ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 9 UCF men's soccer team is set to continue American Athletic Conference play as they host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Knights saw their winning streak of six straight matches come to an end with a 3-3 draw. However, UCF is still unbeaten since their first match of the season; they've won or tied in their last nine matches.
The Black and Gold currently sit with four points and a record of 1-0-1 in conference play, putting them in a tie for second place behind Memphis who is 2-0 in The American so far.
THE OPPONENT
Tulsa visits Orlando with a record of 4-5 on the year and an 0-1 mark in conference play. The Golden Hurricane fell in their lone American match to SMU by a count of 5-1. Tulsa and USF were set to square off following the SMU game but the match ended up being abandoned in the 67th minute with the Bulls up 2-1. The Golden Hurricane's most recent match was a 3-2 win against Oral Roberts.
Harris Partain netted all three goals in the match against Oral Roberts. He leads the team with six goals and fifteen points. As a unit, Tulsa has scored 16 goals while allowing 17 this season. Their biggest win of the 2019 campaign to this point was their 3-1 victory over Lipscomb.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
UCF's run of scoring in the first 15 minutes of a match was snapped against SMU, ending the streak at seven. The Knights had also scored in the first seven minutes of the four matches prior to that one. Louis Perez has been on a tear as of late, scoring a goal or an assist over his last five matches. He is second on the team in points with 14, tallying three goals and eight assists. Cal Jennings has scored in two consecutive matches after not finding the back of the net against Temple. UCF is 6-0-2 when Jennings scores in a match. Both Perez and Jennings were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List to begin the season and have proved that they are worth watching for the remainder of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Knights have scored 2.40 goals per game, which ranks eighth in the nation. The Black and Gold have held opponents to just 1.30 goals per game and have only allowed three goals in a single match once this season. UCF averages 17.4 shot attempts per game while surrendering 9.7. As for Tulsa, they have scored 1.78 goals per game while allowing 1.89 and have fired 10.9 shots per game at the net while allowing 10.6.
UCF has won the last two matches against Tulsa in the all-time series, but trail the series as a whole 3-10-3.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2019 men's soccer season are available now. To catch every moment on the pitch this year, click here.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men's Soccer on social media on Facebook (/UCFMensSoccer), Twitter (@UCF_MSoccer) and Instagram (@UCF.MSoccer).
GET THE APPGET 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. Click here to download the app now.