Knights are Elite 8-bound

Senior Aline Reis' diving stop in penalty kicks capped off an enormous weekend for UCF women's soccer. The Knights' 2-1 victory (5-4 in penalty kicks) over North Carolina advanced the team to the Elite 8 and kept the Knights' national championship hopes alive.

The Knights knocked off the No. 2 and 3 seeded teams, respectively, in their bracket within a span of 48 hours. First, UCF defeated the second-seeded host Florida 3-2 Friday night. The victory over the hosting Gators was a first for UCF in the NCAA tournament since 2004.

UCF moved on to face UNC after a one-day break. The Knights took the lead on Sunday in the 71st minute when Kristina Trujic's shot was deflected off the UNC keeper's hands and into the net. The Knights could not hold on to the 1-0 lead in regulation, giving up the equalizer to the Tar Heels with just more than five minutes remaining in the match.

Neither overtime periods presented serious threats to score for either team, with just one shot fired in both periods.

In PKs, Trujic missed the first attempt for the Knights, but every following attempt for UCF was successful. Reis' diving saves on the second and sixth attempts for UNC sealed the deal and guaranteed UCF a victory.

The No. 1-seeded Wake Forest defeated Penn State 4-2 Sunday, setting up a Wake Forest-UCF matchup in the Elite 8. The Knights played Wake Forest at home in August, and Wake Forest took a 1-0 victory in the early-season contest.

The men's soccer team was scheduled to face USF, No. 7 national seed, in the second round of the tournament on Sunday night at 6 p.m. Results for the match were not available by press time. Check back at UCFnews.com for the latest updates.