ORLANDO – The UCF men’s soccer team is set to conclude its current three-match homestand with its third tilt of the season against an in-state foe, as the Knights will welcome the Florida Polytechnic Phoenix to Orlando for a Sunday afternoon matchup.
The Black and Gold enter the contest looking to bounce back from their most recent contest Tuesday evening, a 4-1 loss to No. 18 Clemson that marked the squad’s first defeat of the new season.
Freshman forward Alex Partera represented a bright spot for UCF in the setback, netting his first career Division I goal in the 63rd minute to dash the Tigers’ bid for a road clean sheet. The Barcelona, Spain, native received a long feed from teammate Kenn Muendo past midfield and fended off a Clemson defender as he drove toward the 18-yard box, eventually beating both the defender and the Tigers goalkeeper to put his team on the board.
Defensively, though the Knights suffered their three-goal loss, the squad still limited the Tigers to just nine total shot attempts as well, representing the fourth consecutive game to begin the 2026 season that has seen UCF’s opposition fail to eclipse 10 offensive tries.
The 2026 Knights become the program’s first squad to limit their opposition to nine or fewer shot attempts in each of the first four games of a season since the 2018 team did so in matchups against Penn State (6), UC Irvine (9), Liberty (7) and Virginia Tech (9).
Even with the team’s first defeat of the season, the Black and Gold still enter their fifth match of the season with a goals-against average of an even 1.00, good for a share of second lowest in the Sun Belt Conference, and also rank among league leaders thus far in shutout percentage (.750, 1st), corner kicks per game (7.50, 2nd), fewest fouls committed per game (11.50, 3rd) and shots on goal per game (5.25, 4th).
The Phoenix, meanwhile, enter the contest with a 1-1 record of their own as the program embarks on its first season of competition. Florida Polytechnic began the year with a pair of exhibition triumphs before besting Webber International, 4-0, in its inaugural regular-season match. The Phoenix then suffered their first loss of the fall to Florida National, 2-1, Sept. 3.
The squad has seen a trio of different goal-scorers through its two regular-season contests thus far, in Ahmad Hijaz, Kaden Curtin and Tarquin Adams, and Hijaz’s three points pace the squad offensively.
Andres Villegas has seen the majority of time between the goalposts in his team’s first two matchups as well, having played just over 80 of the team’s 90 minutes in the squad’s season-opener before playing the full 90 in goal against Florida National. The goalkeeper’s five saves helped lead Florida Polytechnic to their clean sheet win over Webber International, and he made six more denials on eight shots on goal-against in the loss to Florida National.
In facing the Phoenix for the first time in program history, UCF will look to build upon a 1-0-1 record against Florida-based schools this season, as well as an overall 22-8-4 mark against in-state opponents in the Scott Calabrese era. The Knights this season previously played to a scoreless draw with the Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton Aug. 23 before besting the visiting South Florida Bulls, 2-0, at the UCF Soccer Complex Aug. 28.
Opening kick is set for 4 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.