ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF is back on its home pitch on Wednesday against North Florida. The first 100 students at the UCF Soccer Complex for the 7 p.m. match receive a Knights Soccer T-shirt.
UCF (1-3-0) vs. North Florida Ospreys (3-2-1)
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Orlando, Fla. | UCF Soccer Complex
UCFKnights.TV | Live Stats | @UCF_MSoccer
Noting the Knights
- The Knights were featured on Bleacher Report and ESPN following junior Matias Pyysalo's corner-kick goal against Jacksonville. The celebration that followed the goal featured a good old-fashioned shoe shine for Pyysalo by classmate Walker Dawkins and his teammates.
- UCF notched its first victory on Sept. 17 against Jacksonville in a 4-1 decision.
- Following his two goals vs. Jacksonville, junior Matias Pyysalo paces the Knights with eight points - three goals and two assists - and was named to The American Honor Roll.
- Junior Neico Regent, sophomore Gorka Aperribay and freshman Jesus Colombo each scored their first goal of the season in the first two matches of the Knights' six-game homestand.
- Freshman Matt Rosenberg, in his third start, earned his first-career victory after making three saves in UCF's 4-1 victory vs. Jacksonville.
- A total of five points have been accumulated by freshman Richard Amon, who started the season with two goals at Grand Canyon.
- Seven newcomers - Brian Jamba, Nathan Bondswell, Jonathan Dean, Cal Jennings Colombo, Amon and Rosenberg - have started multiple matches, while Anton Delwer and Diego Bacellar have also made their UCF debuts as reserves.
- Head coach Bryan Cunningham is in his 10th season at the helm of the Knights.
Last Time Out
- UCF junior Matias Pyysalo secured the Knights' 4-1 victory on Sept. 17 with a pair of tallies off set pieces.
- The Knights notched their first victory of the season over the Dolphins.
- Junior Neico Regent and sophomore Gorka Aperribay also found the back of the net.
- Apperibay's first-half marker put UCF in the lead for the first time this season on a feed from junior Joel Vartiainen.
- After JU leveled the contest 63rd minute, Regent took a pass from Pyysalo and put the Knights back on top, 2-1.
- The final marker by Pyysalo came off a corner kick from the right and curled into the far top corner of the net in the 83rd minute.
Scouting the Ospreys
- North Florida has posted a 3-2-1 overall mark with victories over Winthrop, N.C. State and FIU.
- The Ospreys started 3-0-1, but have dropped their last two decisions by 1-0 margins on the road against USF and Denver.
- Milan Kovacs paces UNF with four goals, while Micah Smoak and Josh Castellanos have each added three markers.
- Goalkeeper Juanes Fajardo is 1-1-0 wiith a 0.57 goals-against average, while playing a majority of his team's minutes.
Series History
- UCF has a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series.
- The Ospreys have taken the two prior meetings, which includes a 1-0 win in Orlando in 2014 and a 2-1 OT victory last year in Jacksonville.
- The Knights won five-straight matchups from 2008-13 and held a 16-2 advantage on the scoreboard during that stretch.
Up Next
- The Knights open play in The American on Saturday by facing in-state rival South Florida at 7 p.m.
- UCF rounds out its current six-match homestand with meetings against SMU and Northwestern.