No. 1 UCF vs. No. 4 UConn |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The one-seeded UCF men’s soccer team will face four-seeded UConn in the semifinal match of the American Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. This will be the second semifinal match of the evening as two-seeded SMU faces six-seeded Memphis at 4:30 p.m.
The game will be streamed live on the American Digital Network and live stats will also be available. Students get in free with a valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased here. For more information on the 2018 American Championship, visit the tournament central page.
The Knights are coming off their biggest win of the season thus far after taking down Cincinnati, 1-0 to secure a share of the regular season title and home pitch advantage for the Tournament. Louis Perez was a hero for the Knights after netting the lone goal in the 84th minute.
THE OPPONENT
- UConn finished the regular season 10-4-2 overall and 3-2-2 in The American.
- The Huskies lost their final two regular season matches after leading in the conference standings for the majority of the season.
- In the meeting with the Huskies this season, UCF and UConn went to double overtime in the 0-0 draw.
- Cal Jennings led all players with seven shots as the Knights compiled 19 in the 110 minutes.
- UConn defeated Temple, 3-1 on Tuesday to advance to the semifinal match.
KNIGHT BITES
- UCF earned three major award honors from The American announced Tuesday as Jennings was named Offensive Player of the Year, Louis Perez earned Midfielder of the Year, and Yannik Oettl was named Goalkeeper of the Year.
- Coach Calabrese and his staff won Coaching Staff of the Year in just their second season.
- UCF also grabbed seven All-Conference selections. Jennings, Perez, Yoni Sorokin, and Oettl were named First Team All-Conference, while Yanis Leerman earned Second Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team accolades. Andres Hernandez Betancur was also named to the All-Rookie Team.
- The Black and Gold earned their highest ranking in program history at No. 7 by the United Soccer Coaches (USC). This is the fifth straight week the Knights have made the top 20 and third straight week in the top 10.
- In the most recent RPI, the Knights come in at 13th.
- The Knights enter Thursday’s match with an eight-match unbeaten streak. In that streak, UCF is 7-0-1.
- Home pitch advantage is sure to play in UCF’s favor as they boast a 7-1-2 record at the UCF Soccer Complex this season and 11-1-3 over their last two seasons.
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