Williams' Last-Second Penalty Lifts UCF

September 5, 2014

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ORLANDO, Fla. - After a three-hour lightning delay to start the match, the difference between UCF and Florida Atlantic came down to junior forward Romario Williams. The Portmore, Jamaica, native converted a penalty kick with nine seconds remaining into the top left corner to lift the Knights to a 1-0 victory on Friday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.

"It was a pretty tough situation knowing that if I missed this one, then the game is going to overtime," Williams said. "I have been in situations like that on numerous occasions, so I just wanted to hold my composure. I was able to convert and lead my team to victory."

The penalty was awarded after the Florida Atlantic (0-3) goalkeeper Theo Jamilloux challenged Williams to the left of the goal and took away a scoring opportunity. A yellow card was shown to the keeper and nine seconds was placed back on the clock.

Sophomore midfielder Javier Clavijo had a lot of confidence knowing the match for UCF (1-2) was on the foot of Williams, a candidate for the MAC Hermann Trophy.

"I knew that he was going to score the goal, there was no doubt in my mind," Clavijo said. "Their keeper is really good and is strong with penalty kicks. Romario knew what had to be done and the weight that the penalty kick was carrying. I knew that he was more than capable of stepping up and completing a kick of that magnitude."

Both teams were sluggish following the three-hour delay in the first stanza, but the Knights regrouped at halftime and pressured the Owls with 10 shots towards the net. Jamilloux was forced to make three stops in the second half.

"This is a massive win for us," head coach Bryan Cunningham said. "For probably two years now, we have been on the wrong end of a game like that when we are playing an in-state opponent, who is really fired up to play us. I was really proud of our effort out there to the very end."

A five-save performance was notched by senior goalkeeper Sebastian Evers, who took sole possession of seventh place on the team's career list with 155.

The final line of defense for UCF kept the Owls to the outside and after allowing three corners in the first half, the group did not give FAU a single opportunity in the second.

The Knights continue the slate on Friday with a trip to Akron to battle the Zips at 7 p.m. UCF also faces College of Charleston in Akron, Ohio, on Sunday with the kick set for noon.

UCF returns home on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. against North Florida at the UCF Soccer Complex.