ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF began its preparations for the 2017 campaign on Wednesday with a pair of training sessions. This is the first preseason for the Knights under the guidance on head coach Scott Calabrese.
"It was a great session that had plenty of energy with it being the first day," Calabrese said following the afternoon training session. "There were a lot of positives that we are going to be building upon in this condensed 10-day preseason."
The morning session for the Knights featured each player testing their conditioning with the Yo-Yo Intermittent Test Level 1. The top three finishers were senior Matias Pyysalo, junior Jonathan Dean and senior Walker Dawkins.
After exerting themselves, the players were given a chance to recover and prepare for an afternoon session.
The first on-field session featured the team going over attacking and defensive positioning before competing in an intrasquad scrimmage. The training session ended with a 3-on-3 competition with the goalkeepers.
"There were a lot of positives with the intensity that every member of the team showed," Pyysalo said. "We were all working with one another and had a lot of energy with being on the pitch as a unit."
UCF faces Tampa in its first of two exhibition matches on Aug. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. Admission to the contest is free.
A NEW ERA
The UCF men's soccer team is set to begin its first campaign under the guidance of head coach Scott Calabrese and will welcome seven teams to the UCF Soccer Complex. Click here or call (407) 823-1000 for ticket information.
BECOME A PART OF THE WATCH
Membership to Knights Watch, the official supporters group of UCF Soccer, begins at $15 for students and $50 for fans. Packages include tickets to all home contests for men's and women's soccer, a Knights Watch T-Shirt, a soccer scarf and a variety of free catered tailgates. To become a member, click here.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.
