ORLANDO – With the graduation of some key members of the UCF men’s soccer team’s offensive corps following the 2024 season, the program will be looking for another step forward from its returning class coupled with added contributions from its sizeable group of newcomers to lead the squad this fall.
Former Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year selection Clarence Awoudor and redshirt sophomore forward Drew Hansen lead the Knights’ offensive returning class that also includes senior forward/midfielder Sora Funakoshi, senior midfielder Fabio Guerreiro and Joey Mueller.
Awoudor served as the Knights’ leader in points throughout the 2024 slate, producing 13 on the strength of three goals and seven assists.
His three-goal season marked his third such campaign to begin his collegiate career, and his seven assists not only represented a single-season career best, but also trailed only James Madison’s Evan Southern’s eight for the conference lead.
Awoudor also set a new single-season career best with 34 total shot attempts and notched his second straight year with at least 12 shots on goal.
Hansen, after taking a redshirt throughout his freshman 2023 campaign, scored the first three goals of his collegiate career a season ago while recording 18 total shot attempts and seven on goal in his 16 matches.
He netted his first career goal against then-No. 23 Seattle, a key tally in the Knights’ eventual 1-1 draw, and later secured his first career brace against Kentucky Oct. 23, scoring both of his team’s goals in the Black and Gold’s 2-1 victory.
Funakoshi scored his first Division I goal just three games into his first season with the Knights last year, a 54th-minute score in an eventual 1-1 draw with Wake Forest in Orlando Aug. 31.
Mueller, who also figures to see time as a defender for the Knights this fall, also scored his first career goal a season ago, coming in the 17th minute of the Black and Gold’s road win over Coastal Carolina Nov. 5, a key victory that aided UCF in securing its third-place regular-season Sun Belt finish.
He also added his first two career assists against UC Irvine Sept. 6 and Georgia State Sept. 29, while recording 10 shot attempts and seven on goal as well.
NEWCOMERS
A trio of new Knights have previously garnered Division II All-America honors for their efforts at their previous institutions in Coker transfer Frederic Benedix and Limestone transfers Hugo Vien and Claudel N’goubou.
N'goubou, an All-America pick in both of the last two seasons (second team 2024, third team 2023), totaled 18 goals scored in his two seasons with Limestone, including a strong 12-goal debut campaign in 2023 that also saw him net six game-winners. He also accrued 12 assists over the last two seasons, setting a new single-season career best with seven in 2024.
Benedix, a second team pick in 2024, scored four goals and produced a Coker program single-season record 16 assists, good for the most in Division II soccer a season ago as well. His 23 assists spanning his three seasons at Coker rank second on the program's all-time list as well.
Vien, who made the cut as a third team selection in 2024 with Limestone, netted six goals and added a pair of assists in his 18 appearances last season, also notching his first career game-winner in the SAC Tournament opener against Wingate Nov. 9, a 42nd-minute tally in Limestone's eventual 5-0 victory.
Younes Boudinar, one of seven rostered Knights from France, brings an extensive international resume to Orlando, having totaled close to 4,500 minutes spanning 58 total matches for his previous clubs.
Senior forward Malick Thiaw joins the Knights after spending the 2024 campaign with Virginia Tech, scoring his first three career goals while 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.
Petter Wingsternaes, a native of Sandefjord, Norway, was previously a part of the first team squad for Sandefjord Football in Norway’s top division, playing regularly for Sandefjord II, totaling 32 matches in two seasons with a pair of goals scored.
Abraham Monsee, a freshman from Monrovia, Liberia, played on the varsity team at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, for three seasons, totaling 18 goals scored.
He netted 11 goals during his senior campaign, a new single-season career high; also accrued six assists throughout his high school tenure, accumulating 42 points in his 53 career matches.
Seiryu Ono, a freshman out of Beppu Oita, Japan, played with the 2024 Division 1 U18 Football Prince League Kyushu, where his 15 goals were good for tie for most in the league last season.
Junior forward Lilian Ricol, a native of Paris, France, joins UCF after spending his most recent two seasons with Chambly-Oise, a professional French club, where he appeared in 34 contests with four goals scored.
His time spent with Chambly represented the latest stop in his extensive international playing career, as Ricol has totaled 78 matches with 17 goals scored and six assists in over 4,500 minutes of action.
Finn Calloway, a freshman midfielder from Birmingham, Alabama, has already attained a degree of professional experience after signing a USL Academy deal with the Birmingham Legion in January of 2024.
He later made his professional debut with Birmingham, featuring a pair of appearances in the U.S. Open Cup in April 2024 and March 2025, after previously winning the state championship with Mountain Brook High School in 2022 and earning First Team All-Metro honors.
Junior midfielder Kenn Muendo, a native of Kitale, Kenya, spent the last two seasons with Lindsey Wilson University, where he totaled four goals and five assists in that span.
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.
Sophomore forward/midfielder Izán Martínez makes the move to Orlando from his native Peñíscola, Spain, after previously playing as a member of Benicarló’s youth league championship squad in 2022.
SINGLE GAME & SEASON TICKETS
Single game and season tickets for men's soccer are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
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.