ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Ten home matches highlight the UCF men's soccer 2018 schedule as head coach Scott Calabrese prepares for his second season.
"We have constructed a challenging and exciting schedule for the 2018 season," said Calabrese. "We have the opportunity to measure ourselves against some of the nation's elite programs as we look to build on the progress of last season."
The Knights warm up the season with two exhibition matches hosting Eastern Florida and traveling to FAU before kicking off the regular season on the road at Penn State on Aug. 24.
UCF then comes home for four consecutive matches facing off with UC Irvine on Aug. 27 for the Knights' home opener. Battles with Liberty (Aug. 31) and 2017 NCAA tournament qualifiers, Virginia Tech (Sept. 2) and West Virginia (Sept. 7) round out the first 2018 home matches at the UCF Soccer Complex.
"Right away we test ourselves against a top Penn State team in their home opener which promises to be an amazing environment," added Calabrese. "Our out-of-conference matches include a number of conference champions and NCAA tournament teams, as well as in-state rivals. I am especially excited that we have been able to attract high level teams such as Virginia Tech, West Virginia, UC Irvine and others to come and play on the campus of UCF."
Calabrese and the Knights will then head to Miami to face his former squad and 2017 NCAA Tournament qualifier, FIU (Sept. 11) before heading to Stetson (Sept. 15). UCF will round out the road-trip opening American Athletic Conference play against Temple on Sept. 21.
The Knights welcome SMU on Sept. 28 for a conference matchup followed by an interstate duel with Jacksonville (Oct. 2).
A quick road trip to face Tulsa is slated for Oct. 6 before UCF heads back for three-straight at home against UConn (Oct. 12), FGCU (Oct. 16), and USF (Oct. 20) for the War on I-4 rivalry series.
The Knights cap off the regular season with a road match against Memphis (Oct. 27) and a home contest with Cincinnati (Nov. 11).
"We are very excited to get in front of our fans this season as we host 10 home matches against exceptional competition."
The Knights are coming off an 8-6-2 season after finishing second in conference play in both the regular season and The American tournament. The 2018 squad returns 21 Knights including all-conference honorees, Cal Jennings, Yoni Sorokin, Andreas Steineger, Hattabiou Barry, and Louis Perez.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2018 campaign are on sale now. Fans looking to purchase tickets can call (407) 823-1000 or visit UCFKnights.com to secure them today. For men's soccer tickets CLICK HERE.