Men's soccer and UCF sloshes through the rain for a scoreless tie
Match ends in a tie after rain shortens contest in 71st minute

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Sept. 12, 2009 The JU men's soccer team and UCF battled each other through steady rain storms en route to a scoreless tie in a rain-shortened contest at the Ashley Sports Complex on Saturday night.


The Dolphins (0-2-1) and the Knights (2-1-1) played in a steady rain shower for most of the first half until the storm became heavier at halftime. In the second half, the teams were delayed for a short period before referees called the match in the 71st minute due to unplayable field conditions. The match became official once it reached past the 70th minute, which forced the contest to end in a tie.


"I'm proud of the way we toughed it out tonight," said JU head coach Mike Johnson. "Our team played well in the first half and produced several scoring chances. UCF is a well-coached team and I'm pleased with our effort against them.


"I also want to thank the fans who braved the weather this evening. It was awesome to see that many people stick around through the rain. Overall, we have to keep improving because the schedule continues to be tough for the next couple of weeks."


Senior midfielder Jonathan Jackson had a game-high four shots to give the Dolphins a 10-9 advantage for the evening. Senior midfielder Stefan Runeman had three shot attempts, while senior Joey Sanchez (0-2-1) needed to make only one stop between the posts.


The Knights had three shots from junior forward Gianni Piccoletti and freshman goalie Shawn Doyle recorded three saves on the night.


After having several shots cleared by the UCF backline in the first half, sophomore defender Casey Tafuri almost broke through offensively for the Dolphins in the 25th minute when he hit the top of the post from 20- yards out.


The Knights had two close tries for a goal less than six minutes later after Piccoletti and sophomore midfielder Kevan George each hit the posts on consecutive shot attempts.


With less than nine minutes remaining in the half, sophomore midfielder Chris Feigenbaum had a shot hit the far left post that bounced back to him in front of the net, but he was unable to get it the goal on the second try for the Knights.


Both teams battled back and forth in the second half, with the Knights getting three corner kicks tries in the final two minutes of the match, but the contest stayed scoreless.


The Dolphins will look for that elusive first win of the season on Sept. 18th whey they play St. Joseph's in DeLand, Fla. at the Stetson Tournament. Kickoff is set of 5 p.m.