Men's Soccer Blanks Top-Seeded No. 19 Kentucky, 1-0, Advances to Sun Belt ChampionshipMen's Soccer Blanks Top-Seeded No. 19 Kentucky, 1-0, Advances to Sun Belt Championship

Men's Soccer Blanks Top-Seeded No. 19 Kentucky, 1-0, Advances to Sun Belt Championship

by Ryan Ladika
Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fifty-four days ago, the UCF men’s soccer team exited the pitch at the Bell Soccer Complex knowing it could have done more.

“What we felt was that we could have done better,” remarked head coach Scott Calabrese.

The Knights’ ninth-year leader was referring to his team’s 2025 Sun Belt Conference opener, a hard-fought, high-scoring contest that resulted in a narrow 3-2 victory for the host then-No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington Sept. 19.

“Sometimes you play a game, and you’re thinking, ‘Man, I just want that game back,’” he added.

On Wednesday evening, the Knights received the second chance they’d been hoping for. They did not squander it.

In matching up once more against the now-2025 Sun Belt regular-season conference champion 19th-ranked Wildcats, UCF played one of its most sound matches of the fall campaign, stifling Kentucky to the tune of a 1-0 victory on the road and punching its ticket to the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Championship match.

“I’m so blown away by the performance today from our team. I’m so excited for us; it was such an incredible effort against the champions. Kentucky is an absolute top team and program, and for us to be able to come here and get the result is incredible.”

Scott Calabresehead coach

In authoring their seventh winning result in their last 10 outings, the Black and Gold not only improved to 7-1-2 in that span, but also clinched their first conference tournament championship match appearance since 2021.

The Knights’ Wednesday shutout gave the squad its fifth of the fall campaign, marking the most in a single season by a Knights squad since the spring 2021 season, pushed from the fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw UCF post six clean sheets.

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The dominant defensive effort also represented the team’s first postseason shutout since its 2021 AAC Tournament opener, a 6-0 rout of Memphis in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Nov. 10.

“We have a DNA within our team consisting of our values,” Calabrese added. “Those values include togetherness and leadership, and I’ll tell you what, these guys displayed it in an incredible way today, and that’s what it was going to take to beat such a good team.”

UCF’s semifinal triumph represented the latest in a recent trend of success against the Wildcats as well, as its latest result marked its fifth win in the teams’ last six meetings, including the third by shutout in that span.

It took only a single goal to do it, courtesy once again of redshirt sophomore forward Drew Hansen.

Just days removed from netting his team’s Sunday quarterfinal double-overtime winner in the 104th minute, Hansen came through for his squad once more in the 50th minute Wednesday night.

He corralled a perfectly-placed floating pass from teammate Joey Mueller just inside the 18-yard box before placing a quick right-footed strike past an attempted kick save by 2025 Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year Sebastian Conlon.

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In doing so, he became the first Knight to record back-to-back postseason game-winning goals since Lucca Dourado did so in the spring 2021 AAC Tournament final against Tulsa April 17, followed by the Knights’ next postseason action against then-No. 17 James Madison in the NCAA Tournament’s first round just days later May 2.

The owner of six career goals, Hansen has now also scored exactly half of his total against the Wildcats over the last two seasons after netting his first career brace in UCF’s 2-1 win over Kentucky Oct. 23, 2024.

“In this game, pretty much from the start, we were able to establish how we wanted to play,” Hansen said. “That’s the type of soccer we want to play, to be aggressive offensively and create chances. I felt like we established that early, and we were relentless not only offensively, but defensively as well.”

In needing just one save on the evening, senior goalkeeper Juanvi Muñoz clinched his 12th career shutout as well, moving into a tie for eighth place on the program’s all-time list with Didier Mendard (1989-93).

UP NEXT
The Knights look to clinch their first Sun Belt Tournament championship against the host third-seeded No. 12 Marshall Thundering Herd Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Hoops Family Field in Huntington, West Virginia, 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.