For the Second-Time This Year, UCF Women's Soccer Sweeps
C-USA Awards
Moore, Thomas give the Knights six league honors this year.
 ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com)
- Two more UCF women's soccer players earned Conference USA honors Monday as
senior defender
Nikki Moore (Virginia Beach, Va.) and senior midfielder
Becca Thomas (Burlington, Wash.) helped the Knights sweep the league's
weekly awards. UCF has now had six different players be selected for C-USA
weekly accolades this year.
While Moore and Thomas have received several postseason honors by C-USA
throughout their careers, this was the first time for both players they were
tagged as a weekly award winner. Earlier in 2009, seniors
Lynzee Lee,
Courtney Whidden and
Yvonne George along with sophomore
Aline Reis were all selected for weekly accolades by the league office.
The duo of Moore and Thomas guided the first-place Knights to victories
vs. UTEP and Colorado College over the weekend, improving the team's record
to 10-3-1 on the year and 5-1-0 in C-USA. UCF climbed to No. 14 in the
Soccer America rankings Monday, with two other top-25 polls set to be
released Tuesday.
Named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week, Moore and the Black and
Gold went up against two of the top offensive programs in the conference and
helped hold their opponents to a combine 25 shots. In the 3-2 win over the
Miners, Moore played all 90 minutes but made her presence known when she
switched to cover UTEP's right-flanker Chelsea Winbush. An important
offensive threat, Winbush was then held to zero shots over the final 84
minutes.
Two days later in the 4-1 triumph against the Tigers, Moore decided to
contribute offensively. In the 27th minute, she gained possession at
midfield, dribbled all the way towards the box and fired a long shot into
the far right corner for UCF's first goal, as well as her first tally of the
year. Defensively, Moore was never beaten in 1v1 situations during the
entire afternoon.
Tabbed as the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, Thomas registered the
game-winning goals in both games and also added an assist for a five-point
weekend. With the match against UTEP tied at 2-2, UCF received a penalty
kick in the 55th minute, and Thomas calmly stepped up and delivered her
first of 2009 into the lower left-corner. Earlier she picked up the primary
assist on
Kim Newsome's goal in the 41st minute. Facing Colorado College, Thomas
gave the Knights a 2-0 advantage when she ripped a free kick past the wall
into the left side in the 42nd minute.
UCF has five matches left in the regular season, and tries to remain all
alone in first place when it visits Rice Friday and Houston Sunday.
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.
UCF Women's Soccer C-USA Weekly Awards in 2009
Lynzee Lee - Defensive Sept. 7
Aline Reis - Defensive Sept. 14 (Also NSCAA National Player of the Week)
Courtney Whidden - Offensive Sept. 14
Yvonne George - Offensive Oct. 5
Nikki Moore - Defensive Oct. 12
Becca Thomas - Offensive Oct. 12
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