ORLANDO – Ahead of the UCF men’s soccer team’s Tuesday evening tilt against the visiting No. 16 Clemson Tigers, one member of the squad was recognized by the Sun Belt Conference for another strong showing over the past week of action.
As announced by the conference office Sept. 1, Knights senior defender Takahiro Fujita was tabbed the Sun Belt’s Week Two Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Black and Gold to their 2-0 victory over South Florida Aug. 28.
The selection represents the first regular-season weekly honor garnered by Fujita, who has also been tabbed the preseason Defensive Player of the Year in both of the last two seasons (2026 and 2025).
Fujita also earns UCF’s eighth Sun Belt Conference weekly regular-season award since the Knights joined the conference prior to the 2023 season, including the program’s sixth Defensive Player of the Week selection.
The Kawai, Japan native played the full 90 minutes against the Bulls, aiding UCF not only in remaining unbeaten through its first three matches of the year, but also in clinching the squad’s third consecutive clean sheet to begin the 2026 season. The Knights enter play against Clemson Tuesday evening representing one of just five programs in Division I men’s soccer to have played at least three matches and not concede a goal.
Fujita also scored the first of two UCF goals on the evening in the 29th minute, netting his second Knights score as well as his second game-winning goal of the year.
“It is really important to be able to get goals from different sources and in different ways,” said head coach Scott Calabrese. “‘Taka’ in the previous game, he arrived as an outside back, so he was able to get higher on the field. He’s a presence, obviously, physically. He’s a guy who’s difficult to deal with in the box and around the box, and he’s got a lot of quality. It’s great that he’s contributed in such a huge way so far. Two goals in the first three games is really helpful for us.”
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.