In 16 games prior, UCF out-scored its opponents 40-7 and averaged 17 shots per 90 minutes. In the tournament final, UCF managed just seven shots (three on-target) after regulation.

“They’re physical, and they’re aggressive,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “And, quite honestly, I think that we were not at our best for a majority of the game. We were not as sharp as we normally are. I would have to think that [winning 3-0 over the Memphis Tigers on Nov. 3] has something to do with the sharpness. We should be able to battle through that, but, you know, technically, we were off. We made a lot of errors.”

The Knights received a burst of offensive energy from Katriina Kuoksa in the first overtime period. Kuoksa, who has four assists and no goals this season, took two on-target shots from the top of USF’s box. Both efforts were saved by Elliott, as she finished with seven saves.

In the second overtime, Adamek went down just outside USF’s six-yard box, but no penalty kick was called.

“On a positive note, I did see us getting stronger as the game went on, and I thought that we did really well in the overtime period,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “And that’s when I really saw us come to life. I wish we were able to do that earlier, but they came to life in both overtime periods, and, you know, it was just a little bit too late.”

Varis’ seven first-half saves helped put the Knights in a position to attempt those efforts. She began with a diving save in the 16th minute after she came off her line to thwart USF’s first of four first-half, on-target shots. In the 38th minute, Varis came up with another big save, tipping a high-arching effort toward goal over the crossbar.

Varis followed her four first-half saves with three more in the second half. Her defensive effort began early in the second half, as Varis gathered a low, threatening cross in the 51st minute and made an easy save in the 52nd.

“I mean, she’s been so solid, and she brings us a lot of confidence,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “She does her job and does it really well, and her teammates have a lot of trust in here and thought our back four did well defensively. So, we’ll just grow from tonight’s game.”

Woman of the Match: GK Kat Elliott

The USF goalkeeper held steadfast against a UCF offense that ranks among the top attacking teams in the country. She finished regulation and two overtime periods with seven saves and made a crucial stop against Ferrara, the Knights’ leading scorer, in penalty kicks on the fourth effort. Elliott was also named the All-AAC Tournament defender, too.

What’s next?

The 2017 NCAA Tournament selection show will be held Monday night at 4:30 p.m. and will be shown on NCAA.com.

Highlights

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NDR Notes

• Entering the 2017 AAC Tournament final, the Knights were 3-2-3 all-time in championship games.
• Sunday’s bout between UCF and USF was the first time the Knights and Bulls have met in a conference-tournament championship game.
• UCF leads the all-time series against the Bulls 10-2-3 before the final on Sunday.
• The Knights and Bulls last played each other in both teams’ regular-season finale on Oct. 27. Both teams drew 1-1 after double overtime, but the draw solidified UCF’s 22nd AAC title.
• UCF is now 3-2-4 all-time in AAC Tournament finals.

Scoring

Statistics and Starting Lineups

UCF Knights starting XI (4-3-3): Vera Varis (GK); Saga Fredriksson, Maura Aman, Kathellen Sousa, Lauren Nemeroff; Katriina Kuoksa, Zandy Soree, Bridget Callahan; Dina Orschmann, Morgan Ferrara, Kayla Adamek

USF Bulls starting XI (4-3-3): Kat Elliott (GK); Cyanne Dennis, Kelli Burney, Ocean Parr, Sabrina Wagner; Fanny Pelletier-Laroche, Jessica Hamrick, Andrea Hauksdottir; Kylee Burroughs, Evelyne Viens, Aubrey Megrath

For more on the Knights, as they head into the NCAA tournament, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.