The UCF women’s basketball team fought the entire way, but ultimately got edged out of the C-USA tournament by #1 seeded Tulane, 63-62.

Chelsie Wiley finished with 16 points. Aisha Patrick finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Emma Cannon had 12 points and 8 rebounds.

The women’s team finishes the year with an 11-15 record, and all but one of their players (all starters) returning.

It got a bit hairy late, but UCF was able to force overtime and edge out Marshall, 59-57, in the qualifier round of the Conference USA women’s basketball tournament.

Chelsea Wiley had 19 points. D’Nay Daniels had 9 points and 12 rebounds, and Aisha Patrick had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

UCF will next face top-ranked Tulane this afternoon at 1pm in the quarterfinals. The men open their tournament tomorrow afternoon.

UCF’s high-power offense ran out of gas and luck as they were swept by Central Michigan this past weekend, extending their losing streak to 4.

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On Friday night, UCF lost to Central Michigan, 11-5.

The team had only 8 hits. RF Shane Brown went 2-for-3, the only multi-hit game for the Knights. LF Chris Duffy did hit a home run.

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On Saturday, UCF sunk further, getting shut out, 3-0.

UCF only got 4 hits this time, though Shane Brown again got two of them (2-for-4).

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On Sunday, it was closer, but Central Michigan sunk the Knights with a pair of late 2-run innings and won the game, 7-4.

Ronnie Richardson hit a home run. Chris Duffy went 3-for-5, while Shane Brown and SS Darnell Sweeney were both 2-for-4.

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UCF hosts Miami for a one-off Tuesday night. It is a blackout game: everyone attending should wear black. The first 250 to arrive will get blackout shirts.

The Buffalo Bandits, desparate for a win, played like bandits. Literally.

Greg Peyser was conked over the head while on the ground, then cross-checked from behind during a play stoppage.

Casey Powell had his knee rammed into the boards around the bench area when he didn’t have the ball.

Bandits picked two fights that had absolutely no reason to them. (Though in both, the Titans player “won”… one of the Bandits, Steve Priolo, got dropped with one punch and suffered a concussion.)

I have never witnessed such dirty play in my entire life in any sport. And it was effective, as the Bandits raced to an 8-2 lead in the first half and won the game, 12-10. The win came with a price, though, as three Bandits players got knocked out of the game with injuries while the Titans were lucky to escape with their lives.

Casey Powell finished the game with 5 goals and 1 assist. Jordan Hall had 1 goal and 5 assists. Pat Maddalena had 2 goals and 3 assists.

The team returns home on Friday night to take on the Philadelphia Wings again. (Repeat games like that are not uncommon…we’re scheduled against Philadelphia and Boston each three times.) Game time will be 7:35 at the Amway Arena.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to invite everyone interested in Orlando to join me, Adam Soucie and the Orlando Soccer Supporters Club to Buffalo Wings & Rings at US 441 and Town Center Blvd. (off SR 417 exit 11) in south Orlando on Wednesday night, March 25, at 9:30pm EDT for a soccer Watch Party.

We will be getting together for MLS First Kick, the first game of the Major League Soccer regular season. The expansion Philadelphia Union will be playing against the Seattle Sounders. The Sounders, who joined MLS last year, are hosting MLS First Kick for the second straight year, and why not? They sell out nearly 40,000 seats each game in Seattle, by and far the biggest soccer fan base in America.

This will also be our first opportunity since the announcement of the new Orlando soccer franchise to be opened in 2011 to organize Orlando’s soccer fans into a supporters club. Supporter culture is a big part of soccer fandom, and we can be on the front lines to spread the word about the team, building our support from the very grassroots.

Please help us spread the word. I have prepared a flier (PDF) that you are welcome to spread around town.

See ya there!

The UCF men’s basketball team mixed it up with last-place Rice, but in the end slammed the door, beating the Owls, 66-59.

Taylor Young led the team with 11 points, and Marcus Jordan contributed 11.

It gives the Knights their 6th conference win, locking up the 9th seed. With three teams at 7-8, we won’t know til later tonight who they will face when the C-USA men’s tournament starting Wednesday.

Orlando Titans president Steve Donner fielding press questions following the press conference announcing an Orlando team for the United Soccer Leagues First Division on March 4, 2010.

And it’s official.

At a press conference at the Orlando Titans team hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, this afternoon, the United Soccer Leagues announced that a USL First Division soccer team will be established in Orlando for the 2011 season. This will be the second tier of soccer competition in the United States, equivalent to a Triple A to Major League Soccer (MLS).

NY Empire Lacrosse, LLC, the parent company of the Orlando Titans lacrosse team, will be the primary owners, and will seek minority owners for the club.

I had a chance to speak to Titans president Steve Donner and USL president Tim Holt. Mr. Donner told me that there are currently three, and possibly four, possibilities for an immediate home for the new team: the Citrus Bowl, Tinker Field and UCF (likely Bright House Networks Stadium). The fourth possibility is a currently-in-planning full soccer stadium that may be erected at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Disney property.

The name of the soccer group currently is Orlando Pro Soccer. Their website currently has a mailing list signup form and a link to their Twitter feed. They are planning on taking season ticket deposits very soon.

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We ask everyone who wishes to support soccer in Orlando to go to the Orlando Soccer Supporters Club. It is a movement started by Tusker House/Inside the Jungle blogger Adam Soucie, which I am a big part of. Together we can take this club far…all the way to Major League Soccer.

There are one or two comments on Brant Parsons’ Orlando Sentinel blog entry on the Orlando soccer press conference being held today that are like, “who cares”. A large number of supporters, but still you have to realize that many Americans don’t understand soccer.

That in part has to do with the average American’s penchant for instant gratification. They want people to score NOW NOW NOW!!! They don’t like a game that can end in a scoreless tie, and where are generally fewer goals than in other sports.

But what makes soccer so much fun is the build-up to the goal. The fact that it’s harder to score in soccer makes those goals, when they happen, far more valuable and far more gratifying.

If you can get over instant gratification, and appreciate the build-up to the goal, then you will love soccer.

What is important for a team like the UCF women’s basketball team is to end the regular season with momentum, so they can try to carry it over to the C-USA tournament and power their way back to the NCAA tournament in consecutive years for the first time ever.

This is the kind of game the Knights and head coach Joi Williams-Felton were looking for, beating Southern Miss, 84-72.

Six Knights were in double figures scoring, including all five starters, led by Ashia Kelly with a career-high 16 points. Aisha Patrick had 13 points and 5 assists. Angelica Mealing had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Emma Cannon had 13 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

UCF finished the season 6-3 in their last nine games, to get a 7-9 C-USA schedule and 10-15 overall.

The C-USA women’s basketball tournament starts Monday, March 8, in Tulsa. I’ll keep you informed when they perform the draw. Our 8th seed means we should play #9 Marshall in the first round. We beat Marshall at home back on February 4.

The Orlando Titans are going for the St. Patrick’s Day theme for their Friday, March 12, game against the Philadelphia Wings. Defenseman Rory Smith is being used in the advertising.

There isn’t much data yet outside the current Titans splash screen, but it does say that 100 section sideline seats will be $20 (normally $30), and Founder’s Level seats (closest three or four rows on sidelines) will be $25 (normally $35).

The promotion box isn’t on the game sale page on Ticketmaster yet, but the promotional code will be “RORY24″.