HARRISONBURG, Va. – The UCF men’s soccer team took a scoreless stalemate into the final 12 minutes of the match in its bid for its sixth defensive clean sheet of the season, but a late score by James Madison in the 79th minute secured the contest for the Dukes in the teams’ Sun Belt Conference opener Friday evening, 1-0.
The loss marked just the second in seven matches for UCF this fall, as the Knights fall to 4-2-1 and 0-1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play with the defeat, while James Madison picked up its third win of the season to improve to 3-4-0 and 1-0-0 in league play.
The back of the net eluded the Black and Gold throughout an evening during which UCF outshot the Dukes by a 15-10 margin with six tries on goal, representing the fourth occasion this year that saw the Knights finish with the advantage in shot attempts.
Goalkeeper Matisse Hébert kept his team in the game on the other end, making five saves on six James Madison shots on goal, including four in the first half to record his third multi-save showing of the season.
His five saves represent the second most the junior has made in a contest this season, trailing only his eight-save display in UCF’s 2-0 win at VCU Sept. 11.
The contest also represents the sixth of the Knights’ first seven overall this year that has seen the squad surrender one or fewer goals, after UCF entered the match tied for first in the Sun Belt Conference in team goals-against average (0.667).
UP NEXT
The Knights will look to bounce back in the team’s non-conference finale against the Stetson Hatters in DeLand Tuesday, Sept. 22. Opening kick is set for 7 p.m. from Stetson’s Athletic Training Center 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.