Three Knights Earn 2026 Preseason All-SBC Honors

ORLANDO – As announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon, the UCF men’s soccer team was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt’s preseason coaches’ poll and saw a trio of Knights selected to the league’s preseason All-Sun Belt team.

Matisse Hébert, ahead of his first season in Orlando, was tabbed as the Sun Belt’s preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, and Takahiro Fujita, also embarking on his first season in Black and Gold, was selected as the Sun Belt’s preseason Defender of the Year.

Hébert and Fujita were also joined on the preseason All-Sun Belt team by returning sophomore defender Jem Hewlett.

A three-time Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week winner, Hébert joins the Knights on the heels of two seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, where he appeared in 28 matches, including 23 starts, and compiled an aggregate 1.20 goals-against average and a .656 save percentage while earning 13 wins for the Badgers.

He debuted in 2024 with a dominant year during which he produced six clean sheets and a 1.04 goals-against average while making 24 total saves in seven victorious efforts. The Canadian netminder limited his opposition to one or fewer scores in 11 of his 14 matches and made a season high five saves against Rutgers Oct. 4.

The 2025 season brought an increased workload for Hébert, who saw his save total climb to 37 and his save percentage jump from .632 in 2024 to .673 in 14 matches. He made at least five saves in a game on four different occasions, highlighted by a dazzling eight-save performance in Wisconsin’s 1-0 shutout road win over Ohio State in Columbus.

Fujita, meanwhile, remains in the Sun Belt Conference with the Knights after spending his first three NCAA Division I seasons with the Marshall Thundering Herd.

A two-time Sun Belt Championship-winning defender with Marshall, Fujita appeared in 55 total matches throughout his tenure in Huntington, scoring four goals and adding five assists.

He appeared in 21 matches in both of his first two seasons, and most recently played 13 games for the Herd in 2025, scoring a single-season career best three goals en route to his selection to the All-Sun Belt First Team.

On the defensive end, after making his season debut against Coastal Carolina Sept. 19, he aided Marshall’s efforts in limiting its opposition to two or fewer goals in 12 of his 13 appearances, one or fewer goals on nine occasions, and five clean sheets.

Hewlett enters his second season donning the Black and Gold after representing a key component in the Knights’ 2025 second-half turnaround and run to the Sun Belt Tournament title.

The Bristol, England, native appeared in 20 of UCF’s 21 matches, scoring a pair of goals and adding his first career assist while totaling 12 shot attempts and four on goal.

After UCF began the 2025 season with a 2-5-1 record through eight matches, the Knights went 9-2-2 through their final 13 contests, with their defensive efforts leading the charge. The Black and Gold, aided in large part by Hewlett, yielded two or fewer goals in each of their final 13 games, including three clean sheets in that span.

Offensively, both of his first two career goals represented his team’s entire offense in the Knights’ 2-0 win over Jacksonville Sept. 11. His first career assist came in UCF’s season-opener at North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

SUN BELT PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL (Parenthesis indicate first-place votes)

1. West Virginia (4) – 94
2. Marshall (3) – 87
3. UCF (1) – 81
4. Kentucky (2) – 76
5. Georgia Southern – 55
6. South Carolina – 41
7. Old Dominion – 38
8. James Madison – 29
9. Coastal Carolina – 25
10. Georgia State – 24

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.