GAINESVILLE, Fla. –A goal in each half gave the No. 2 regional seed
Florida soccer team (19-3-1, 11-0 SEC) a 2-0 win over UCF (14-6-3, 7-2-2
C-USA) Sunday afternoon in NCAA Championship Second Round action held at
the James G. Pressly Stadium. The win advances Florida to its third
consecutive NCAA Round of 16 appearance, where it will meet No. 3
regional seed Texas A&M.

Florida entered Sunday's match 0-1-1 in its last two meeting versus
UCF, as UF ended 2007 home play and opened 2008 home action versus the
Knights. Florida and UCF also met in 2007 NCAA Second Round action at
Pressly Stadium. UF and UCF played to a scoreless tie, with the Gators
advancing to the 2007 NCAA Round of 16 with a 4-3 advantage on penalty
kicks. UCF returned to Gainesville for UF's home opener on Aug. 29.
The Knights scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute to take
a 1-0 win.

The Gators looked to have scored in the 18th minute Sunday. Freshman
Sarah Chapman's header at the far post off Ameera Abdullah's corner
kick was negated by an offsides call. Although the goal was called off,
it seemed to give UF a boost as Florida hasn't been able to get a ball
across the line in the past two meeting with the Knights.

"Getting the first goal called back was a big key because just the
knowledge of putting them under pressure helped," UF Head Coach Becky
Burleigh said. "We did that the last time we played them and we
didn't score so I think putting one actually in the back of the net
sort of relaxed everyone a little bit and let us know we could get after
it more in the second half."

It appeared that the first half was going to be scoreless, but a Gator
push to the sound of the horn was rewarded with a goal. The ball sent by
the Gator backline out of their box found Megan Kerns just a few steps
into the UCF half. She chested the ball to Angela Napolitano at the
center of the UCF half and she touched the ball forward to Lindsay
Thompson located just right of the center of the 18-yard box. Thompson
spun to the right and took the shot which scored at the center of the
goal at 44:57. The goal was her seventh of the season and first since
scoring a pair at Alabama on Oct. 19.

"It felt really good (to get the goal), especially since there were
about five seconds left in the half. I was trying to hurry and try to
get it in the net before time ran out. My emotions were freaking out,"
Thompson said. "Once it went it, I was happy that we could relax going
into the break. It was a great feeling."

Her score with just three second remaining in the half is the latest
goal in an opening half in the program's history. The previous latest
goal came at 44:50 by Erin Baxter in a 4-0 win versus Tennessee on Sept.
11, 1998.

Florida got a bit of breathing room in the 78th minute when Kerns
scored her 13th goal of the season. Sophomore Nicky Kit served the ball
into the box and Kerns took a shot at the far post. UCF goalkeeper Aline
Reis made the stop, but Kerns put the deflection in from four yards to
push the score to 2-0. Kerns knew the two-goal lead was key as UCF made
a final push with regulation winding down.

"It helped us relax because it gave us a little cushion. Towards the
end of our 1-0 games it always gets hectic," Kerns said. "This game
got a little hectic too but having the cushion helped."

The three points earned by Kerns Sunday pushed her past 60-career
points, making her the ninth Gator to pass the mark and she joins fellow
senior Ameera Abdullah (68 points) on the list. More than half of
Kerns' career points have been turned in this season, as she leads
UF in points (35), goals (13) and shares the assists lead (9).

Burleigh said the match was what the team expected – a tough contest
where the Gators needed to take advantage of its opportunities.

"We are very excited to be moving on to the next round. We expected a
tough rematch with UCF. I think our team played well, put them under
pressure again and again and did a good job defensively to get the
shutout."

The solo shutout was the second of the season for UF goalkeeper Katie
Fraine. UCF's Reis turned in five saves Sunday.

The NCAA will announce the dates and sites for NCAA Round of 16 action
later tonight. Florida anticipates on playing host to No. 3 regional
seed Texas A&M next Sunday at 1 p.m. The Aggies defeated Washington 3-1
in Sunday's second round.

Scoring Summary:        1st     2nd     Final
UCF     0       0       0
Florida 1       1       2

Scoring:
UF – Lindsay Thompson (Megan Kerns, Angela Napolitano) 44:57
UF –Kerns (unassisted)

Goalkeepers:
               Minutes Saves   GA
UCF     Aline Reis      90:00   5       2
Florida Katie Fraine    90:00   1       0


Statistical Summary:    UCF     UF
Shots   7       20
Shots on goal   1       7
Saves   5       1
Corner Kicks    1       5
Fouls   9       11
Offside 6       2