CHAMPIONS: Men's Soccer Topples No. 12 Marshall to Earn Sun Belt Tournament TitleCHAMPIONS: Men's Soccer Topples No. 12 Marshall to Earn Sun Belt Tournament Title

CHAMPIONS: Men's Soccer Topples No. 12 Marshall to Earn Sun Belt Tournament Title

by Ryan Ladika
Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Rather than succumb to the disappointment of a third consecutive shutout defeat to the Marshall Thundering Herd in its 2025 regular-season finale Nov. 4, the UCF men’s soccer team instead used the loss as a learning opportunity.

The contest, after all, marked only the squad’s first loss since late September, and the Knights still entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament riding the momentum of a 5-1-2 stretch spanning their final eight regular-season matches.

“We learned a lot in terms of how Marshall was going to play against us,” head coach Scott Calabrese noted. “There’s not a team we had more respect for after that game than Marshall.”

Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon, the date of the 2025 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Tournament Championship match in Huntington, West Virginia after third-seeded No. 12 Marshall clinched hosting rights for the contest by virtue of consecutive wins over sixth-seeded Georgia State and second-seeded No. 17 West Virginia.

The Knights, after knocking off fourth-seeded Georgia Southern and top-seeded No. 19 Kentucky in consecutive quarter- and semifinal matches in Lexington, Kentucky, would return to the home of the one Sun Belt Conference foe they had yet to earn a non-losing result against.

The home of a Sun Belt Conference opponent that had been defeated just twice all season, and not on its home turf since Nov. 26, 2023, a span of 721 days.

“Everyone on this team knew that this game would be so difficult because of how they play,” Calabrese continued. “We had to produce our A-game today.”

The Black and Gold, after making the most of their second chance against the Wildcats just four days prior, rose to the occasion once more.

UCF played one of its most dominant all-around games of the season Sunday, staving off the midnight bell on its Cinderella run through the Sun Belt Conference tournament with a convincing 3-1 road win over the Herd to clinch the first Sun Belt Tournament championship in program history and an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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The effort secured the fifth conference tournament title in program history, as well as the Knights’ eighth overall conference championship, and their first since 2020-21. The Black and Gold previously won three consecutive ASUN Tournament titles from 2002-04 before emerging victorious in the 2020-21 AAC Tournament.

UCF now enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation, boasting an 8-1-2 record in its last 11 matches.

“We learned from that last time, and clearly, we were able to play at a different level today.”

Scott Calabresehead coach

The Knights also toppled two top 25 foes in their run to the top of the Sun Belt, besting No. 19 Kentucky and No. 12 Marshall, their second and third ranked wins of the season, giving the group its first season in program history with at least three top 25 ranked victories.

Their Sunday win over No. 12 Marshall represented their first over the Herd since the program joined the Sun Belt prior to the 2023 season, snapping a three-game losing streak to the Black and Green that saw UCF fail to find the back of the net in all three matches.

UCF’s first goal in four matches against the Herd came courtesy of a highlight-reel right-footed strike from outside the 18-yard box by senior defender Frederic Benedix, inserted into the starting XI for the first time since Oct. 26.

The Knights’ first tally in the 17th minute of action represented Benedix’s first of his Division I career and gave UCF its 12th different goal scorer of the fall campaign. He also represented the second Knight in as many seasons to score his first Division I goal in a conference tournament match after Javier López Sánchez scored in the 79th minute of UCF’s quarterfinal tilt against James Madison last season.

“How incredible this group of young men is. I could not be prouder; this group was 2-5-1 to start the season, and to end the season as Sun Belt Champions and win on the road and go through the teams we went through and then win at Marshall, what an character this group has displayed.”

Scott Calabresehead coach

Lilian Ricol, already the winner of the Sun Belt Conference’s Newcomer of the Year award, followed his teammate’s early goal with yet another prolific display of his own in UCF’s most crucial match of the year.

He doubled the Knights’ advantage with his 11th tally of the fall in the 51st minute and later netted his second score of the match in the 65th minute, securing not only his second multi-goal affair of the season but also his third-game winner of the year as well.

With the effort, Ricol, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, also clinched UCF’s first brace in a conference tournament final since at least 1998, as far back as NCAA records are available.

Ricol was joined on the All-Tournament team by Benedix, Clarence Awoudor, and Claudel N’goubou.

With seven saves during the match, senior goalkeeper Juanvi Muñoz bested his previous season high of six this fall, also against the Thundering Herd Nov. 4, and produced his highest single-game total since his seven stops against Old Dominion in Norfolk Oct. 14, 2023.

“It’s an incredible achievement and we’ve put in a lot of work. The response from the team, the level went up from our players. They are determined to keep going.”

Scott Calabresehead coach

UP NEXT
UCF, now locked into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, awaits its fate to be announced during Monday afternoon's NCAA Men's Soccer Selection Show scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.

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.