That all changed for the junior against Oregon State when she netted two goals in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s 4-0 win over the Beavers, helping lift her team to its second shutout of the weekend.

“So far junior year is really good for me,” Wilkin said. “I had to work my way into the starting lineup. I had some meetings with Tiff (head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak) early on this year and she told me some things I needed to work on. I’ve been trying to get better individually, and so far so good.”

It was all Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ (5-2-0) from the get-go as the Knights outshot the Beavers, 20-1, in the first half. They finished the game with a 33-1 advantage in the stat column, including 10 shots on goal.

Senior Tatiana Coleman netted her fifth goal of the season and second game-winner after chipping in a high shot to the left corner in the 12th minute.

Less than seven minutes later, Wilkin tapped in her first-career goal when senior Carleigh Williams threaded a cross to her teammate near the left post.

“I felt like we came out a little flat, and even though it was 2-0 at half, I still felt there was still more in us. We had a good talk at halftime. We really focused on ourselves and putting in the work today so it could help us for the future,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “We came out with a great attitude and I think it showed. Getting another couple goals and having a lot of performances by a lot of people today. Great effort overall, all weekend.”

Wilkin wasted no time in finding the back of the net again after halftime. In the 49th minute, Jennifer Martin sent a corner kick into the box. An Oregon State player tried to clear the ball with her head, but it found Wilkin in front of the net and she put it away for a 3-0 lead.

Junior midfielder Ashley Spivey got in on the fun in the 67th minute with her first goal of the season after Coleman advanced the ball to her from the low right corner to the top of the box.

Twenty Knights clocked minutes in the match, including goalkeeper Diana Manis, who made her first career-appearance when she subbed in for Connie Organ with 18 minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s defense kept Oregon State (0-6-2) from scoring in their fifth-straight match.

The Knights continue their homestand Friday at 7 p.m. when Long Beach State comes to town. Currently, the 49ers are ranked No. 23 nationally. The NSCAA poll will update Tuesday, and if LBSU’s standing among the Top 25 holds, it will be the first time since 2012 that the Knights have hosted a ranked opponent.

With the win, the Knights (11-2-2, 4-0-1) extended their unbeaten streak to 11-straight games and derailed the Cardinals (9-4-1, 5-1-0) from their five-match win streak.

Both teams were picked as the favorite in The American’s coaches’ preseason poll, but it was Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ who came out on top in the first meeting between the two schools in program history.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ midfielder Jennifer Martin lifted her team to victory with the lone goal of the game, beating a defender inside the box in the 20th minute.

“It was created by good possession and good patience. Jenn had some space and she just buried it,” Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. “I think this was one of our top performances of the year. It was a good comeback from Friday because we were a little let down by our performance but we were able to fix the things that we didn’t do well. We all agreed as a team that it’s about personal responsibility and commitment, and the fact that they recognized that and put it into action was really the difference.”

Sophomore Connie Organ subbed in after halftime and recorded a career-high five saves to secure Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s seventh shutout of the year.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ returns to Orlando for its final two home games of the regular season, hosting Rutgers on Friday at 7 p.m. before meeting former Conference USA rival Memphis at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The outcome marked a milestone for Amanda Cromwell, who earned her 200th victory as Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s head coach and 220th career win.

“It was a nice surprise and it’s something I didn’t even know it was on the horizon to tell you the truth,” Cromwell said. “Josh (Walters) announced it in our post-game huddle and the players were excited for me. I thanked them for playing well, and really, it was a team effort all-around — the whole staff is a part of this milestone. It’s not just me.”

With their win over the Golden Eagles (4-12-1, 1-9-0), the Knights (14-4-1, 8-3-0) locked up the most shutouts in a season (12) since 2004 and are one shy of matching the school record held by the 1986 squad.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will head to the Conference USA Tournament as the No. 3 seed and is scheduled to face sixth-seeded Memphis in the opening round. Memphis defeated the Knights 2-1 in the conference-season opener earlier this year.

Forward Jennifer Martin headed in the first goal at the 6-minute mark off an assist from senior Tishia Jewell.

Nearly eight minutes later, midfielder Madison Barney sent a ball over the top to forward Nicolette Radovcic, who put the ball away for her 11th score of the season.

Two Knights recorded their first-career goals after halftime.

Kayla Darden connected with Tyler Law for the first goal of her career in the 58th minute when she left-footed a ball into the corner of the net.

Defender Bianca Joswiak sent a cross from the end line to Alex Piercy in the 86th minute to cap the match at 4-0.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ held Southern Miss to no corners and one shot on goal, which Lianne Maldonado saved in the first 45 minutes of play.

“I feel like we’re peaking at the right time. Unfortunately, we weren’t in control of our own destiny tonight, but either way, the team feels good about how we’re playing right now,” Crowmell said. “We’re looking forward to next week and we feel confident and excited headed into the tournament.”

The Knights travel to El Paso, Texas, in quest of their first tournament title with the 9 p.m. ET opening-round matchup Wednesday. The championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. ET and will be aired live on the CBS Sports Network. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be streamed through the C-USA All-Access package on www.ConferenceUSA.com.

To recap the weekend, the Knights netted 12 goals, outshot their opponents 44-6 and limited the Pirates and the Herd to two corners combined. In addition, senior Tishia Jewell tied the program’s career record for shots with 229.

“I think now we have good momentum, and we just want to keep it going and show teams the best we can be,” Jewell said.

Added defender Ashley Nicol: “From here on out, every day is senior day.”

Forward Jennifer Martin gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when Carleigh Williams sent a free kick into the box where Martin placed a header just below the crossbar for her second game-winner of the year.

Forty-three seconds later, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ capitalized off another header – this time from Nicol. Jewell played a ball to midfielder Andrea Rodrigues, who delivered a cross from the left side to Nicol for the score.

Kayla Darden increased the lead to 3-0 just before halftime when Zoe Hayes sent her a pass from midfield, allowing Darden to send a low-driven ball to the far post past the keeper.

Forward Kristina Trujic notched her second goal of the weekend in the 60th minute while inside the box thanks to a double-assist from Nicol and Jewell.

Senior forward Nicolette Radovcic wrapped up the match nicely in the 83rd minute after classmate Bianca Joswiak sent her a ball, which she flicked around the defender inside the box and put it past the keeper for her 10th goal of the year.

“The attack has been great — a lot of movement and creativity up top,” Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “The seniors came up big in a lot of different ways with assists, playmaking and goals. Getting the shutout was huge, as well.”

The four seniors left the game with five minutes remaining to rousing applause from the crowd and entered a receiving line of hugs on the sideline.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will play its final match of the regular season Friday at 5 p.m. at Southern Miss. The Knights closed their home schedule with a 9-2 record at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Soccer Complex. The pink jerseys will be auctioned online via Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Athletics.com.

“This team is very good, and our success this season says a lot about our players, who are stepping up and playing hard,” Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “We’re dangerous in a lot of different ways. Our All-American forward has scored one goal this season. If you would have told me we were going to be 5-1-1, and was only going to have scored one goal at this point, I would have said you’re nuts. It says a lot about , Kristina Trujic,  and all the attacking players around her that are doing some great things. As for the defense, we’ve had multiple shutouts and I think our back line has played some of their best defense since I’ve been here. We’re a tough team to break down.”

During the 1992 season, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ was ranked as high as sixth in the Intercollegiate Soccer Coaches Association of America (ISAA) poll, which is now the NSCAA rankings. The program’s all-time highest ranking in the regular season was No. 3 during 1982 – the same year that the team finished as the runner-up in the national championship.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is the second-highest ranked program in the state of Florida as Florida State sits at No. 1. Regionally, the Knights are one of the best at No. 2 in the NSCAA Central Region behind Oklahoma State, which is ranked seventh nationally.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is riding a four-game unbeaten streak and has held its own with some of the nation’s best competition. The Knights’ only loss this season was a 1-0 decision to the top-ranked Seminoles, and they tied now-No. 5 Boston College in double overtime in their most recent outing Sunday.

The Knights will close their non-conference schedule Friday when they take on North Florida at 5 p.m. as part of a home doubleheader with the men’s team, which is scheduled to kick off against Jacksonville at 7:30 p.m.

Season tickets are available for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s remaining home games, beginning at $30. A complimentary soccer scarf comes with each purchase. The Gold Pass, which includes season tickets to all volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s basketball, softball and track and field contests, is also available now. For more information and to place an order, call the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Ticket Office at (407) Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-1000 or visit Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Athletics.com.

The Naples native tallied two goals over the opening weekend as Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ started off its season 2-0 for the first time since 2003.

In Friday’s season opener, she scored the first goal of the game by capitalizing off a penalty kick. The Knights defeated USF, 3-1, on the road and earned their seventh-straight win over their intrastate rival. Martin then scored the second goal in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s 4-0 win at reigning Atlantic Sun champion Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday.

She started both games, clocking 128 minutes over the weekend, and was the only Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ player to score in both matches.

The Knights have a jam-packed weekend approaching as they hold their home opener Friday against No. 4 Florida State at 7 p.m. before welcoming Miami on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Season tickets are available for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s 11 home games, beginning at $30. This year’s purchase comes with a complimentary soccer scarf to wear to the games. To purchase, call (407) Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-1000 or visit Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Athletics.com.

“Tonight we were creating chances and getting corner kicks and knocking on the door early. The back line and Lianne (Maldonado) did very well even though we didn’t get the shutout,” Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “We knew it was important to start the season off well because we have a lot of tough games on the schedule, and this gives us a lot of confidence going forward. In hearing some of the results around the country tonight, there are some crazy scores, a lot of upsets. This year is going to be one of those years that anyone can beat anybody. We’ve got to be ready to battle a very good Florida Gulf Coast team on Sunday.”

The Knights attacked early and sophomore forward Jennifer Martin was able to capitalize after being taken down inside the box to draw a penalty kick. She found her way past the keeper, putting Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ on the board in the 26th minute for a 1-0 lead.

The Knights came out strong in the second half when Kayla Darden found freshman Taylor Townsend, who left-footed a laser from outside the box into the top left-hand corner of the net to increase Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s edge to 2-0 with 30 minutes left.

USF got back into the game with a free kick opportunity when Marsha Harper headed in a goal off an assist from Sharla Passariello with 14 minutes remaining, but Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ junior Ashley Nicol would give the Knights some breathing room with her first career goal with less than eight minutes to go to seal the victory.

“That was a huge goal,” Cromwell said. “Ashley has been working on those free kicks since last year. She bends a nice ball. She was able to put it over the wall, she curved it up and over and got it down near the post. It’s the type of goal you would see on a highlight reel.”

The Knights continue their intrastate road trip to Fort Myers where they will meet reigning Atlantic Sun champion Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Season tickets are available for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s 11 home games, beginning at $30. This year’s purchase comes with a complimentary soccer scarf to wear to the games. To purchase, call (407) Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-1000 or visit Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Athletics.com.

“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. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ 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 déjà 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, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ foul, the Miners received a penalty kick and Tess Hall converted to cut Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’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 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ 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 a great victory for us, another big result out here on the road,” head coach Amanda Cromwell said. “This was our third-straight ranked team in a row on the road and the team showed that they were ready to play and came to win.”

Radovcic scored both goals for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ (3-1-1), the first of which came in the ninth minute after she stole the ball from the PSU goalkeeper and tapped it into an empty net. Radovcic took four shots for the Black and Gold, three of which were on goal.

PSU’s Maya Hayes put the Nittany Lions (5-2) on the scoreboard less than a minute later, bringing the score to 1-1.

After over 90 minutes of scoreless play, Radovcic’s double-overtime goal put the game away for the Knights. Junior Tishia Jewell (Satellite Beach, Fla.) and freshman Jennifer Martin (Plantation, Fla.) collected the assists.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ goalkeeper Aline Reis (Campinas, Brazil) turned aside six shots for the Knights, including four saves in the second half and one more in the first overtime.

The back three did a great job protecting the goal on defense for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and even though the Knights gave up 19 shots Reis did a great job cleaning up the few good scoring chances PSU had.

“I think the attacking group did a great job of creating chances,” associate head coach Colby Hale said. “Nicolette had two goals and Tishia took five shots and collected an assist. We created a lot of opportunities and we able to make two of the count for the win.”