Men's Soccer to Host Boston U. in 2026 Season Opener

ORLANDO – With the team’s 2026 preseason exhibition schedule now complete, the UCF men’s soccer team is set to embark on the opener of its new campaign, when the Knights will play host for the visiting Boston U. Terriers Aug. 20 at the UCF Soccer Complex.

The Black and Gold will take the pitch Thursday evening representing the reigning Sun Belt Tournament champions, having most recently authored the fourth double-digit win season in the Scott Calabrese era and the second such campaign in the program’s last three years.

UCF a season ago went 11-7-3 in 21 matches overall, finishing at No. 32 overall in the NCAA’s final RPI rankings and earning a single-season program record three ranked wins, including two in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The Knights did it on the strength of a remarkable second-half turnaround, going 9-2-2 in their final 13 contests, highlighted by their 3-0 showing in the conference tournament, after beginning the season 2-5-1 through the fall’s first eight games.

The Black and Gold clinched their automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament with postseason wins over fourth-seeded Georgia Southern (3-2, 2OT, Nov. 9), top-seeded No. 19 Kentucky (1-0, Nov. 12) and third-seeded No. 12 Marshall (3-1, Nov. 16). The team’s second-round road win over the Wildcats in Lexington also marked the first victory over a top seed in a conference tournament in program history.

For their toils, the Knights were awarded hosting honors for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a match that saw the Black and Gold topple in-state foe Florida Atlantic in a back-and-forth 3-2 affair in front of a record crowd of 1,358.

As a new-look squad takes the pitch this fall, the Knights will lean on their defensive efforts while looking for new and returning faces alike to take the next step in providing production on the offensive end.

UCF, picked to finish third in the Sun Belt’s preseason coaches’ poll, saw a trio of Knights selected to the league’s preseason All-Conference team, including a pair of major award honors.

Wisconsin netminder transfer Matisse Hébert was tabbed as the Sun Belt’s Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and former Marshall standout defender Takahiro Fujita was voted the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. The pair were joined on the preseason All-Conference team by returning sophomore defender Jem Hewlett.

A three-time Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week winner, Hébert 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.

Fujita won a pair of Sun Belt titles in three years with the Thundering Herd, having appeared in 55 total matches. In 2025, 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.

Offensively, the group will look to reload after the notable departures of Lilian Ricol and Clarence Awoudor. The former paced the squad a season ago with 13 goals, a mark that ranked second most in the Sun Belt and 12th in the nation, while the latter’s 15 assists matched Portland’s Diego Rosas for the most in NCAA Division I soccer and aided in a United Soccer Coaches All-America selection.

The group will look to returners Drew Hansen and Joey Mueller to lead that charge, after Hansen netted game-winners in back-to-back matches against Georgia Southern and Kentucky in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and Mueller set new single-season career bests in goals (2) and assists (3) prior to being drafted by New York City FC in the MLS SuperDraft 2026.

UCF’s first opportunity of the new year will come against a Terriers squad that the program has only faced once before, on Sept. 17, 2007. Boston U. went 10-8 overall in 2025, including 5-4 in Patriot League play, and advanced as far as the second round of the conference tournament.

The Terriers, picked to finish second in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll, saw two members named to the Patriot League preseason All-Conference team in senior forward Andrea Di Blasio and junior midfielder Pharis Petrica. The pair ranked second and third, respectively, in total goal-scoring on the team last fall, with five and three goals, and Petrica added a team-best seven assists in his 17 appearances.

The season’s opening kick is set for 7 p.m. from the UCF 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.