Road Trip to JacksonvilleRoad Trip to Jacksonville

Road Trip to Jacksonville

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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - After having its home opener on Sept. 1 canceled due to inclement weather, UCF is back on the road Monday with a trip to Jacksonville. The start time at Southern Oak Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

UCF (0-2-0) and Jacksonville (0-3-0) are teams searching for its first victory of the season. Fans can follow the matchup on the pitch with live stats.

THE MATCHUP

  • The Knights opened the season with a pair of tough defeats at Duke, 2-0, and vs. Elon, 1-0.
  • Freshmen goalkeeper Yannik Oettl and midfiedler Yoni Sorokin were tabbed to the John Rennie Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team.
  • Oettl finished the two matches with nine saves, while Sorokin fired one shot on target as a defensive midfielder.
  • Senior Matias Pyysalo tallied a team-best four shots, which included one on target.
  • A pair of shots on goal were also registered by junior Gorka Aperribay.
  • Charlotte enters the match with a 1-0 mark and is ranked No. 16 by the United Soccer Coaches and No. 24 by Top Drawer Soccer.
  • Jacksonville enters the match seeking its first victory after falling to UNC Wilmington (2-0), Campbell (1-0) and UAB (2-1) to open the season.
  • Kai Bennet has the only goal for Jacksonville and has fired a team-high six shots along with Sam Gardner.
  • Patrick Harding and Liam O'Connor have shared the Dolphins' goalkeeping duties.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE DOLPHINS

  • UCF leads the all-time series with a 20-13-4 mark.
  • Last season, Matias Pyysalo tallied two goals off set pieces to lead the Knights to a 4-1 home victory. Gorka Aperribay and Neico Regent also registered markers for UCF.
  • The Knights took their previous meeting at Jacksonville, 3-2, on goals by Hadji Barry, Neico Regent and Matias Pyysalo.
  • UCF holds an unbeaten streak against the Dolphins in the last nine matches, going 7-0-2 dating back to the 2002 campaign.

CALLING ON CALABRESE

  • Head coach Scott Calabrese is in his first season guiding the Knights.
  • He spent the past three seasons at FIU, taking the program to its first NCAA Tournament in 10 years.
  • The Newton, Conn., native has compiled an 85-67-20 overall mark and started the program at East Tennessee State in 2008.
  • Calabrese has an experienced staff in Will Clayton, who played and coached at Wake Forest, and Paul Souders, who played for Calabrese at Clemson and coached at New Mexico.

 THE FINNISH FINISHER

  • Senior Matias Pyysalo was tabbed as The American Offensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches.
  • The Helsinki, Finland, native tallied six of his 10 goals in conference play.
  • The 2016 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year paced the league with 14 points and delivered game-winning goals vs. SMU (10/1), UConn (10/22) and Cincinnati (11/5)
  • Pyysalo ranked among the nation's leaders in goals (15th/0.63) and points (16th/1.56) per game.
  • Entering his senior campaign, he has totaled 18 goals and 14 assists as a Knight.

 TALENTED CLASS

A NEW ERA
The UCF men's soccer team is in 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. 
 
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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.

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