ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF men's soccer team has named senior goalkeeper Yannik Oettl and junior midfielder Mauricio Villalobos Vega as their captains for the 2020-21 season.
"I think these are two fantastic choices for the position," said head coach Scott Calabrese, "I think more than any other time, this year has posed so many challenges to the group and I think they're in really good hands with Yannik and Mau. I think there is a lot of trust and a strong relationship between these two players and the staff. I'm excited to have those two in that position and I think the team is as well."
"It's a great honor and a nice feeling to have that confidence from the team and coaches to be named a captain," said Villalobos. "It's a big responsibility to keep protecting the culture that makes this team and this program different."
"I was happy and honored to be named a captain and to be in a position where people would follow your lead and look up to you." said Oettl. "Being a captain for this team means being strong for others and creating an environment that helps everyone improve and ultimately leading the team to more wins."
Oettl and Villalobos will operate as co-captains, taking over for Jonathan Dean, who was the Knights' captain for the prior two seasons before being selected in the MLS SuperDraft in January.
"These two guys are incredibly connected to their teammates," said Calabrese. "They're both amazing teammates and both have a professional mentality and attitude. They care a lot about UCF soccer, the well-being of this group and the continued success of our program."
Calabrese's teams have only had one captain to this point. Matias Pyysalo captained the Knights back in 2017. Dean led the Black and Gold during the 2018 season even while injured for most of the year. He earned a redshirt and was able to return and help pilot UCF to their second straight regular season conference title in 2019.
"I think it's nice to have Yannik as a co-captain," said Villalobos. "From the first day I was here, I started learning from him and now that he is a senior, he really shows what it means to be a part of this team and this culture. I am looking forward to continuing to give the best of us to this team and this program."
"It feels amazing to have Mau as a co-captain," said Oettl. "Even though he is a junior, he was one of the guys who stepped up when Cal and Johnny left. He has gradually grown into a position where he was leading others, helping them and getting vocal. In a way, I look up to him as he worked to become something that he really wanted to be."
Both Oettl and Villalobos bring a unique skill set to the table and have different abilities that earned them their co-captaincy.
"Yannik is a very vocal leader. I think he has an ability to kind of grab the group and lead in a vocal way," said Calabrese. "I think Mau has so much credibility in the way he goes about training and preparing every day and is an incredible model of how to be successful. He is also incredibly connected on a personal level with the team. They each have their own strengths, and I think they're a good balance. I think both are going to approach being a captain in an authentic way."
The two new captains never thought they would have the honor of leading a collegiate soccer team, but now find themselves at the helm of one of the top programs in the nation. Oettl and Villalobos have learned a lot from previous players on the team.
"I never thought I'd be a captain, but I've been trying to imitate behavior of previous captains and to help make everyone better out there," said Oettl. "I wanted to be a captain, but never thought that I would get the chance."
"To be honest, I didn't picture it, but I think it's something you show in your day-to-day work ethic," said Villalobos. "It's something you build, not only on the field but off it as well. Now that I have the responsibility, I'll do my best to defend that."
The Knights will suit up and take the pitch in early February 2021 after not playing in the fall of 2020 due to the global pandemic that is COVID-19.
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