Above – Cole Lindquist (Lake Mary) Bill Harkins Field at FSU is the site of one excellent MCLA game tonight. Entry is FREE and the face off is scheduled for 7:00.

For UCF’s Head Coach James Foote the plan is pretty simple.  Play as a team, get ’em down and keep ’em down.  Look for Evan Deacon (Spanish River) and Ian Gehlbach (Lake Brantley/Mercer) up on attack to play a big role in trying to get out front for UCF.  March Neuman (Alonso) is a player to watch in the middle with Timber Creek’s Pat Celentano at LSM and Austin Armstrong (Coral Shores) in the net to keep that solid FSU attack unit at bay. Keys to victory from UCF’s coach James Foote.

“Getting on the board early will be very beneficial for us. If we can get Marcus Neuman, Ian Gehlbach, Evan Deacon and company dialed in during the first frame, we will be hard to beat.”

“Defensively, we need to slow down the attack duo of Will Goodman and Cole Lindquist while still respecting the great depth of talent that the Seminoles have offensively. We have a new look on defense this year, guided by first-year Defensive Coordinator, Justin Vercruysse (Yorktown Heights HS/Plymouth State College). The addition of transfer Justin Schwartz (Barron Collier HS/Manhattan University) really bolsters our defense and gives us freedom to extend on the ball. Sophomore LSM Pat Celentano has shown great maturity and increased athleticism this year that will help us keep the FSU midfield quiet on Friday.”

For the ‘Noles keep on eye on the Face Off X.  Lots of fast transition play means turnovers so you need lots of extra possessions.  Nico Beskid is key to those extra possessions at the FOGO position for FSU.  Davis Goodman (Oviedo) is a solid attackman. ” If Davis plays within our system, this 2015 attack can be special,” says Coach Doyle.   Adam McCall is a shooter to keep an eye on.  When asked about his shot Coach Doyle responded, “If “The Red Rocket” can get his shot off consistently our offense will most likely run through him.” The FSU transition game starts on the defensive side of the field with Kevin Hoppey (Dr. Philips).  He is a defender with an offensive mindset that is happy to push the tempo. Limiting turnovers is going to be the key for FSU.  According to Head Coach Matt Doyle,

“Good shots and limited turnovers. We play a very fast game and average around 54 shots a game. If we can get our shooters in key spots, I think we can have a great chance to be productive on the offensive end. Playing at our pace, you have to expect turnovers, but if we can limit the turnovers to around 10-12, I probably will be very happy with the end result.”

In big rivalry games it’s often the little things that lead to victory.  Victory often goes to the team that can stay focused on fundamentals while the emotions of playing against guys you grew up with make it hard.  Both coaches eluded to this with Coach Foote pointing out that he has confidence that his starting ten match up with anyone but, “We need to play with a certain level of selflessness in order to have success against a very talented FSU squad.” Coach Doyle understands where this rivalry starts. ” We have 8 out of 11 starters from the UCF area. The players on the field friday night will know each other, they play in the same summer leagues. This is a rivalry game. Our boys know it, we are going to be prepared to play a tough game on friday night. FSU will be ready friday night, I can assure you on that.”