ORLANDO, Fla. – After not playing a match during the 2020 calendar year, the UCF men's soccer team is set to embark on their 46th season as a program and look to build off their best campaign in their history during the 2020-21 slate.
A QUICK LOOK BACK
The 2019 season was the most successful season the Knights have experienced yet. It included the team's second consecutive regular season conference title and their second straight national seed in the NCAA Tournament. UCF was able to reach their first Sweet 16 in program history after defeating Missouri State in overtime by a count of 2-1. The Black and Gold finished with a 15-3-2 record and wrapped up the year as the No. 10 team in the country.
WHAT'S CHANGED?
The American Athletic Conference looks a bit different from last season. The conference is now home to six teams as UConn and Cincinnati are no longer part of The American. The six teams will participate in a double round robin for regular season play, with each team getting a home and away match against each opponent. Therefore, the number of conference matches now sits at 10 as opposed to seven in 2019.
The postseason format has also changed. The American will now host a four-team championship tournament to determine their automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The American championship tournament will be held at the venue of the top seeded team from the regular season. In years past, the No. 4 seed and the No. 5 seed and the No. 3 seed and the No. 6 seed played each other for the right to advance in the tournament at the host venue.
THE SCHEDULE
UCF will take on FIU in a home exhibition match on Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. to get prepped for the season ahead. It will be the first time they'll participate in a match since Mar. 7 when they hosted UNF in a Florida Cup spring match.
The Knights will start their 10-match regular season by playing host to Tulsa on Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. It will be their first match in 434 days after not getting a chance to play in the fall of 2020. UCF will travel to Tulsa on Feb. 27 to wrap up their home and home with the Golden Hurricane. The Black and Gold jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and eventually topped Tulsa 3-2 in double overtime in their only meeting last season.
UCF's schedule continues as they travel to Temple on Feb. 13 and host their return game against the Owls on Mar. 20. The Knights faced Temple twice last season, beating them by a combined score of 7-0. The Black and Gold earned a 2-0 win in the regular season before watching Cal Jennings post his fourth career hat trick against the Owls in a 5-0 AAC Tournament victory.
The Knights will host the South Florida Bulls on Feb. 20 and visit them on Mar. 27. The two sides renew their annual War On I-4 rivalry in a different way this season, as each match will represent three points to the overall tally between schools. UCF edged the Bulls by a count of 1-0 in Tampa during the 2019 campaign.
The Black and Gold will host Memphis on Mar. 6 and return the back end of the home and home on Apr. 9, which doubles as the regular season finale. UCF won a thrilling 1-0 match over Memphis at home last season which clinched the regular season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
The Knights met SMU three times last season and will see them at least two more times during the spring of 2021. UCF will travel to SMU on Mar. 13 and host the Mustangs for their final home match of the regular season on Apr. 2. The Black and Gold were narrowly defeated by a count of 1-0 in the AAC Tournament final and fell 2-1 in overtime of the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16.
The AAC Tournament semifinals are set to be held on Apr. 15 with the final taking place on Apr. 17. The event will take place at whatever school earns the No. 1 seed during the regular season. The NCAA Selection Show is slated for the following day.
TICKETING, CAPACITY AND MASKS
25 percent capacity of the UCF Soccer Complex will be open to fans for all home matches. There is no ticketing for the event, meaning fans can attend matches for free this season. Masks are required to be worn at all times in the venue and on campus.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men's Soccer on social media on Facebook (/UCFMensSoccer), Twitter (@UCF_MSoccer) and Instagram (@UCF.MSoccer).
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