More than a Number

At first sight, it’s a mere reflection of a number.

To Knights senior goalkeeper Juanvi Muñoz, though, a seemingly small change holds all the meaning in the world.

The number 13 represents Muñoz’s connection with his late mother, Silvia Aucejo Gisbert, who on four different occasions demonstrated her incredible resolve in winning fights against breast cancer before she passed away when Muñoz was 11 years old.

His mother’s ceaseless perseverance served as significant inspiration for her son as well, as he pursued his own playing career within the world of soccer.

“She never stopped fighting,” Muñoz recalled. “She always had a smile on her face and never wanted to show any weakness or sadness while she was always working for us. Her mentality for me was really impressive, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”

 When Muñoz arrived in Orlando from his home city of Valencia, Spain, prior to his first collegiate season with UCF in 2022, he settled on the number 31, a more traditional choice for a goalkeeper in the United States while simultaneously holding steadfast to his desire to continue honoring his mother.

The number had served him well, as through his first three seasons as a Knight he has cemented himself as one of the top goalkeepers in program history.

An immediate fixture between the goalposts in head coach Scott Calabrese’s starting lineup, Muñoz made five saves and yielded just one score in his collegiate debut on the road against then-No. 15 Wake Forest Aug. 25, 2022.

A brilliant seven-save performance followed in the second match of his freshman season, as the goalkeeper led his team to a 2-1 win over North Florida in the team’s home-opener Aug. 29.

He represented a key cog in the machine that propelled the Knights to the first national No. 1 ranking in a regular-season poll in UCF athletics history in 2023, yielding two or fewer goals in each of the Black and Gold’s first 14 contests, including four clean sheets.

Muñoz entered the 2025 fall season ranking seventh on the team’s all-time goals-against average list overall with a career mark of 1.24 through his first 37 career matches, and despite suffering an early-season injury in 2024, he set a single-season career best with a 1.11 goals-against average in his nine contests.

When the offer from associate head coach Paul Souders came this year for Muñoz to change his number back to 13 for his senior campaign, the goalkeeper was surprised, though also quite grateful to the coach he also considers a friend.

It was Souders, along with Calabrese and former UCF assistant coach and current North Florida head coach Jamie Davies, who helped Muñoz with the transition from his native Spain to the United States.

A long process was well worth it for Muñoz, who felt free to be himself on and off the field bolstered by encouragement from his coaching staff in his new environment.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Muñoz continued. “I’ve always been number 31 here, so I thought I would finish as number 31. The fact that Paul remembered that it was my mother’s favorite number was really special for me. I got emotional, because Paul is my coach, but he’s more than a coach, he’s a friend too. It was really special.”

Muñoz describes his tenure in Orlando as an honor that he was able to remain a Knight throughout his four-year collegiate career and holds in high regard the trust that his coaching staff has placed upon him to help lead the team.

It began with Davies, who formed a unique connection with Muñoz throughout the recruiting process that the goalkeeper didn’t feel with other potential landing spots in the United States.

“He was really close to me, talking to me every day and staying connected. He told me everything I could do here, and the staff showed me a lot of care in that part of my life when I really needed it.”

Over the last four years since joining UCF, Muñoz learned the importance of responsibility and discipline not only with his game on the pitch, but also in the classroom with his studies.

As he closes the book on this chapter of his life in Orlando, Muñoz looks forward to his next opportunity, whatever it may look like, in the world of professional soccer, but will always hold dear his four seasons donning the Black and Gold.