Aug. 5, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - A day after reporting to campus, the UCF women's soccer team finally kicked off its 2009 preseason with a 2.5 hour practice session Wednesday morning. The Knights will return to the pitch later in the day for an intrasquad scrimmage as well.

Women's soccer is the first UCF team to get its practice schedule underway for the 2009-10 athletic season.

"The first two days are really about getting everyone involved, making them feel comfortable together as a team," said 11th year head coach Amanda Cromwell. "This morning we did a lot of defensive 1v1s and 2v2s to see who could help us on the defensive side of things. We're not just talking about the back four defenders, but all over the field. Who are going to be good solid defenders who are going to make life easier for the people behind them.

"So tonight we will do an intrasquad to see where we are with some personnel, and we'll play a different formation than what we might play in a couple days. But these first few days are also about mentality, defensive shape, pressure and making sure everyone's plugged in and on the same page. Our first scrimmage is a week from tomorrow so we have to be ready and organized for Rollins."

Cromwell also discussed how she plans to approach Wednesday night's scrimmage, as well as how she incorporates all the newcomers into her system.

"Tonight we will do three 25-minute segments. The first 25 is veterans vs. rookies, the next two segments will be more of starters vs. reserves - who we think are playing well. So if we had to play a game tonight, by the end of that last 30 could be our starting group. But what I tell them is that it's just one day, and someone who might be on the reserves may end up starting for us in our scrimmage vs. Rollins. We want to have that competitive edge every training session."

One veteran who was a freshman last season is sophomore Stacie Hubbard. A Conference USA All-Freshman Team member, Hubbard now knows what to expect during UCF's preseason.
 

"I'm really excited about this year and this team's looking very good," said Hubbard. "I'm a little tired from this morning but it's only going to make us better. Fitness is definitely a strong point on this team, and it's what sets us apart from other schools. I'm certainly looking forward to being in better shape than I was last year, and doing my part to help the team. Preparing during the summer is huge. If you don't train in the offseason you'll be able to tell."

The Black and Gold's scrimmage vs. Rollins is set for Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. It opens the regular season at home vs. Florida Gulf Coast Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. before traveling to face North Carolina Aug. 28 and Duke Aug. 30.

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.