HARRISONBURG, Va. – The UCF men’s soccer team produced double-digit shot attempts, but fell in its Sun Belt Conference opener to the No. 21 James Madison Dukes on the road Saturday evening, 2-0.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Shane Wright, partaking in the fifth match of his collegiate career, made a pair of first-half saves to help his squad keep the Dukes (4-0-3) off the scoreboard through the first 45 minutes of action.
James Madison managed to break the ice in the second half, though, scoring in the 46th and 61st minutes to take one- and two-goal advantages that the team would not surrender.
Sophomore Yanis Belatrache and junior Clarence Awoudor paced the Knights’ (2-2-3) offensive efforts on the other end, both recording three shot attempts throughout the evening. Belatrache, Awoudor and redshirt sophomore Joey Mueller accounted for UCF’s three shots on target.
Wright, meanwhile, registered four saves on his six shots on goal-against, representing his second-highest single-game total this season behind his eight-save performance against the FIU Panthers in Miami Sept. 11.
The Knights look to bounce back from their Saturday loss in their return home Friday, Sept. 27, when the Black and Gold will host the Georgia State Panthers. Kickoff for the match is slated for 7 p.m. from the UCF Soccer Complex and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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