ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 24 UCF men's soccer team is set to wrap up its 2020-21 regular season as they visit Memphis on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. The Knights have a chance to clinch their third consecutive regular season title, earning them the right to host the American Athletic Conference Tournament on their home turf.
The Black and Gold have won their last five matches, most recently a 2-1 comeback victory over SMU. The Mustangs tallied a goal off a set piece in the third minute and got nothing more the rest of the match. UCF's Lucca Dourado scored his first collegiate goal, leveling the match in the 64th minute. It was the first goal by a Knight striker this season. Gino Vivi went on to find the game winner in the 76th minute after converting on a breakaway chance set up by Beto Ydrach, who tallied his first two career assists during the match.
The come from behind win was the first of the season for the Knights. UCF continues to rank among the top teams in the nation in offensive chances as they're 34th in shot attempts and shots on goal per match. They are tied for 11th in the nation in corner kicks per match, averaging exactly seven. The Black and Gold are among the most disciplined teams in college soccer as theyre tied for 16th in fewest fouls committed per match with a mark of 9.67.
Despite SMU snapping UCF's clean sheet streak of three matches, Yannik Oettl continues to prove that he is one of the top goalkeepers in the country. He ninth in the nation in save percentage, earning an .886 save percentage thus far. His goals against average is 21st in the NCAA, as averages roughly half a goal allowed per match. He is tied for 22nd in the nation with four shutouts on the campaign.
Memphis enters the match after a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Temple. The Tigers earned a penalty kick in the 89th minute and cashed in, tying the match at 2-2. The Owls went on to find the winning goal in overtime, dropping Memphis' record to 2-7 and eliminating them from qualifying for the American Athletic Conference's postseason tournament. The Tigers haven't won a match at home this season, sitting at 0-4 in Memphis. Four of the Tigers' matches have gone to overtime this season with them winning on two of the four occasions.
UCF leads the all-time series against Memphis by a count of 12-7-4. The Knights have gone unbeaten over the previous four meetings and coming out on top in the last three. The last 13 matches between the two sides have been decided by a goal or less. The Black and Gold's victory over Memphis earlier this season was the start of the team's five-match winning streak.
There are a few scenarios in which the Knights can clinch their third straight regular season title. The simplest one is that if UCF wins, they will secure the title and the right to host the 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. The Black and Gold secured at least a share of the regular season championship against Memphis in 2019 and went on to earn the outright honor with an overtime win in Cincinnati a few days later.
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