Sept. 23, 2015

Final Stats

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - With a persistent rain, heavy at times, falling throughout the match, sophomore midfielder Matias Pyysalo excelled for UCF with two assists and the game-winning goal in the Knights' 3-2 victory at Jacksonville on Wednesday at Southern Oak Stadium.

"I am really proud of our players fighting through the tough field conditions," head coach Bryan Cunningham said. "The team showed a lot of maturity tonight with a fast start. We controlled the possession and did what was need to win on the road."

Related: PDF Stats | HTML Stats | SoundCloud -- Cunningham

MAN OF THE MATCH
- Pyysalo recorded the primary assist on the Knights' first two goals and scored the third marker.
- The Helsinki, Finland, native concluded the UCF scoring in the 51st minute.
- When sophomore Neico Regent sent the ball back toward him on the left wing after his corner service, Pyysalo's strike beat the keeper to the near post.

"Matias put himself in some great spots," Cunningham said. "He was very creative and found some nice openings. He is a grinder, mentally mature and always works hard. He does not let little things effect his play and keeps on fighting, which is what we really appreciate about him. "

SCORING FIRST
- UCF opened the scoring for the second-straight match as freshman Jakov Basic's cross from the right wing was controlled by Pyysalo in the middle.
- The pass came to Barry, who finished it into the left side of the net.
- It was the third goal of the season for Barry, tying the team lead.

NO NEED FOR FEET
- Regent's second goal of the campaign came via header, just like the one he scored to open the season vs. FAU.
- A corner taken by Pyysalo provided a dangerous ball in the box that was headed to the back of the net.
- The Knights faced a little adversity after Jacksonville tied the contest in the 27th minute and were stopped on a penalty kick, but continued battling and were eventually rewarded.

CLOSING IT OUT
- Jacksonville cut the Knights lead to 3-2 in the 77th minute on a shot by Ejiroghene Mrabure that came off a cross from the left wing.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Zach Biggs made two saves to preserve the win.

"To be able to get and keep the lead, it was really massive for our team's confidence going into the start of the conference season," Cunningham said.

COACHING TIES
- This was the first regular season match between Cunningham and his former assistant Mauricio Ruiz.
- Ruiz took over the Jacksonville program after the 2013 season, where he served under coach Cunningham for seven seasons (2007-13).

NEXT UP
- American Athletic Conference play begins on Saturday with an 8:30 p.m. ET start at Memphis.
- The Knights return to the UCF Soccer Complex on Tuesday against FIU at 7 p.m..

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Story, photo and video by Nate Blythe