Men's Soccer to Face FAU in Boca Raton Sunday Evening

ORLANDO – Fresh off a clean sheet victory over the Boston U. Terriers in its season-opener Thursday evening, the UCF men’s soccer team will embark on its first road test of the new season, as the squad will square off against the Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton Sunday evening.

The Knights on Thursday authored their third opening-night triumph in the last four seasons with their 1-0 effort against Boston U., producing their first shutout win in a season-opener since 2015.

They did it, naturally, leaning on their defensive corps, stymieing the visiting Terriers to the tune of just six total shot attempts, and none on target. The contest represented the first that saw the Knights not surrender a single shot on goal since Oct. 7, 2023 against Georgia Southern at home.

After playing to a scoreless stalemate through the first 45 minutes, the Knights found their first goal of the season early in the second half. Senior transfer defender Takahiro Fujita, tabbed the Sun Belt Conference’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, cleaned up a rebound off the Boston U. goalkeeper from just above the penalty area to give his new team a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute.

The tally, which would represent the lone score of the night for either team, gave Fujita his fifth career goal, first as a Knight and his first career game-winning goal.

UCF managed to produce chances on the offensive end throughout the contest, outshooting the Terriers by a combined 17-6, but could not add on to Fujita’s second-half goal.

The squad will now look ahead to its next tilt against a familiar foe in the Owls, as the two teams most recently met in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Orlando Nov. 20, 2025. The Black and Gold earned a thrilling 3-2 victory in what resulted in a back-and-forth affair, representing the sixth NCAA Tournament victory in program history and the first for UCF since the 2020-21 campaign.

Joey Mueller, Clarence Awoudor and Lilian Ricol were responsible for UCF’s three goals in the teams’ postseason matchup, an affair that saw Mueller and Awoudor give the Knights a 2-0 first-half lead before the Black and Gold staved off an Owls comeback bid in the final 45 minutes.

The effort pushed UCF’s edge in the all-time series against FAU to 24-9-3, including wins in five of the last six games against the Owls.

Florida Atlantic, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong start of its own to the new season, having bested the Mercer Bears, 3-0, on the road in Macon, Georgia to continue a trend of strong early-season success for a program that has not lost a season-opener since 2018.

The Owls benefitted from a trio of goal-scorers in their first win of the season, in senior forwards Michel Tentchou and Xavi Csato, and junior midfielder David Jesus.

Senior goalkeeper Alfred Mikkelsen, the American’s Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, was perfect between the posts as well, making a pair of saves to collect his first clean sheet of the season and seventh of his career.

UP NEXT
Kickoff for Sunday evening’s match against Florida Atlantic is set for 6 p.m. in Boca Raton 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.