ORLANDO – As the program readies for its third go-around as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, the UCF men’s soccer team has announced the first four members of its 2025 signing class joining the program this fall, Marcelo Lacayo, Abraham Monsee, Kenn Muendo and Malick Thiaw.
Marcelo Lacayo – Freshman Goalkeeper – San Jose, Costa Rica – Lincoln School Costa Rica
Lacayo joins Juanvi Muñoz and Timo Haböck as one of three goalkeepers rostered by the Knights this season, making the move to Orlando from his native Costa Rica.
He brings five years of experience with San Jose’s Deportivo Saprissa, seeing time on the club’s U13, U15, U17, U19 and U21 teams while occasionally earning callups to train with Saprissa’s first team. Lacayo was also a member of the club’s Champion U20 youth squad in 2022 and U13 team in 2019.
“I chose UCF because of the school’s elite athletic and academic competition and resources available to develop not only as a player, but also as an individual,” he said. “This will orient me toward the best path for my future goals and ambitions.”
Lacayo was called up to represent Costa Rica as a member of the nation’s U17 National Team from 2019-23, and also played in an international tournament in Guatemala with the U20 Costa Rica National Team in 2022. The goalkeeper was part of the UNCAF tournament in Honduras with the U20 Costa Rica team in 2024 as well, and was called up for the U20 World Cup Qualifiers with Costa Rica, also in 2024.
He intends to study business analytics at UCF, and was previously a National Honor Society member from 2023-25 after joining the National Junior Honor Society from 2018-21.
Abraham Monsee – Freshman Midfielder – Paynesville, Monrovia, Liberia – Westminster School (Conn.)
Monsee comes to UCF on the heels of three years of varsity experience at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut.
The native of Liberia totaled 18 goals spanning his three seasons, including an 11-goal senior campaign that gave Monsee a new single-season career high. He also totaled six assists throughout his high school tenure, accumulating 42 points in his 53 career matches.
With Westminster School, Monsee and his teammates advanced as far as the 2023 NEPSAC Playoff Quarterfinals.
“I want to attend UCF because it’s one of the best universities in the country that offers my two desired majors, civil engineering and business,” he said. “UCF also has a diverse student body, which is important to me and will help me adapt and persevere more effectively than any other school. It felt like the perfect place for me to grow as a student-athlete.”
Kenn Muendo – Junior Midfielder – Kitale, Kenya – Lindsey Wilson University, St. Anthony’s High School
Muendo joins the Black and Gold after, most recently, spending the last two seasons as a member of the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders in Columbia, Kentucky.
With the Blue Raiders, Muendo scored four goals and added five assists, good for 13 points between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. He netted each of his first four goals last fall and also set single-season career bests in matches played (20), starts (20), assists (4), points (12), shot attempts (31), shots on goal (8), and penalty kick goals (1).
Prior to his collegiate career, Muendo also earned a pair of National Copa Coca-Cola U15 Tournament MVP honors, two NAIA Mid South Conference First Team selections in 2014 and 2018, and was also a member of Kenya’s U17 National Team in 2020.
Malick Thiaw – Senior Forward – Marseille, France – Virginia Tech, Cours Sainte Marie de Hann High School
Thiaw’s (pronounced "Mal-eek Chow") first season in Orlando will mark his second at the Division I level, having spent the 2024 fall slate with Virginia Tech. He scored his first three career goals with the Hokies last season, also adding one assist on 25 total shot attempts and 11 shots on goal.
He appeared in 14 of Virginia Tech’s 17 matches a year ago and found the back of the net in his second career match, scoring in the 48th minute of the Hokies’ 2-0 win over UNC Asheville Aug. 27. His second career goal came in his team’s 2-0 win over Syracuse Sept. 13, and he also scored one of Virginia Tech’s six goals in a 6-0 rout of Winthrop Oct. 15.
Thiaw’s first career assist came on a Hokies game-winner against Presbyterian Blue Hose Sept. 5, aiding Olafur Floki Stephensen’s 81st-minute tally in Virginia Tech’s 2-1 victory.
A native of France, Thiaw also totaled 17 goals in 26 matches in international play prior to beginning his NCAA Division I career with the Hokies.
About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida’s preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as “Orlando’s Hometown Team”. To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.