ORLANDO – The UCF men’s soccer team is gearing up to face the No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday riding the momentum of its 2-1 win against the Georgia State Panthers. This will be the second time UCF is facing a ranked opponent in a Sun Belt Conference match, following their September 21 match against then-No. 21 James Madison.
Fifth year senior defender Alex Smith scored his first goal with the Black and Gold in Sunday’s game against Georgia State. This season, he is the fifth Knight to score their first goal with UCF. Smith’s tally came from an assist by Anderson Rosa, after Rosa produced a well-placed corner kick, allowing Smith to score on a header.
"I couldn’t celebrate [the goal] too much because there’s a lot of football to play left," Smith said of his goal. "But I was glad to score against Georgia State and I was glad to score my first goal with UCF."
Rosa later found his way to the back of the net with only six minutes to play, scoring the game-winning goal against the Panthers, marking the second game-winner of his collegiate career.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Shane Wright produced another strong appearance in goal as well, yielding one or fewer goals for the fourth time in his six appearances. The Orlando native has now totaled 20 saves thus far, accompanied by his career shutout against South Florida Sept. 15.
Once again, the Knights have defended their kingdom as well, not giving up a loss on their home field this season. Since becoming head coach in 2017, Scott Calabrese has had a record of 41-15-11 at home, with UCF only giving up a single loss in the 2021-2022 season at home.
The Knights and the Mountaineers are well acquainted, with UCF owning an 2-0-2 record against West Virginia. During their last meeting in 2023, the then-No. 5 Knights and the then-No. 4 Mountaineers drew 2-2 in Orlando. This high-pressure match represented the first top five matchup for UCF in program history.
Since joining the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2023 season, the Knights have gone unbeaten in four of their six total matches against ranked opponents, highlighted by the team’s 2-1 season-opening road victory over the then-No. 9 Clemson Tigers Aug. 24, 2023.
The 6-0-3 Mountaineers are, most recently, coming off a 1-0 win over Bucknell Tuesday evening, with West Virginia recording 17 total shot attempts, including eight on target.
Entering Saturday’s action, West Virginia ranks among Sun Belt leaders in shot attempts per game (1st SBC, 4th NCAA, 17.11), shots on goal per game (1st SBC, 5th NCAA, 7.33), corner kicks per game (1st SBC, 3rd NCAA, 7.67), and points per game (3rd SBC, 43rd NCAA, 5.56)
West Virginia is led by senior Max Broughton, named a defender to watch by the United Soccer Coaches in the 2023 preseason. Junior Marcus Caldeira was placed on the United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region First Team in 2023. Caldeira was drafted 20th overall by the Minnesota United FC. Similar to his teammate, senior Frederik Jorgensen was also on the United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American in 2023. Jorgensen was also on the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
Through their nine matches, senior Sergio Ors Navarro has scored a total of nine goals this season for the Mountaineers, starting their season strong with three goals against Purdue Fort Wayne, marking his first career hat trick. Ors Navarro is currently tied with teammate Simon Carlson for most shot attempts for West Virginia this season, resting at 31 attempts. Junior Marcus Caldeira follows closely behind with 24 attempts. Ors Navarro is also leading his team in shots on goal with 16.
Senior goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire, this season receiving his first opportunity as the Mountaineers’ regular between the goalposts, boasts a season high 14 saves and five shutouts through nine matches.
Kickoff for the match is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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