ORLANDO – A six-match win streak and a third straight American Athletic Conference regular season championship led to the UCF men's soccer team jumping four spots in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, as the Knights checked in at No. 20 this week.
A 3-0 victory at Memphis on April 9 secured UCF's third consecutive regular season conference title. A pair of Knights were recognized by the league for their performances in the shutout as Yannik Oettl was tabbed as the Goalkeeper of the Week for the fifth time this season and Yanis Leerman earned his second Defensive Player of the Week.
The Knights made their return to college soccer's primary poll on April 6 after a brief absence. With some teams playing their season in the fall and others taking place in the spring, a new the United Soccer Coaches Poll was not released until March 2. The Black and Gold missed the cut in the March 2 and 9 polls but began receiving votes in the March 16 edition. UCF received votes for three weeks before cracking the top 25 once again on April 6.
Prior to March 2, the Black and Gold had been ranked since Oct. 9 of 2018 when UCF cracked into the poll at No. 19. They hadn't left the top 20 since that time and were top 15 or better since Sep. 17, 2019. The Knights climbed as high as No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, reaching their program best mark on Nov. 12.
UCF is the only ranked team in Florida in the United Soccer Coaches Poll as well as the only team from The American.
College Soccer News, a poll that ranks the top 30 teams in the nation, moved UCF up seven spots to No. 18 this week.
UP NEXT
As the American Athletic Conference regular season champions, UCF is set to host The American Championship at the UCF Soccer Complex April 15 and 17. The Knights host SMU on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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.
