The Central Florida Future sports staff compiled a list using a variety of criteria, including impact on and off the field, career achievements, success of the program and buzz and exposure created for the school.

While things seemed pretty clear at the top of the list, it got a bit complicated as we neared the bottom, so included at the end is a β€œfirst four out,” which lists a few other deserving Knights.

Here are the Future’s top 10 most valuable Knights:

1. Octavious Freeman, sprinter, track & field β€” This isn’t even a question. Freeman may very well be the fastest woman on the planet (her 11.10 in the 100 meters in Gainesville is the fastest time for a woman in the event this year, professional or amateur), or at least among them. Freeman came to campus as arguably the most sought-after recruit ever to choose the black and gold. Most importantly, a likely future Olympian, perhaps even a gold-medalist, is a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Knight.
2. D.J. Hicks, first baseman, baseball β€” He’s the guy carrying the big stick for the resident top-15 baseball team. Hicks was voted the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year and a preseason All American, and he’s delivered. He’s done it in ways outside of just sending the ball over the fence. Hicks is batting .329 with a team-leading 55 RBIs (Chris Taladay comes in second with 30). Hicks provides a lot of the excitement to be had at Jay Bergman Field, leading the team with 10 home runs. In short, Hicks is the face of a program that may be contending for a national championship in Omaha, Neb., this summer.
3. Mackenzie Audas, pitcher, softball β€” In a sport where a pitcher can dominate and take the mound nearly every game, there truly is nothing more valuable than an ace. The Knights have theirs. The freshman has come in and in a flash become the face of the program, posting shutout after shutout, including this biggest win of the season, a 2-0 victory over the then-No. 3 Florida Gators at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Softball Complex. What’s more? She’s going to be rocking the black and gold for three more years.
4. Keith Clanton, forward, men’s basketball β€” He’s Mr. Reliable for a program that is on an upward trend and has embraced increasing expectations. Clanton is one of the few players who can quietly register a double-double, racking up rebounds and often scoring at ease in the paint or on the perimeter. Clanton led the Knights, averaging 14.5 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, and perhaps most importantly hit the go-ahead free throw with just seconds remaining in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s historic win over Memphis.
5. Kevan George, midfielder, men’s soccer β€” The 29th pick in the this year’s MLS SuperDraft, selected by Columbus Crew, was an integral part of a loaded men’s soccer team that took the program to new heights in 2011. George led the team in assists (7) and had two game-winning goals to his credit in 2011, one of which game in the first round of the NCAA Championship against Florida Gulf Coast.
6. Isaiah Sykes, guard/forward, men’s basketball β€” Sykes was easily the most improved player on the roster this season and made a strong case for most improved player in the nation. The sophomore from Detroit continued doing the things he did well as a freshman: rebounding, defending and grabbing loose balls. But in the 2011-12 season he started scoring. A lot. Sykes averaged 12.3 points per game and had a few 20-point efforts to his name. Sykes got more confident in his jump shot as the season went on and, of course, delivered more than a few SportsCenter-worthy highlights.
7. Josh Robinson, defensive back, football β€” The Knights’ defensive backfield took a blow when this junior defender declared for the NFL Draft. Then, the program enjoyed some exposure when Robinson made a huge splash at the NFL Combine. Robinson’s 4.33-second time in the 40-yard dash was the fastest of any athlete at any position at the Combine. Accordingly, Robinson, who came to the program as a four-star recruit out of high school, saw his stock shoot upward. Any time a Knight goes in the earlier rounds of the Draft, it’s a victory for everybody.
8. Tishia Jewell, forward, women’s soccer β€” The 5-foot-6 senior out of Satellite Beach was an integral part of a women’s soccer program that ranked among the top in the nation. Jewell finished 2011 as a Third Team All-American and a C-USA First Team honoree. Jewell dished out 10 assists, putting her at No. 24 nationally, and scored seven goals. On a program that has been consistently good for quite some time, Jewell shined this year, scoring two game-winning goals.
9. Jackie Coward, sprinter, track & field β€” She is the most accomplished athlete in the program’s history, and Coward is also the commitment that started it all. Coward was the first All-American to come to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and join coach Caryl Smith Gilbert in her vision of what the program could become. Speedsters like Freeman and Aurieyall Scott may not have selected ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ out of high school had it not been for Coward. The senior sprinter will be chasing Olympic dreams at the U.S. Trials this summer.
10. Alex Friedrich, right fielder, baseball β€” It’s probably the best sports story on campus. Friedrich, who graduated from nearby University High School, had no major college offers despite his stellar high school career. Undaunted, Friedrich came to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and walked on with the program, no small achievement. But he wasn’t done. Friedrich gradually earned more and more playing time, and now the senior right fielder who came to campus without a scholarship offer is one of the top hitters on one of the top baseball teams in the country. Friedrich is batting .351 and also has quite the arm in the outfield with five assists this season.

Just missed out:

The year was 2006 and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Colby Hale was scouring the soccer-mad country of Brazil for talent that could potentially play for the Knights. While scouting the Guarani Football Club, a travel team that had already produced two-time all-conference pick Roberta Pelarigo at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, Hale’s attention fixated on a 5-foot-3 spitfire of a goalkeeper who showed little regard for her body by diving around to make saves while also barking out orders to teammates.

As it turns out, the goalkeeper wasn’t even a part of the team based in Campinas, Brazil, a landlocked city six hours to the west of Rio de Janeiro. And after further detection Hale realized it was a minor miracle that the keeper, which turned out to be Reis, of course, just so happened to be there for practice that day.

“It was just something meant to be, I guess,” Reis said, shaking her head as if the moment were just yesterday. “I had actually stopped playing soccer because in Brazil you don’t have sports in college. You have intramurals, but nothing like (college athletics). I was going to stop playing soccer and just focus on my education. But one day, after four months of not playing or training, I called my coach and told him, `I really miss soccer. Can I just stop by for practice? See the girls and have some fun?”’

That whim turned out to be a stroke of amazing luck for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, the program that Reis has now led to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ (13-4-6) stunned Florida and perennial national champion North Carolina last weekend in Gainesville and now plays No. 1-seeded Wake Forest on Friday in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The winner advances to the College Cup Final Four next week in Kennesaw, Ga.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987. A young team with just three seniors – Stacie Hubbard and Katie Jackson are the others – ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ undoubtedly wouldn’t be here now without Reis, the unquestioned emotional senior leader of the squad. She made a tremendous stop in the second overtime against North Carolina and her diving grab on a penalty kick to seal the victory has already become legend in the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ soccer community.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Amanda Cromwell, the architect of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s dominant program over the past 13 seasons, raves about Reis’ heart and grit when the diminutive goalkeeper’s name is brought up. Cromwell said she’s hoping to turn the picture of a diving Reis into a poster for her office someday.

“That picture is amazing,” Cromwell said. “(Legendary North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance’s) last quote in the press conference was that not only did Aline save that last kick, but she also caught it. Technically, she’s awesome, physically she’s a specimen and mentally she … is why we won those two games.”

Helping the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ soccer team get past the second-round hurdle that had tripped the program up each of the past four seasons and ultimately advance further than it has in 24 years has made Reis reflective this week. She has wondered so much of late where she’d be right now had her love of soccer not led her back to the practice field in Brazil that fateful day five years ago.

“It’s amazing because Colby was there for that practice, my only practice that I went to. Colby saw me and told me he wanted to keep in touch and that he wanted me to come to America and play for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½,” Reis remembered. “That just fired me up and made me realize that I could follow my passion, which has always been soccer. I went back to playing again and I was so fortunate to come to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½.”

And ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was quite fortunate as well to have Reis, one of the most decorated players in school history. She was a second-team All-American selection as a redshirt freshman, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s first All-American selection since 1995. She was a All-C-USA pick as a sophomore and junior. And this past season, she had 79 saves, nine shutouts and a 0.82 goals against average.

“She is the warrior of this team. She’s had knee and shoulder surgeries, but physically she is a specimen,” Cromwell said. “I’m not sure she’s 5-3 even though that’s what she’s listed at, but athletically she’s amazing. And it’s mainly about her mentality. She brings that Brazilian swagger to our team. She was amazing both games (against Florida and North Carolina). She just made some saves that other people don’t make.”

Now, Reis doesn’t want this ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ run to end. She said she was actually happy about ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ getting to play Wake Forest again after the Demon Deacons beat ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ 1-0 early in the season in Orlando. And she was the one who kept the Knights fighting late in the game after giving up a “crushing” tying goal to North Carolina that forced overtime.

Long ago, Reis saw potential in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ much the same way Hale saw potential in the fearless and fiery goal keeper.

“By my first year here I knew that ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was a great team. We had all of these expectations to make it farther than we’ve ever made it and now we’re finally doing it,” Reis said. “I’m just thankful that I’m at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ because I couldn’t have made a better choice.”

For that, everyone – ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and Reis – are very thankful.

The Knights will now travel to Winston Salem, N.C., to meet a familiar opponent in No. 1 seeded Wake Forest Friday night at 7 p.m. The two teams met back on Aug. 21 in Orlando with the Demon Deacons recording a 1-0 win.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s historic weekend-victories saw the program top two teams (Florida and UNC) that have combined for 22 national championships with the Tar Heels claiming two of the last three titles in 2008 and 2009.

“Obviously it was a very exciting match going to PKs. I think we gave the crowd a lot to cheer for and I couldn’t be prouder of our girls,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Amanda Cromwell said after the match. “They fought so hard. To give a goal up in the last five minutes was tough and a lot of teams I think would’ve crumbled mentally from that. We stood strong and held them off.

“UNC is a great team with a great tradition with plenty of attacking players and a lot of athleticism,” Cromwell added. “We came out strong and got the important goal from Tina (Kristina Trujic). I can’t say enough about Aline in goal in both games. (She was) huge with two saves in PKs and that is why we are going on.”

After two scoreless overtime sessions with the match tied at 1-1, five Knights came through with penalty kick scores, including Bianca Joswiak’s (Berlin, Germany) deciding point in the sixth round. Reis closed out the match with two diving saves on the second and sixth UNC attempts.

“I tried to read her, but I don’t know, I just trusted,” Reis said of her last save on the sixth PK against Premji. “Something inside of me told me to jump there. It happened so fast and I am so happy right now that I can’t describe it. Not only because of the victory, but just playing UNC was a great honor and the entire environment with all the fans and alumni. This is one of the greatest soccer moments of my life.”

After a scoreless first half, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was able to jump on the board first in the 71-minute mark. The Knights struck on an 18-yard rocket shot by sophomore Kristina Trujic (Venice, Fla.) to the top right corner of the goal past UNC’s Anna Sieloff. The second score of the weekend by Trujic was her fourth of the season as Joswiak also earned her third assist of 2011 on the play.

UNC would answer back 14 minutes later as Dunn kicked a Courtney Jones feed inside the box past the outstretched arms of Reis to tie up the match. It was Dunn’s third goal of the season and gave Jones her team-leading 20th point of the year.

First-half action between the two squads was relatively quiet as each team was only able to place one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of play. Freshman Madison Barney took the first stab in the match at the 18:57 mark.

UNC’s Premji took a shot at the top of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ box for the Tar Heels’ best opportunity, but the crossbar denied her on the attempt. Although she only faced three shots in the half, Reis stayed plenty active, leaping through the air to make several stops on UNC corner kicks.

It was the sixth meeting between the two squads in the NCAA Tournament with the last meeting taking place in 1999. Under Cromwell’s guidance, the Knights have advanced to the postseason five-straight times, with 2011 being the furthest they have marched since she took over 13 years ago.

With the victory, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ earned its second-ever win over the Gators in the NCAA Tournament, with the last coming in 2004. The Knights also handed UF its third-straight second-round exit.

“I think tonight was a typical UF-ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ match where we had leads and they pressed for a goal and we had to defend at the end,” head coach Amanda Cromwell said after the match. “You saw two high quality teams and it is a shame that we met so early because it was an excellent NCAA Second Round match”

The Knights burst into the scoring column just five minutes into the match after a UF handball led to a Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) free kick in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s attacking third. Jewell’s cross from the sideline into traffic in front of the goal netted midfielder Madison Barney’s (Sammamish, Wash.) first-career goal on the Knights’ first shot of the match. For Jewell, it was her 10th assist of the season and 26th of her career. Senior Katie Hubbard (Jacksonville, Fla.) also chipped in with her third assist of the year on the play as she tapped it to Barney for opening score.

Florida struck back at the 23:33 mark as midfielder Erika Tymrak dribbled past three ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ defenders and sent a cross to forward Tahnai Annis for a header over the outstretched arms of keeper Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) to even the match at 1-1.

One goal wouldn’t be all for the Knights in the first half as senior Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) dribbled into the UF defense, passed to Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany), who then fed sophomore Kristina Trujic (Venice, Fla.) as she blasted an arching shot over Florida keeper Taylor Burke to give ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 2-1 lead at the 33:06 mark. It was the third goal and eighth point of the year for Trujic and the third and second assist of the year, respectively, for Jackson and Joswiak.

In the second half, UF narrowly tied the match at the 65 minute mark as an Annis shot slipped by Reyes and headed just wide of the goalpost and out of bounds. Just six minutes later the Knights would take a 3-1 advantage as junior Nicolette Radovcic (Rockaway, N.J.) blew past the Gator (17-8) defense and around keeper Burke for her team-leading ninth goal of the season.

Florida would not go away quietly as Annie Speese’s free kick with six minutes left in the match found the bottom right corner of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ goal to draw the Gators within one point. But as the Knights did earlier in the contest, they used strong defense to stave off UF for good.

“I was prepared and really excited to make saves like that. I was upset about the goals I allowed, but I am just a keeper and I get upset about those goals,” Reis laughed after recording five saves with four crucial blocks coming in the final half.

The Knights will now set their sights on a No. 3 seed North Carolina team that dismantled Baylor 5-0 earlier Friday. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has never defeated the Tar Heels in 19 career contests, but Cromwell is excited for the opportunity that Sunday brings.

“There is a big contingent (of alumni) coming up on Sunday that said `If you win Friday, we will be there Sunday,'” Cromwell said of the large alumni base still in Orlando. “So some of the girls that played in the Final Four will be there on Sunday. They are the ones that battled against UNC a while back when there was a small group of schools that played back when women’s soccer started. It’s cool to have those alumni to join in and share that with us on Sunday.”

The Knights dominated FIU (13-7-3) for 90 minutes Friday, and received goals from junior Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) and redshirt freshman Emily Grider (Fort Worth, Texas). ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ finished with a 20-8 shot advantage, and only allowed two shots on goal.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ will face Florida on Nov. 18 in Gainesville.

“I think we played pretty well. It was one of our most complete games of the season,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “But I think we pretty much dominated the 90 minutes with shots and corners. I can’t say enough about the leadership. It was a very complete game. I think we have that feeling that we are peaking at the right time.”

Jewell was active all evening and recorded nine shots in 81 minutes. She gave the hosts a 1-0 advantage 14 minutes into the match when she took a pass from senior Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) and sprinted past several FIU defenders and blasted a shot past Kaitlyn Savage. The assist was the first career helper for Reis, who is in her fourth year as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s starting goalkeeper.

“I did not even believe it,” Reis said. “That was the first time I ever got an assist here and it was amazing. It was a great goal. Tish knows how to finish that.”

Jewell also assisted on Grider’s goal in the 76th minute. After a long shot from Jewell was knocked away by Savage, a cutting Grider tapped in the rebound for her second score of the year.

Reis totaled a pair of saves in the win. FIU rarely threatened to score, but Reis did make an excellent, leaping save on long free kick from April Perry in the first half.

The Knights started the match aggressively, and totaled nine shots in the first half. Reis, sophomores Marissa Diggs (Rowlett, Texas) and Ashley Nicol (Jacksonville, Fla.) and freshman Madison Barney (Sammamish, Wash.) played all 90 minutes in the victory.

Savage totaled six saves in the losing effort.

The Knights are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA Championship, which is the most among any program in Florida.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ improved to 27-4-3 all-time against FIU with the win. The Panthers earned a spot in the tournament after claiming the Sun Belt Championship title.

The Knights were one of 32 teams nationally selected to a host a first-round contest. A year ago the team was shipped to California for the first two rounds. In 2009, the Knights headed to Wisconsin for postseason play.

“It is huge,” Cromwell said of having the chance to host. “The program has so much history. You saw the alums after we scored the second goal, they were running out onto the field. They were in the bleachers right behind the goal. We have a lot of support from the alums.”

Seniors Stacie Hubbard (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) were selected to the all-conference second team and Carleigh Williams (Beverly Hills, Fla.) was named to the all-freshman squad.

The group has helped ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ post another stellar season. The Knights, who are 11-3-5 overall, open play at the C-USA Championship in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern against East Carolina. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ went 6-2-3 in league games.

The All-C-USA First Team honor is the second-straight for Jewell, who leads the league with eight assists. The forward also has six goals on the year for 20 points, which ranks second in the conference. Jewell has recorded 67 shots in 2011.

Diggs has started all 19 contests at center back and leads ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ with 1,814 minutes. She has two goals on the season. Diggs played all but seven minutes during C-USA games as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ allowed just seven goals in 11 contests. She has helped the Knights record nine shutouts during the year. In 2010, the Texas native was voted onto the C-USA All-Freshman Team and also garnered all-league second team honors.

Hubbard has logged 1,415 minutes at defensive center midfielder and has recorded five goals and two assists for 12 points. Her four game-winning goals rank second in C-USA. Hubbard has also bolstered a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ defense that ranks second in C-USA in goals allowed with only 15 in 19 matches.

The all-conference honor is the fourth of Reis’ career. The goalkeeper has started all 19 games this year and boasts a 9-3-5 record. She has registered eight shutouts and has a 0.75 goals against average with 68 saves. Reis ranks in the top-10 nationally in goalkeeper minutes as she has been on the field for all but 16 minutes this year.

Williams has started all 19 contests at left back and played 1,633 minutes during the regular season. She played all but 143 minutes during C-USA matches.

The league’s 12 head coaches voted on the all-conference teams.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s Conference USA Honors

All-C-USA First Team

All-C-USA Second Team

All-Freshman Team

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ scored in the fifth minute of the match when junior Bianca Joswiak (Berlin, Germany) found the back of the net and then added another goal at the 55-minute mark when sophomore Marissa Diggs (Rowlet, Texas) scored.

The Knights outshot Southern Miss (4-13-3, 1-9-1) 19-4. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ recorded 11 shots on goal and also had a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.

Twenty Knights saw action in the match as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ entered the day having already secured a spot in the C-USA Championship, which will begin on Nov. 2 in Memphis, Tenn.

“We’ll take a 2-0 win,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “We were consistent over the 90 minutes. A lot of our subs played very well. This was a good game to get confidence both as individuals and as a team going into the conference tournament.”

Joswiak scored when her intended cross sailed into the back corner of the goal. Senior Katie Jackson (Satellite Beach, Fla.) assisted on the goal. Diggs knocked in a shot from sophomore Kristina Trujic (Venice, Fla.) that was deflected by a Southern Miss defender.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ improved to 7-0-0 all-time against Southern Miss.

Diggs was the lone Knight who logged 90 minutes in the contest. Senior Stacie Hubbard (Jacksonville, Fla.) totaled four shots in the winning effort, and junior Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) logged two shots on goal.

The Golden Eagles threatened to score in the 80th minute, but sophomore Lianne Maldonado (Clifton, N.J.) stopped a shot by Chelsea Cruthirds. Maldonado, who was making her season debut, played 16 minutes in a reserve role for senior Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil).

The win was the seventh of the year away from home for the Knights.

Cromwell says that the Knights will focus on the basics as they prepare for the conference championship next week.

“The focus will be on scoring goals and dominating play. We have to get something out of our possessions. We need to be efficient in the attacking third. Defensively, we need to stay cohesive as a unit,” she said.

“Getting two goals right before halftime was huge,” said head coach Amanda Cromwell. “And we came out in the second half and took 17 shots. That’s a lot of shots against a very good team. They are very athletic and hard to break down. But we came back after they scored on a PK and got two more goals so I’m happy.”

The Knights finished with a 26-12 advantage in shots against the Miners (8-3-1, 2-1-0), including that 17-shot performance in the final 45 minutes of play. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ keeper Aline Reis completed her evening with five saves for the victory.

UTEP may have taken the first two shots of the match, however it was ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ which controlled the action in the early stages of the first half. Knights’ striker Kayla Darden sparked the attack with three shots in the opening 45 minutes, while Jewell added two shots for the Black and Gold. One of the best scoring chances occurred with less than seven minutes remaining as Jennifer Martin placed two quick shots on goal however UTEP keeper Sarah Dilling was there for the save each time.

With ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ continuing to pressure the UTEP backline, the Miners were forced to commit a foul which provided Hubbard with a free kick from 35 yards out and to the left of the net. With her teammates set, Hubbard glanced at the top right corner of the net and decided to rip a perfect shot out of the reach of a diving Dilling to give the Knights a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute.

And making fans wonder if they just witnessed a bit of dΓ©jΓ  vu, Hubbard duplicated that goal in the 44th minute, this time from just over 40 yards away. When she raised her arms in celebration after another highlight-reel goal, the Knights were up 2-0 and feeling good entering the halftime break.

That feeling did not go away when the whistle blew to start the second half either. Following a quick shot from UTEP, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ amassed four corner kicks and six shots with three on goal in the first eight minutes of the stanza. Yet UTEP survived the offensive flurry, and eventually gained possession inside the 18. Thanks to a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ foul, the Miners received a penalty kick and Tess Hall converted to cut ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s lead in half in the 61st minute.

With a little momentum, UTEP attempted to claw its way back into the match only to have ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ answer with a crucial goal in the 80th minute. Taking a pass from Jewell, Radovcic was one-on-one with Dilling and easily fired a shot into the lower right corner for a much-needed insurance marker. Putting it away, Jewell got in the goal column as well with her fourth of the year with just 13 seconds to play.

“This was an important weekend and we have proven ourselves on the road against some of the top teams in the country,” head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “We’ve definitely felt a lack of respect in the polls because we know we can play against any team and we’ve shown that with our play and our results. Washington State and Penn State are top level teams, but we know we are as well.”

The Knights posted a 3-0-1 record during their four-match road trip, and are now 4-1-1 overall to start the season. Meanwhile, Washington State dropped to 4-2-1 in 2011.

Senior Stacie Hubbard’s (Jacksonville, Fla.) 20th minute goal put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ on the board. Hubbard’s goal came from 15 yards out off a corner kick. Jewell collected the assist for the Knights.

Jewell’s goal in the 81st minute put the match away for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ after the Washington State goalkeeper collided with the Knights’ defense and Jewell was able to tap the ball into an empty net.

“I am very proud of the goals we scored this weekend,” associate head coach Colby Hale said. “Penn State has only given up one goal in their last five games and to score two on them speaks volumes of our attack. Washington State is a very organized and athletic team with a great keeper. We have a special group of girls here and this was a complete team effort.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ held the advantage in shots (10-8) and corner kicks (5-2).

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ goalkeeper Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) put aside four shots in goal, three of which came in the second half, for her second shutout of the season.

“To only give up only one goal on the weekend against talented teams like that says a lot about the girl’s commitment to performing and getting results,” Cromwell added. “Aline took care of the few dangerous chances we gave up on the weekend.”

Four Knights were voted to the All-Tournament Team including Jewell and Reis who was named tournament MVP. Sophomore Marissa Diggs (Rowlett, Texas.) and junior Nicolette Radovcic (Rockaway, N.J.) also made the team.

Jewell and Radovcic combined for three of the Knights’ four goals for the weekend and two of their four assists.