Orlando City shuts out UCF in exhibition

The UCF Knights welcomed the Orlando City Soccer Club to the UCF Track and Soccer Complex for a preseason friendly. The Lions came away with the victory, posting a 3-0 shutout of the Knights.

Orlando City controlled the match by dominating possession for much of the game. UCF’s junior goalkeeper Shawn Doyle, who was tested early and often, made back-to-back highlight-reel diving stops and prevented any major damage in the first half.

Doyle was unable to sustain his impressive goalkeeping, though, and the Lions capitalized on those opportunities. Around the 45-minute mark, Orlando City was able to put a tally on the board, breaking the tie.

Defender Jerome Mechack scored attempting a free kick that hit the crossbar and soared past Doyle. Max Griffin and Adama Mbenge added two more goals for Orlando City. The Knights could not muster an offensive threat.

Lack of possession hurt UCF tremendously. The Knights’ only breakaway opportunity came at 17-minute mark during the first half. Sophomore forward McKauly Tulloch was one-on-one with Orlando City’s goalkeeper, Miguel Gallardo, but his shot went wide.

For UCF, this matchup comes at an interesting time as Orlando City is currently making a push to become the 20th Major League Soccer expansion city. It provided a unique opportunity for the college athletes to test their skills against a professional team and the reigning 2011 United Soccer League Pro champions.