Men's Soccer to Begin Three-Game Homestand against South Florida

ORLANDO – After completing its first road test of the season in Boca Raton Sunday evening, the UCF men’s soccer team is set to begin a stretch of three consecutive contests at home, beginning with Friday night’s home tilt against the South Florida Bulls.

The Knights return to their home pitch with a 1-0-1 record through two games, first having bested the Boston U. Terriers in shutout fashion, 1-0, in Thursday’s season-opener before playing to a 0-0 draw with in-state rival Florida Atlantic Sunday.

The Black and Gold’s defensive efforts have starred for the squad thus far, as UCF represents one of just nine men’s Division I programs entering play Wednesday to begin the 2026 campaign with back-to-back clean sheets.

Having begun the season with consecutive shutouts, the Knights accomplished a feat not achieved by the program since the 2010 season, when the Black and Gold triumphed over Jacksonville, 5-0 Sept. 1, and Florida Atlantic, 4-0 Sept. 6, through the season’s first two matches.

UCF has also limited both of its first two opponents this season to fewer than 10 total shot attempts, representing the first time the Knights’ opposition failed to eclipse 10 offensive tries in either of its first two games since the 2023 slate saw then-No. 9 Clemson and Stetson muster just seven and nine shot attempts, respectively.

For his efforts on the back line throughout his team’s first two games, senior transfer defender Takahiro Fujita was recognized as a member of TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week, having played the full 90 minutes against Boston U. and 70 minutes in UCF’s draw with the Owls.

Fujita enjoyed a strong first week with his new program, scoring his first career game-winning goal, his first goal as a Knight, and his fifth career tally in the 1-0 victory over the Terriers, and coming through with a key defensive blocked shot just in front of the goalmouth late in the second half against Florida Atlantic.

Junior transfer goalkeeper Matisse Hébert has also produced a strong start to his tenure in Orlando, having clinched his first two shutouts with the Black and Gold with a trio of saves thus far.

He represents the lone Sun Belt goalkeeper to not allow a goal through two matches, and one of just 11 netminders in the nation with multiple shutouts entering play Wednesday.  

With the teams’ scoreless draw in Boca Raton Sunday, the Black and Gold also moved to 21-8-4 overall against in-state opponents in the Scott Calabrese era with three more scheduled matches against Florida foes yet to play this fall.

At 1-0-1, the Knights represent one of five unbeaten squads in the Sun Belt Conference entering play Wednesday as well, joining Georgia State, Old Dominion and South Carolina (2-0), and No. 12 Marshall (1-0).

They’ll look to return to the win column Friday evening in their second straight match against an in-state rival, when South Florida will make the trip up I-4 to the UCF Soccer Complex.

The two teams will clash for the third consecutive season, having previously played to 0-0 and 1-1 draws, respectively, in 2024 and 2025.

The Knights’ most recent matchup with South Florida, in Tampa Sept. 4 of last fall, saw UCF pepper the Bulls with 19 total shot attempts, including 10 on goal, but the Knights settled for the 1-1 draw after South Florida netminder Jahiem Wickham produced a standout performance between the goalposts, making eight of the team’s nine total saves on the evening.

The Bulls this season, led by longtime head coach George Kiefer in his return to Tampa after he previously spent 15 years at the helm of the program from 2002-2016, are off to a 1-1 start to the new season. The team fell by a 2-1 margin in its season-opener against Winthrop Aug. 20 before it bounced back with a 3-1 victory over West Florida Aug. 23.

South Florida has seen its first four goals this year come from four different players, in senior midfielder Pedro Faife, sophomore forward Dominic Wilson, sophomore midfielder Jakob Auby, and freshman midfielder Matheo Becerra.

Freshman goalkeeper Alexis Martin has handled all 180 minutes between the posts thus far, having yielded three goals while making eight saves to bring a 1.50 goals-against average and a .727 save percentage into Friday’s matchup.

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.