ORLANDO – All season long, they had been close.
“We’ve been knocking on the door,” said redshirt junior Joey Mueller.
On a cool autumn evening at the UCF Soccer Complex Friday, the Knights broke it down.
Led by a trio of first-half goals, the UCF men’s soccer team silenced the No. 11 Georgia Southern Eagles, 3-0, to clinch the program’s first ranked win since its 2023 season-opener and its fourth victory of the 2025 campaign.
“It was a great start, what we wanted. We had great intensity, concentration, and some of the play out there, in terms of our ability to possess the ball and control the game was very good from the group. Excellent performance overall, especially the first half when we created some good chances.”
Scott CalabreseHead coachThe Black and Gold throughout the 2025 season’s first half had proven their ability to play at the level of the best the sport has to offer.
One goal separated UCF from then-No. 6 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem Aug. 21.
The squad again saw a one-score affair go the wrong way against then-No. 23 UNC Greensboro Aug. 31.
If not for a sensational eight-save performance by the then-No. 22 South Florida goalkeeper Sept. 4, a 1-1 draw could instead have resulted in a lopsided victory in a match that saw UCF outshoot the Bulls 19-8.
Two more one-score matches against then-No. 22 Kentucky and then-No. 10 West Virginia again went against the Knights Sept. 19 and Sept. 28.
In matching up against their seventh opponent out of their first 10 to earn a spot in at least one United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll this season, though, the 2025 Knights finally broke through.
“Now we’ve got a little bit of confidence, we had some confidence coming off the win at South Carolina, where we also played well. Tonight was an important conference result against a team that has a really strong RPI, which is helpful. We just have to keep going.”
Scott Calabresehead coach
Claudel N'goubou, Lilian Ricol | Photo by: Tanner PavloskyThe winning effort not only represented the team’s first ranked win since it toppled then-No. 9 Clemson on the road Aug. 24, 2023, but also its first clean sheet against a ranked foe since UCF blanked then-No. 9 SMU, 2-0, March 13, 2021.
The Eagles mustered just five total shot attempts in the contest, the fewest allowed by a Knights team against a ranked opponent since UCF surrendered just five total shot attempts in a 2-1 loss at then-No. 4 Wake Forest Aug. 30, 2019. The Black and Gold also yielded two or fewer shots on goal to a ranked opponent for the second time this season, joining its 1-1 draw at then-No. 22 South Florida Sept. 4.
“It’s a mentality, I was saying it the whole game,” Mueller continued. “Clean sheets are a mentality. We focus on that. If they beat one white jersey, they’d see another white jersey right there.”
Offensively, goals by Mueller, Lilian Ricol and Claudel N’goubou ensured the Knights their first match with at least three goals scored against a ranked opponent since the program bested then-No. 6 Tulsa, 3-2, Oct. 10, 2021.
They did it against a stingy Georgia Southern defensive scheme that entered the evening with five clean sheets while surrendering just six total goals through its first 11 matches. The Eagles boasted the Sun Belt Conference’s top mark in goals-against average entering play Friday, yielding just 0.60 goals per game.
Ricol’s tally came early, in just the sixth minute of action, when he received a feed from Clarence Awoudor just inside the box and set an accurate strike past Eagles goalkeeper Nate Martinez.
Awoudor tallied his second assist of the match in helping N’goubou’s 15th-minute score, placing a long strong on target that was mishandled by Martinez. The 6-foot-5-inch senior was positioned perfectly to clean up the rebound, doubling his team’s lead with a header right past Martinez.
Awoudor, who entered the evening the Sun Belt’s leader in total assists and assists per game, exited with his second consecutive multi-assist match, fourth such showing of the season, and seventh game of his first 10 with at least one point. His nine total assists also represent a new single-season career high for the Saint-Lo, France native.
“He’s been unreal. He’s developed a voice within the team and he’s a real leader on the ball and in the locker room. Every time he touches the ball, I just feel comfortable.”
Joey MuellerOn Clarence AwoudorMueller later added UCF’s third score, his first of the season, and second of his career in the match’s 20th minute, cashing in on a Malick Thiaw pass from the lower right corner of the goalmouth.
The Knights’ defensive efforts, meanwhile, stymied the Eagles throughout, clinching the team’s second consecutive clean sheet and fourth of the season. The victory secured the program back-to-back shutouts for the first time since Sept. 29–Oct. 7, 2023, when the Black and Gold stifled Kentucky on the road, 1-0, and Georgia Southern at home, 2-0, in consecutive contests.
Senior goalkeeper Juanvi Muñoz also locked down his 11th career shutout with a pair of saves, including a highlight-reel diving stop with just under four minutes to play. The Valencia, Spain, native now sits just one clean sheet shy of matching Didier Mendard’s 12 (1989-93) for eighth on the program’s all-time list, and with four shutouts this season set a new single-season career best as well.
“When we demand a certain level of intensity from ourselves in training, it becomes a habit,” Calabrese added. “When you come out on gameday, then you don’t have to search for it. The way we trained this week, it set us up to be good tonight. Now we have to do it again.”
UP NEXT
The Knights look to carry their momentum into their final non-conference matchup Tuesday, Oct. 14 against Bradley, a contest before which the program will honor its 10-member senior class during its Senior Night celebration. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from the UCF Soccer Complex and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
TICKETS
UCF men’s soccer season and single-game tickets are on sale now. Please visit ucfknights.com/tickets for more information or call 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.