ORLANDO – On the heels of its Friday evening Sun Belt opener in Harrisonburg, the UCF men’s soccer team is set to conclude its 2026 non-conference schedule with a Tuesday night tilt in DeLand against the Stetson Hatters.
The contest represents an opportunity to bounce back and return to the win column for the Knights after the squad was edged on the road by the Dukes, 1-0, to kick off conference play this fall.
UCF, in search of its sixth clean sheet in seven games to begin the season, battled through a scoreless stalemate with James Madison into the 78th minute of action before the Dukes broke the ice with just over 11 minutes to play. The Black and Gold could not find an equalizer despite outshooting the Dukes 15-10 on the evening to record the fourth match of the season that saw UCF finish with the advantage in shot attempts.
Junior goalkeeper Matisse Hébert produced another strong outing on the other end, making five saves on James Madison’s six shots on goal to help the Knights notch their sixth contest of the season with one or fewer goals allowed.
With five saves, Hébert also produced his third multi-save showing of the year and his second most in a single match as a Knight, behind only his eight-save performance in UCF’s 2-0 win at VCU Sept. 11.
When the team meets the Hatters Tuesday evening, UCF will also conclude its four-game regular-season slate against in-state opponents this fall, having already gone 2-0-1 thus far against Florida Atlantic, South Florida and Florida Polytechnic. The Knights produced clean sheets against all three Florida foes, outscoring the trio of programs by an aggregate 8-0.
Having gone unbeaten against its three in-state opponents this year, UCF has improved to 23-8-4 all-time in the Scott Calabrese era in matchups with Florida-based schools as well, and the squad will be looking to wrap up its 2026 non-conference schedule with just a single loss. A win over the Hatters would clinch a 5-1-1 non-conference record for UCF, its best such showing since the Knights went 4-0-1 in non-conference play in 2023.
Even with their Friday evening loss in Harrisonburg, UCF still makes the trip to DeLand sharing the national Division I lead in shutout percentage (.714) with California Baptist and UC San Diego, and total shutouts (5) with California Baptist, UC San Diego, Indiana, SMU, UNC Asheville, Vermont and Syracuse. The team’s .714 goals-against average is good for a share of the lowest mark in the Sun Belt Conference with No. 4 South Carolina as well.
The Knights will meet a Stetson squad off to a 2-5-1 start to the season, accompanied by a 1-2-0 mark through its first three ASUN matchups.
After fighting through an 0-4-1 beginning to the fall, the Hatters have found a bit of consistency over their last three contests, going 2-1-0 with wins over West Florida and Presbyterian and a slim 1-0 defeat to Queens in their most recent game Sept. 19.
The team is led offensively by graduate student midfielder Afonso Conde and redshirt junior forward William Mills, both of whom have notched four points on a pair of goals through their team’s first seven contests.
The Hatters have also utilized three different players in goal thus far, with redshirt junior Matthew McCall playing a team high 365:56 with a 1.23 goals-against average, a .722 save percentage, and a team best 13 saves.
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.