ORLANDO – On the strength of back-to-back shutout victories, the No. 2 UCF men’s soccer team is set to return to the road this weekend for a Saturday night clash with the Old Dominion Monarchs in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Knights (6-1-2, 2-1-1 SBC) retained their top two ranking for the second consecutive week following the squad’s 2-0 victory over Georgia Southern Oct. 7, garnering their first first-place vote of the season in the United Soccer Coaches’ week seven poll released Tuesday evening as well.
With the latest rankings release, UCF can now stake its claim to receiving a top three national ranking for the last four consecutive weeks dating back to Sept. 19, a top 10 national ranking for the last six straight weeks, and a top 15 slot for the last seven weeks after beginning the fall 2023 campaign unranked in the organization’s preseason poll.
The Knights recorded their second straight clean sheet Saturday evening in dominant fashion, yielding only four total Eagles shot attempts and none on goal while recording 17 total tries of their own in the 2-0 win. Senior forward Lucca Dourado scored both UCF goals on the other end en route to recording his first multi-goal match of the season and the seventh of his four-year collegiate career.
The individual multi-goal effort marked the first of the season by a Knight in a contest that also saw UCF’s scoreless goals-against streak run up to 245 minutes and 38 seconds dating back to the Knights’ 1-0 loss at No. 1 Marshall Sept. 23.
UCF also allowed four or fewer shot attempts with none on target for the first time since the Knights’ 2-0 victory over Virginia Commonwealth Sept. 13, 2019, when the Black and Gold yielded only two total shot attempts to the Rams throughout the match.
The team’s stingy defensive effort ensured the group continued to hold steady near the top of the conference in a handful of defensive statistical categories, headlined by starting netminder Juanvi Muñoz’s .771 save percentage, a mark that ranks third-best in the Sun Belt and 42nd in the nation. With his most recent shutout, the goalkeeper set a new season-best with three clean sheets to boost his career total to five.
UCF also enters its weekend tilt within the top 50 in the country in team goals-against average (.889, 31st) and goal differential (+8, T-42nd), having yielded one or fewer scores in seven of its first nine matches this fall.
Offensively, the Knights’ 1.78 goals per game slot the squad within the nation’s top 50 and the Sun Belt’s top four as well, at 46th and fourth, respectively. Dourado represents the team’s leading scorer through nine matches, with six goals and 12 total points. He is joined by seven other unique goal-scorers, led by freshman midfielder Saku Heiskanen (3-2—8) and sophomore forward Emmanuel Bam (2-2—6).
In the Monarchs (5-1-5, 2-1-1 SBC), UCF will face a team that most recently suffered its first defeat of the season, a narrow 1-0 loss on the road at South Carolina Oct. 7. The contest will feature two of the top three teams in the Sun Belt, as both have posted a 2-1-1 mark, good for seven points, in conference play.
Old Dominion joins the Knights as one of the better defensive squads in the conference, having yielded one or fewer goals in eight of their first 11 contests and in each of their last five matches, as well. The Monarchs’ .815 save percentage slots one spot ahead of the Knights’ .771 for second-highest in the Sun Belt, and their 4.00 saves per game are good for third-most in the conference.
Starting netminder Michael Statham has played each of Old Dominion’s 990 minutes between the goalposts, authoring four shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.91. The sophomore has made a total of 43 saves while allowing only 10 goals, good for an .811 save percentage, having faced a total of 123 shot attempts through 11 matches.
Offensively, the team boasts a pair of eight-point players entering Saturday’s matchup, freshman forward William Arnesen and junior midfielder Karan Mandair. The duo has combined for seven of the Monarchs’ 16 goals and 25 of the team’s 126 shot attempts.
Kickoff for the match is set for 7 p.m. from the ODU Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Virginia.
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