ORLANDO, Fla. – After back-to-back NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances and three consecutive regular season conference titles, UCF men's soccer head coach Scott Calabrese has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Black and Gold through the 2027 season.
"I am so grateful to Terry Mohajir and our administration for placing their trust in me," said Calabrese. "I am proud of what we have accomplished in the last four years and even more excited for the future of our program and our athletic department. It's an incredible time to be a Knight!"
In just four seasons at the helm of the Black and Gold, Calabrese has guided the Knights to three straight American Athletic Conference regular season titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, as well as a conference tournament title in 2020-21. During his first four years, Calabrese's teams have compiled a 45-16-8 record, including a 26-5-6 mark at the UCF soccer complex.
"I love working with these amazing young men," said Calabrese. "To be able to help our athletes grow and develop through soccer and become even better versions of themselves is incredibly fulfilling."
The Knights have climbed as high as No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll under Calabrese, a mark set in 2019 towards the end of the team's regular season campaign.
Calabrese had the offense clicking on all cylinders in 2018 and 2019 as they were one of the top scoring teams in all of Division I. During those two seasons, the Knights had been ranked top 10 in the nation in almost every offensive category including total assists, total goals, total points, scoring offense, points per game, assists per game and goals per game. They were the top team in shots per game and shots on goal per game in 2018 and led the nations in corners in 2019. UCF was also the top team in The American in all of those categories. Calabrese and company were named The American's Staff of the Year at the conclusion of those two seasons.
The Knights have produced three All-Americans since Calabrese's arrival in December of 2016. Cal Jennings became one of three Knights to earn multiple All-American honors by making the First Team in 2018 and 2019. Louis Perez was also named an All-American in 2018, checking in on the Third Team. Yanis Leerman is the most recent addition to UCF's All-American list, earning Second Team honors this past season.
Multiple members of the Black and Gold earned high honors in The American over the course of Calabrese's tenure. Yannik Oettl was a three-time conference Goalkeeper of the Year while Matias Pyysalo and Jennings combined to win the Offensive Player of the Year from 2017 through 2019. Perez was named as the Midfielder of the Year in 2018 before Yoni Sorokin earned the honor over the past two campaigns. Gino Vivi was named Freshman of the Year in 2019 and has been an offensive force for the Knights since his arrival.
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