The UCF Women's Soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 3-1 victory against the Miami Hurricanes on Friday in Gainesville, but that is where the fun ended for the Knights.
UCF was eliminated in the tournament's second round on Sunday by regional host Florida 2-0.
The Knights (14-6-3) were outshot 20-7 in the contest and registered only one shot on goal.
The Gators got a goal from Lindsey Thompson right before halftime, and then put away the win with a goal from Megan Kerns in the 78th minute.
UCF goalie Aline Reis made five saves in the match, but it wasn't enough.
On Friday, the Knights were led by senior Danielle dos Santos and sophomore Lauren Halbert in the first-round victory against the Hurricanes.
Dos Santos tallied her first two-goal game of the season and drew a foul in the box late in the first half that led to Halbert's goal on a penalty kick.
Halbert also collected an assist by setting up dos Santos for the team's third goal.
"(On the first goal) as soon as I saw the ball coming to me, I was ready for it, and I knew I was going to get it in," dos Santos said in a press release.
Early on, Miami dictated much of the action. Catching the Knights back on their heels, the Hurricanes drew first blood in the 22nd minute.
After a throw-in, Julianne Rickers corralled possession of the ball and fired a shot from the top-left portion of the box, which sailed just out of Reis' reach.
The goal sparked a sense of urgency in the Knights, and they began to pick up their play, which earned them a corner kick in the 32nd minute.
The corner was sent in, but was quickly knocked out of the box. Halbert was there to send in a second attempt to the left post, and Dos Santos was in perfect position to knock it in and tie the score at 1-1.
Dos Santos was right back at it 6 minutes later. She cut through the box, and with only one defender to beat, she drew a foul to give the Knights a penalty kick.
Halbert was appointed to take the shot. With Miami goalie Vikki Alonzo guessing left, Halbert sent a low shot into the right corner of the net to put the Knights up 2-1 on her third goal of the year.
"The first half, we didn't play our best soccer, but we were still winning," dos Santos said in a press release. "It was now or never, so everyone was trying to play for each other."
The Knights came out looking to add some insurance in the second half. They continued to put pressure on Miami secured a corner kick in the 65th minute that led to their final goal.
Freshman Andrea Rodrigues sent in the cross to the far-left post. The ball redirected off several players and made its way to dos Santos, who found herself open for another tap-in goal. It was her eighth goal of the year and her first multi-goal game since she recorded a hat trick last year against SMU.
The Knights were able to hold on for the victory despite being outshot 14-10, including 7-3 in corner kicks.
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