ORLANDO – The UCF men’s soccer team has announced its 2023 schedule, its first as a member of the Sun Belt Conference after ten seasons as a part of the American Athletic Conference. The schedule features two ACC opponents, two former national champions, two in-state foes, as well as nine matches in league play. All but two of UCF’s opponents finished the season in the top 100 of the NCAA RPI with five finishing better than 50. Four of the Knights’ foes made the NCAA Tournament last season.
"We have so many exciting matches in the 2023 lineup for our fans to really enjoy this season, starting right away with our opening match against 2021 national champions Clemson. The five-match homestand following the season opener is an opportunity to build momentum for our season. Our staff and players are looking forward to a fresh challenge with moving to the Sun Belt, and we can't wait to get started."
Scott CalabreseUCF Men's Soccer Head CoachExhibition Schedule
The Knights will take part in two preseason exhibition matches. UCF will host Jacksonville on Aug. 12 before heading west to visit long-time rival South Fla. on Aug. 17.
Non-Conference Schedule
The Black and Gold’s non-conference schedule is highlighted by two ACC opponents and features a total of five matches prior to the start of Sun Belt play. All five opponents finished 2022 with an RPI better than 110 and four of them finished with a mark 95 or better.
The Knights open the season on Aug. 24 on the road against Clemson, one of the nation’s top soccer programs. The Tigers won the 2021 National Championship and have made the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 10 years, including three Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s. Clemson finished the 2022 season at No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. In their history, the Tigers have been ranked No. 1 31 times. The contest against Clemson is the third time in the Calabrese era that the Black and Gold have began the season against an ACC opponent. It will be the fifth time in Calabrese’s seven seasons that at least one ACC program is on the schedule and the third time two ACC foes have been on the slate.
UCF will reunite with Stetson at home on Aug. 27 for the first time since 2017 in what will be the 48th all-time meeting between the two sides. The Knights hold a 34-10-3 all-time advantage over the Hatters.
The Black and Gold will face their second ACC foe, matching up with NC State at home on Sep. 1. The two sides battled to a 2-1 decision in favor of the Wolfpack in Raleigh in 2021. NC State has made three NCAA Tournaments in the last six seasons.
The Knights will meet FIU for the third straight year, hosting the Panthers on Sep. 5 after coming away from Miami with a 3-1 victory last season. FIU were winners of the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title last season.
UCF’s final non-conference match is slated for Sep. 9 against Brown, a team the Black and Gold have never faced.
Sun Belt Schedule
The Knights will play the other nine members of the Sun Belt once in their inaugural season as part of one of the nation’s toughest conferences. The schedule includes four home contests at the UCF Soccer Complex with the other five being on the road. The Black and Gold will begin and end their Sun Belt slate with home matches.
The Sun Belt will reunite UCF with some of their old league mates from Conference USA. The Knights were a member of C-USA through the 2012 season, beginning their run in The American in 2013. Kentucky, Marshall and South Carolina were all members alongside the Black and Gold in their final year of C-USA action. The Knights enter the season with a 32-27-8 record against current teams in the Sun Belt, having played each opponent at least twice in the past.
Sun Belt Game One | Sep. 15 vs. West Virginia
UCF’s first match as a member of the Sun Belt Conference will be at home against West Virginia, a fellow men’s soccer only member. The Mountaineers finished the 2022 season with a record of 7-7-4, including a mark of 3-1-4 in league play. They faced five teams ranked in the top 20 of the United Soccer Coaches poll last season, going 0-4-1, with the lone draw a 3-3 result at home against No. 2 Kentucky. The Wildcats later ended the Mountaineers’ season in the Sun Belt semifinals. West Virginia has made three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last five seasons, seeing its name in the bracket in 2018, 2019 and 2021, including a quarterfinal appearance in its most recent trip to the tournament. The Mountaineers finished the 2022 season with an RPI of 53. The Black and Gold haven’t lost to West Virginia in three all-time meetings holding a 2-0-1 record with a recent 1-0 victory in 2018.
Sun Belt Game Two | Sep. 23 at Marshall
The Knights will be challenged in their first road match of Sun Belt action, facing the 2020 National Champion Thundering Herd. Marshall finished the 2022 season at No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll after a Sweet 16 appearance fueled by an upset of fourth-seeded Virginia. Their run was stopped in the next round by 13th-seeded and eventual national runner up Indiana, ending the Thundering Herd’s season at 11-4-4 with an RPI of 29. UCF owns a five-match winning streak over Marshall and an all-time record of 7-3-1, with the most recent meeting a 1-0 win in 2012.
Sun Belt Game Three | Sep. 29 at Kentucky
The Wildcats were the top seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament but saw their run come to an earlier than expected end as they were upset by Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16. It was Kentucky’s only loss of the season as they finished the campaign 15-1-5 at No. 6 in both the United Soccer Coaches poll and RPI. The Wildcats haven’t missed an NCAA Tournament since 2017, making three consecutive Sweet 16s and reaching the quarterfinals in 2018. The Knights hold a three-match unbeaten streak over Kentucky with the most recent of meetings a 1-0 win in 2012.
Sun Belt Game Four | Oct. 7 vs. Georgia Southern
The Eagles struggled in the Sun Belt’s first season back in action, going 0-8 in conference play and 1-14-1 overall. Georgia Southern will look for its first winning season since 2017 when it went 9-8-1. UCF owns a 7-2-0 all-time record against the Eagles with the last meeting ending in a decisive 5-1 Knight victory in 2013.
Sun Belt Game Five | Oct. 14 at Old Dominion
The Monarchs got out to a 6-4-2 start to their 2022 campaign but finished the year with four straight losses, finishing the year with an RPI of 89. The Knights have only faced Old Dominion three times, winning the first meeting in 2008 before being narrowly beaten in the two ensuing matchups in 2012 and 2013.
Sun Belt Game Six | Oct. 18 vs. Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers are coming off a rare season that saw them finish with a .500 record at 5-5-6. Coastal Carolina has not had a losing season since 1998, and from that time on they have only concluded a campaign with a .500 record twice. They last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019, beating NC State in double overtime in the first round before falling to No. 3 SMU in the second round, also in double overtime. The Chanticleers were the Sun Belt Tournament champions that season, earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UCF and Coastal Carolina haven’t faced each other since 1998 when the Knights charged on to an 8-1 victory to even the all-time series at 2-2.
Sun Belt Game Seven | Oct. 22 at South Carolina
The Gamecocks are seeking their first winning season since 2016 when they went 11-8-1 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. South Carolina and UCF met as recently as 2019, a match that saw the Knights pepper the Gamecocks with shots, finishing the match with a 24-3 advantage and a 2-0 final score. A historically great program, South Carolina has made 22 NCAA Tournaments and boasts an 8-2-4 all-time mark over the Black and Gold.
Sun Belt Game Eight | Oct. 27 at Georgia State
Georgia State has strung together eight straight winning seasons and have had two consecutive remarkable campaigns. The 2021 season saw the Panthers fall in double overtime of the MAC championship match but win a first round NCAA Tournament meeting with Charlotte. The following year, Georgia State was bounced in the Sun Belt semifinals and just missed out on the NCAA Tournament despite a 12-4-3 record. The Knights own a 7-3 all-time edge over the Panthers with the most recent meeting a 2-1 double overtime win for UCF in 2004.
Sun Belt Game Nine | Oct. 31 vs. James Madison
The regular season will come to a close with Senior Knight on Halloween as the Black and Gold reunite with James Madison, the team they beat in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the spring of 2021. Since then, the Dukes went 11-5-1 in the fall of 2021 and 8-8-4 in 2022. James Madison battled their way through the Sun Belt Tournament, bouncing No. 5 nationally ranked Marshall 1-0 in the quarterfinals and then Georgia State with a 5-0 in the semifinals. The Dukes couldn’t prevail over No. 2 Kentucky in the finals though, falling 2-0 and bringing their season to a close. The spring 2021 meeting was just the second all-time meeting between the Knights and Dukes, as each team has a win to their name in the series.
About the Sun Belt
The Sun Belt recently re-emerged as a conference, resuming play in 2022 after previously sponsoring men's soccer from 1976-1995 and 2014-20. The Knights will join Kentucky, South Carolina and West Virginia as men's soccer members only. Those four teams will join James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Georgia State. With the addition of the Black and Gold, the Sun Belt will boast some of the sport's most accomplished programs. The nine teams already in the league prior to UCF’s arrival combined for more than 100 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Sun Belt Championship tournament will host eight teams and be held from Nov. 5-12.
UCF’s Conference History
The Sun Belt will be the fourth conference the UCF men's soccer program has been a part of, playing in the Atlantic Sun from 1993-2004, Conference USA from 2005-2012 and The American from 2013 through the 2022 season.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2023 men's and women's soccer season are on sale now! Visit our ticketing central page to secure your seats now. Tickets for individual games will go on sale at a later date.
