ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 13 UCF men's soccer team scored early and never looked back as they defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 2-0. The victory is the fourth in a row for the Knights and the sixth straight match they've gone unbeaten.
"I was really happy with the team tonight," said UCF head coach Scott Calabrese, "I thought the performance from the beginning all the way to the end was a total team performance. I thought the concentration of the group was good. We possessed the ball and did a good job controlling the game. Overall, I was very pleased with the effort and concentration; it was another step forward for us."
The Knights dominated from whistle to whistle, outshooting South Carolina 24-3 over the duration of the match for UCF's second shutout of the season. The Black and Gold held 71 percent of possession and were sharp in just about every area possible.
UCF got on the board early as they have done so many times this season already as Cal Jennings scored his eighth goal of the season off a cross from Gino Vivi in the seventh minute. The play developed nicely from end to end and wound up with Jennings booting it to the back of the net from inside the box.
7' | GOAL! Cal is the new leading goal scorer in the NCAA as he gets us off to a quick start!
— UCF Men's Soccer (@UCF_MSoccer) September 22, 2019
That's ??? straight matches that we've scored in the first 15 minutes! #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/4m0Fd2TJ4v
Jennings has now scored in six straight matches as he climbs into the top spot on the NCAA leaderboard for goals scored. With Jennings' goal tonight, UCF has scored in the first 15 minutes of the last five matches.
The Knights found the back of the net again in the first half as Louis Perez was able to collect his first goal of the 2019 season. The ball was crossed into the box by Mauricio Villalobos Vega straight to Andres Hernandez Betancur who took a shot that wound up being blocked. Perez was able to cash in on the rebound to give UCF a 2-0 lead. Hernandez Betancur registered the assist on the goal.
28' | GOAL! Louis' shot finds its way in for his first goal of the season! We've got a 2-0 lead! #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/p3hWaGkzCs
— UCF Men's Soccer (@UCF_MSoccer) September 22, 2019
UCF came out just as strong in the second half but couldn't find the back of the net to add to their lead. The Knights took plenty of shots, gathering a dozen in each half and limiting South Carolina to just one shot attempt in the last 45 minutes. UCF's 24 shot attempts in the match sets a new season high, beating their previous mark of 22 attempts against VCU. Neither team registered a shot on target in the second frame, but UCF had some golden opportunities miss the net as the half neared its end.
Both goal scorers from tonight were listed on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list to begin the season. Through seven matches, Jennings has eight goals and one assist while Perez has a goal and three assists.
The defense looked just as in sync as the offense, as UCF committed their lowest number of fouls in any match this season, surrendering only six. The Knights allowed no corner kicks in the match while earning nine for the Black and Gold. Yannik Oettl had an easy night in net, earning one save on South Carolina's three shot attempts.
UP NEXT
UCF will continue their homestand and open conference play against the Temple Owls on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The first 200 UCF students in attendance receive a "fast pass" into the UCF football game against UConn on Sept. 28.
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Season tickets for the 2019 men's soccer season are available now. To catch every moment on the pitch this year, click here.
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