ORLANDO – Representing the squad’s penultimate road contest of the regular season, the UCF men’s soccer team is set for a Sunday afternoon road matchup against the Georgia State Panthers in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Black and Gold most recently edged the visiting James Madison Dukes by a 3-2 final score at the UCF Soccer Complex, a victory powered by junior forward Lilian Ricol’s first career hat trick.
Ricol’s effort also marked the Paris, France, native’s first career multi-goal match and extended his team-leading goals scored total to eight through his first 13 matches this fall.
The hat trick itself represented the 42nd in program history and ensured the team will have at least one hat trick in back-to-back seasons after since-graduated forward Lucca Dourado registered his first career hat trick at home against South Carolina Nov. 1.
UCF has also now seen a player notch a hat trick in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Cal Jennings netted three such showings in 2018 and added his fourth career hat trick in 2019.
Ricol’s prolific evening highlighted a strong overall Knights attack that produced 21 total shot attempts, including nine on goal. The contest represented UCF’s second of the season with at least 20 total tries, joining the squad’s dominant 5-1 triumph over Bradley Oct. 14.
The winning effort represented the latest in a trend of strong Octobers under head coach Scott Calabrese as well, pushing the Black and Gold’s all-time October record to 31-11-4 in the Calabrese era.
Entering the match at Georgia State Sunday, Ricol now ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference with his eight scores, and also slots among league leaders in points per game (1.38, T-3rd), total points (18, T-3rd), game-winning goals (2, T-3rd), and shots per game (2.46, 5th).
His teammate, Clarence Awoudor, tacked on his 12th assist of the season on Ricol’s third goal of the match in the 49th minute and remains the national assist leader entering Sunday’s action. The Saint-Lo, France, native also ranks among Sun Belt Conference leaders in shots per game (2.85, 2nd), points per game (1.38, T-3rd), and total points (18, T-3rd).
With UCF’s latest win, the program also vaulted back into the Sun Belt’s top four with three matches remaining, as its 10 points in the league table trail only West Virginia (15), Marshall (15) and Kentucky (15).
Georgia State, meanwhile, enter Sunday’s match two spots behind the Knights in the league standings with eight points on the strength of a 2-2-2 conference record that factors into an overall 4-5-5 mark through 14 matches.
The Panthers’ 2025 campaign is highlighted by a 2-1 home victory over then-No. 3 West Virginia. The contest remains the Mountaineers’ lone Sun Belt Conference defeat of the season and just the team’s second loss this year overall.
Georgia State also claimed its second-highest ranked win in program history, and its highest since the team bested then-No. 2 Wake Forest in 2017.
The Panthers this season are led offensively by sophomore forward Samir Djeha, who has recorded a team-best 16 points on the strength of six goals and four assists. Goalkeeper Loan Marin on the other end has produced a strong 1.64 goals-against average in his 14 starts with a .705 save percentage.
Kickoff for the match is set for 4 p.m. from GSU Soccer Complex and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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.