#6 UCF Defeats Stetson 3-2 in Double OT#6 UCF Defeats Stetson 3-2 in Double OT

#6 UCF Defeats Stetson 3-2 in Double OT

Opens in a new window Box Score (PDF)

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 6 UCF men's soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to 13 consecutive matches with a double overtime 3-2 victory over the Stetson Hatters.

"This was a really tough Stetson," said UCF head coach Scott Calabrese, "They were very motivated for the game. For us, we again reached overtime and were able to persevere and find a result in overtime. I love the resilience of our team."

Not much occurred at the start of the match, as play was fairly even on both sides. Stetson struck first, scoring in the 28th minute. The goal came off a cross from Gabriel Diniz and was tapped in by Alex Turner for his second goal of the season. Despite the 1-0 deficit at half, the Knights outshot the Hatters 8-6 and had the edge in corners by a count of 7-1.

The second half was wide open. The Knights equalized the match at 1-1 in the 52nd minute with a goal from Hattabiou Barry, his second of the season. Cal Jennings was able to beat two defenders and feed the ball to Barry who just had to tap it in.

UCF took the lead in the 80th minute via an own goal. Andres Hernandez Betancur lined up for a corner kick and sent it spinning into the box. A Stetson defender had no other choice but to try and clear the ball over the crossbar but wound up punching the ball into his own net.

Unphased by the own goal, Stetson struck right back to equalize in the 85th minute. Alex Turner scored his third goal of the season off assists from Gio Rodriguez and Gabriel Diniz.

For the seventh time in 2019 and the fifth time in the last six matches, the Knights went into overtime. The first overtime frame saw Stetson take the lone shot but it did no harm.

Just 45 seconds into the second overtime, Jennings netted his 40th career goal off the post and into the net to give the Knights a 3-2 win. Jonathan Dean and Yanis Leerman contributed assists on the golden goal. Jennings' 40th career goal places him alone in 4th place on UCF's career goals scored list. He currently sits in 5th place on UCF's career points leaderboard with 95, trailing Rony Francoi's mark of 101 points which he collected from 1980-83.

"God has blessed me with a great team," said Jennings, "I'm so happy just to be here each and every day, and I couldn't have gotten to 40 career goals without my teammates. They set me up all the time, I'm just the closest to the goal."

The Knights went unbeaten in the month of October as well as September. October saw UCF go to overtime five times, posting a record of 4-0-1. Overall, UCF is 5-0-2 in overtime this season. The Knights posted a total of 16 shot attempts to Stetson's 11. The Black and Gold had a huge advantage on corner kicks, tallying 10 to the Hatter's two. UCF goalkeeper Yannik Oettl made five saves on the evening.

UP NEXT
The Knights will resume American Athletic Conference play on Friday at 7 p.m. as the Memphis Tigers pay a visit to Orlando. Memphis sits just one point behind UCF in the conference standings with a record of 4-1-0. Friday doubles as Senior Knight as UCF will honor Dean, Jennings and Richard Amon.

FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men's Soccer on social media on Facebook (/UCFMensSoccer), Twitter (@UCF_MSoccer) and Instagram (@UCF.MSoccer).

GET 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.