ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 18 UCF men's soccer team is set for its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance as they head to Wilson, N.C. to face No. 17 James Madison in a neutral site Second Round matchup on Sunday at 5 p.m.
The Knights earned The American's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning its postseason championship tournament. UCF advanced past SMU in the semifinals with a victory in PKs before topping Tulsa 1-0 for its first tournament title as part of the conference. The Black and Gold have earned three straight American regular season championships. James Madison has been victorious in three straight Colonial Athletic Association tournaments to win their eighth total title as a member of the CAA, moving into a tie for the most in conference history.
The entire NCAA Tournament will be played in Cary, N.C. and the surrounding areas. The first two rounds of the tournament are played at neighboring soccer fields and complexes while the Sweet 16 and on will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park.
UCF will face James Madison for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The Dukes enter the weekend unbeaten and bring a 5-0-3 record with them to N.C. James Madison was victorious in PKs in both their semifinal and final matchups, beating Drexel 8-7 in the shootout prior to hoisting a trophy after triumphing 4-3 over Hofstra in similar fashion. James Madison has only allowed two goals this season while scoring 10. The Dukes only surrendered one goal during the regular season as the College of Charleston scored in the 72nd minute, only to see James Madison answer in the 73rd.
Two of the nation's top goalkeepers will be on the pitch Sunday night. Yannik Oettl has been a rock in goal all season for the Knights, tallying six clean sheets which is good enough for fifth in the country. He's ranked in many other categories as well, sitting third in save percentage with a mark of .912, fifth in total saves with 52, sixth in saves per match with an average of 5.2 and eighth in goals against average with a .483 clip. TJ Bush will stand on the opposite side of the pitch with an impressive resume as well, leading the country in goals allowed average (.233) and save percentage (.931). When he's been tested, Bush has made 27 saves, which is 94th in the nation. He's earned five clean sheets this season.
Lucca Dourado netted UCF's two goals in the American tournament and has scored in three of the Knights' last four matches. The rookie was named the tournament's offensive MVP following his performance.
The first phase of the game continues to set a trend for the end result of each match. UCF hasn't lost when holding their opponent scoreless in the first fifteen minutes of the game, going 7-0-1. The Knights are 4-1 when playing on the road this season with their lone loss at Tulsa earlier in the season. The Black and Gold are a perfect 5-0 when scoring two goals or more.
This season's NCAA Tournament appearance is the third straight for the Knights and eight overall. It's the first time that UCF has been in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments since 2002-04. It is also the third straight campaign that the Black and Gold have earned a second round bye in the big dance.
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