In a physical, hard-fought defensive battle, No. 1 seed UCF was able to advance over No. 5 seed USF on penalty kicks in a 0-0 draw in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship on Friday night at the UCF Soccer Complex in Orlando, Fla.

It took four PKs for the Knights, with sophomore Allie Gerry able to put home the final tally following a wide shot from USF on its fourth attempt.


The first half was largely controlled by UCF on both ends of the field. The Knights were able to get six shots off, while holding the Bulls to three. USF made a second-half resurgence, however, threatening The American’s top backline with seven shots.

Sophomore goalkeeper Christiane Endler was able to keep the Bulls in the picture throughout the match, making seven total saves in regulation and the overtime periods.

With the draw, UCF advances to 16-2-3 on 2013, with USF closing at 10-4-6. The Bulls will wait for Monday, when the NCAA Tournament field of 64 is announced, and hope for the possibility of an at-large bid.

The Knights will play the winner of the second American semifinal game between No. 3 seed Rutgers and No. 7 seed Memphis, set to kick off at 8:22 p.m. The championship, also hosted by UCF, will be held Sunday, Nov. 10 at noon and televised live on ESPNU.