ORLANDO – On the heels of a historic first season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference that saw the team earn the first regular-season No. 1 ranking in UCF athletics history in 2023, UCF men’s soccer head coach Scott Calabrese has announced the schedule for the squad’s fall 2024 encore.
The Knights, who finished the fall 2023 season ranked No. 19 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll, this fall will square off against six schools that were ranked or received votes in last year’s final poll and seven that finished the slate within the top 50 of the NCAA’s RPI metric.
UCF will face off against five different conferences during its six-game non-conference stretch before embarking on its nine-game Sun Belt Conference schedule, adding up to a 15-game regular-season campaign that will follow a pair of preseason exhibition matches.
Nine of the Black and Gold’s 15 opponents this fall were selected for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with five advancing to the tournament’s second round, three making it as far as the third round, and one semifinalist. Four of UCF’s non-conference opponents won a regular-season conference championship, a regular-season conference divisional title, or a conference tournament championship.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
UCF will play two preseason exhibition matches, beginning with a road matchup against the Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton Aug. 10 that will be followed by a home tilt against the Stetson Hatters Aug. 15.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME ONE | AUG. 22 VS. MERCER
UCF will open its fall 2024 season at home against the Mercer Bears, a squad that in 2023 returned to the NCAA Tournament for the third time since its 2019 berth. The Bears compiled an overall 7-6-8 record last season, highlighted by a 2-0 victory over third-seeded Furman to clinch the 2023 SoCon Tournament Championship as the tournament’s No. 5 seed. The tournament title represented the team’s fifth in the last seven seasons.
Mercer saw two players named to the SoCon’s post-season All-Conference teams in Sekou Agard (First Team) and Barzee Blama (Second Team), with Blama earning Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team honors as well.
Though the Knights fell to Mercer by a 2-0 margin in the teams’ last meeting Sept. 6, 2015 in Orlando, UCF owns an all-time 8-5-2 record in the programs’ 15 total matchups.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME TWO | AUG. 25 VS. SEATTLE
Following their matchup with Mercer, the Knights will welcome the Seattle Redhawks to Orlando, another program that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament and boasted a 12-4-3 overall record.
The Redhawks finished the season ranked No. 23 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll and earned the No. 33 slot in the NCAA’s RPI rankings. Seattle, like Mercer, made its third NCAA Tournament appearance since its berth in the 2019 dance as well.
Seattle last season went 1-0-1 against a pair of ranked opponents in the regular season, playing to a 2-2 draw against the then-No. 14 Denver Pioneers Sept. 18 before topping then-No. 20 Washington, 3-2, Sept. 21. The squad would go on to fall in its WAC Tournament opener against UNLV, 2-1, and later dropped its first NCAA Tournament action to Oregon State, also by a 2-1 final score.
The meeting between the Knights and Redhawks will mark the first in either’s program history.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME THREE | AUG. 31 VS. WAKE FOREST
In the third match of UCF’s season-opening four-game homestand, the Knights will meet the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, fresh off an 11-3-5 record and their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The Deacons produced a 4-1-3 record within ACC play en route to their ACC Atlantic Division title as well, the fifth such championship for the squad in its last nine seasons.
For its efforts, Wake Forest finished the 2023 season ranked No. 15 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll, as well as earning the No. 22 slot in the NCAA’s RPI rankings. The Deacons saw their 2023 season come to an end with consecutive one-goal defeats to North Carolina in their ACC Tournament opener, 1-0, followed by a 3-2 double-overtime loss to Indiana in the NCAA Tournament.
UCF will be in search of its first win against Wake Forest in program history, as the Knights have dropped four previous matchups with the Deacons, with the last coming by a 1-0 final score to open the 2022 campaign Aug. 25.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME FOUR | SEPT. 6 VS. UC IRVINE
The final opponent of UCF’s first homestand of the season, UC Irvine will make the trip to Orlando following a 9-7-4 record in 2023, highlighted by the squad’s first Big West tournament title since 2013, and the fifth in program history. The contest will also mark the first of UCF’s two Space Games in 2024, during which the squad will don its Canaveral blue ‘SpaceU’ kits.
The Anteaters finished the 2023 campaign within the top 75 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings, slotting in at No. 74, and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after prevailing in a nine-round penalty kick shootout against UC Davis in the Big West tournament. UC Irvine would fall in its first NCAA Tournament action to LMU, 4-2.
The meeting between the Knights and Anteaters will mark the third in program history, with the two programs splitting the previous two matchups. UCF took the last meeting against UC Irvine by a 3-2 final score in Orlando Sept. 9, 2022.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME FIVE | SEPT. 11 AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Marking the first road match of the regular season for the Knights, the team will travel south to Miami to take on the FIU Panthers for the fourth consecutive season and the 49th time overall. UCF played to a 2-2 draw with the then-No. 11 Panthers in the teams’ 2023 meeting Sept. 5 in Orlando, moving the Knights’ record against FIU to 1-1-1 in the last three meetings since 2021.
The Panthers notched a 10-5-4 overall record in 2023, culminating in a second-round NCAA Tournament berth after they topped Mercer in the first round by a 1-0 final score. FIU would see its season come to an end with a 2-1 overtime defeat against Virginia in the round of 32.
The squad was ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches’ week two poll, and finished the season slotted in at No. 31 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME SIX | SEPT. 15 VS. SOUTH FLORIDA
The Knights will return home following their match at FIU to conclude their non-conference slate against a familiar foe in the South Florida Bulls. The contest against UCF’s former AAC rival will mark the first in the regular season since Nov. 2, 2022, when the Bulls edged UCF by a 2-1 final score in what would mark the Knights’ season finale.
The Bulls earned a ranked win last season over then-No. 15 Indiana, 1-0, Sept. 8, and would go on to produce an overall 6-9-1 record. The team dropped its AAC Tournament opener to the fourth-seeded Memphis Tigers, 3-2, to conclude its 2023 slate.
SUN BELT GAME ONE (SEASON GAME SEVEN) | SEPT. 21 AT JAMES MADISON
UCF embarks on its second Sun Belt Conference schedule with a Saturday evening tilt on the road against the James Madison Dukes, one of just two squads to hand the Knights a regular-season loss in 2023. The Black and Gold built up a season-long six-match win streak before suffering a 2-1 loss to James Madison in their regular-season finale Oct. 31 in just the third all-time meeting between the two schools.
Like UCF, the Dukes played to a ranked draw with West Virginia, tying the then-No. 3 Mountaineers 2-2 Oct. 8. The squad dropped its Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Kentucky, 2-1, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and won its first two contests against Pitt, 3-2, and Georgetown, 1-0, before falling in the third round to LMU by a 1-0 margin. The team completed the 2023 season with a 10-5-5 overall record, including a 4-2-3 mark within Sun Belt Conference play.
James Madison finished the season ranked No. 18 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll, while slotting in at No. 26 in the NCAA’s final RPI rankings.
SUN BELT GAME TWO (SEASON GAME EIGHT) | SEPT. 27 VS. GEORGIA STATE
The Knights will make their 2024 home conference debut against the Georgia State Panthers, a squad against which the Black and Gold earned a 3-2 victory on the road Oct. 27, 2023, pushing their all-time record against the Panthers to 8-3-0.
A pair of since-graduated seniors, AJ Seals and Zane Bubb, both scored in the match, accompanied by a tally from then-sophomore forward Emmanuel Bam that gave UCF a 2-0 lead in the 64th minute.
The Panthers last season produced a 6-7-5 record overall, including a season-ending defeat to the then-No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
SUN BELT GAME THREE (SEASON GAME NINE) | OCT. 5 AT WEST VIRGINIA
A matchup that marked the first contest between two top five-ranked teams in program history last season, the Knights will make the trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, to take on the Mountaineers in their second Sun Belt road trip of the fall slate.
The two programs played to a 2-2 draw Sept. 15, 2023, a contest that saw UCF twice erase a one-goal deficit before the teams played a scoreless stalemate in the second half. The draw ensured the Knights remained unbeaten by the Mountaineers in program history, moving to 2-0-2 in four all-time matchups.
The Mountaineers represent the team that advanced the furthest in the 2023 NCAA Tournament among UCF’s 2024 opponents, as West Virginia emerged victorious in each of its first three postseason matches against Louisville (1-0), Vermont (2-1), and Loyola Marymount (3-1) to punch its ticket to the NCAA College Cup Semifinals against ninth-seeded Clemson.
The Tigers would edge the Mountaineers by a 1-0 final score en route to winning the 2023 National Championship by a 2-1 decision over second-seeded Notre Dame.
West Virginia last season earned a ranked win over then-No. 3 Portland (1-0) before claiming a convincing 5-2 victory over the then-No. 1 Marshall Thundering Herd, and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 7 in the NCAA’s final RPI rankings.
SUN BELT GAME FOUR (SEASON GAME 10) | OCT. 11 VS. MARSHALL
The conclusion of what will likely mark the most challenging two-game stretch of the 2024 regular-season campaign for the Knights, UCF will return home from its tilt in Morgantown for its rematch with the Marshall Thundering Herd in Orlando.
UCF dropped a hard-fought match to the then-top-ranked Thundering Herd on the road last season, falling 1-0 and narrowly missing out on a 1-1 draw when a last-minute goal by Zane Bubb was disallowed. Despite the loss, UCF still holds a 7-4-1 record in the all-time series between the two schools.
Marshall enjoyed a dominant 18-3 record overall last season, highlighted by a 3-0 showing in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Herd’s ranked wins included a 3-1 victory over then-No. 9 James Madison, their 1-0 victory over then-No. 3 UCF, and their 3-2 win over then-No. 5 West Virginia to claim the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
The squad, which was ranked as high as No. 1 during the season, finished the year at No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches’ final poll and No. 2 in the NCAA’s final RPI rankings.
SUN BELT GAME FIVE (SEASON GAME 11) | OCT. 18 VS. OLD DOMINION
Representing the second of a three-match homestand, UCF will square off against the Old Dominion Monarchs following its contest against Marshall.
The Knights earned a 2-1 win over Old Dominion on the road last season, a game that marked the second of Lucca Dourado’s two two-goal matches in 2023. The effort pulled the Knights even in the all-time series against the Monarchs, moving to 2-2-0.
SUN BELT GAME SIX (SEASON GAME 12) | OCT. 23 VS. KENTUCKY
The Knights’ penultimate home foe in the 2024 regular season, the Kentucky Wildcats will make the trip to Orlando after the two teams squared off in Lexington last season. The then-No. 3 Knights snagged a 1-0 victory over Kentucky in the programs’ 2023 matchup, marking the second of four clean sheets recorded by the Black and Gold in 2023.
Kentucky, which finished the season receiving votes in the final United Soccer Coaches poll and at No. 30 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings, produced an overall 8-8-4 record last season, highlighted by a 2-0 victory over the then-top-ranked Marshall Thundering Herd Oct. 22, followed immediately by a 1-0 win over then-No. 2 West Virginia Oct. 27.
The squad advanced as far as the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals and authored a 2-0 win over Xavier in its NCAA Tournament opener before falling to Notre Dame, 2-0.
SUN BELT GAME SEVEN (SEASON GAME 13) | OCT. 27 AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Representing UCF’s second-to-last road match of the regular season, the Knights will travel to Statesboro, Georgia, to take on the Georgia Southern Eagles Oct. 27. The Knights pushed their all-time record to 8-2-0 against the Eagles with a 2-0 victory in the teams’ 2023 matchup, thanks to a pair of goals by Lucca Dourado.
Georgia Southern last season produced a 2-9-6 overall record with wins over UNC Asheville and Old Dominion.
SUN BELT GAME EIGHT (SEASON GAME 14) | NOV. 1 VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
The Knights will return to Orlando for their regular-season home finale Nov. 1, taking on the South Carolina Gamecocks. UCF went 1-1-0 against South Carolina last season, taking the teams’ regular-season matchup on the road, 3-2, before dropping its Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinal tilt with the Gamecocks, 2-1.
South Carolina produced a 6-9-3 overall record a season ago, earning a ranked win over then-No. 24 Kentucky Sept. 15 before topping then-No. 1 UCF in the conference tournament. The Gamecocks also finished the season at No. 94 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings.
The contest will also represent UCF’s senior night, during which the program will honor its 2024-25 graduating senior class.
SUN BELT GAME NINE (SEASON GAME 15) | NOV. 5 AT COASTAL CAROLINA
UCF will conclude its 2024 regular season with a road matchup at an opponent against which it enjoyed a dominant 2023 win. When the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers made the trip to Orlando Oct. 18, 2023, the Knights scored a single-game season-high five goals in the Black and Gold’s convincing 5-0 win.
Returning Knights Emmanuel Bam, Clarence Awoudor and Yanis Belatrache each found the back of the net in the winning effort, while netminder Juanvi Muñoz needed to make just a single save in the second half to record the shutout.
The Chants played to a 3-9-3 record in 2023, earning wins over William & Mary, USC Upstate, and then-No. 12 James Madison.
SUN BELT MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP | NOV. 10-17 AT TEAM SITES
The 2024 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Championship will take place from Nov. 10-17, and will be hosted by the top two seeds in the conference entering the tournament.
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