ORLANDO – Throughout its pursuit of a second consecutive Sun Belt Conference tournament crown, the UCF men’s soccer team has weathered its fair share of adversity.
Entering its third-to-last match of the 2026 regular season, the Knights, while having already earned convincing victories over the Marshall Thundering Herd and Old Dominion Monarchs this fall, were looking to shake off a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of then-No. 25 West Virginia in Morgantown Wednesday evening.
The loss represented UCF’s third of the conference slate, and with chances to clinch points becoming scarcer as the calendar nears November, the team was looking to make a statement in its return home.
Opportunity once again presented itself as the No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks made the trip south to The City Beautiful.
“It means something to us. We want to accomplish something,” said junior defender Gwendal Degorce. “We have that status going into the tournament because of last year’s championship, and we want to show that we can do it again, and that we’re here to fight and prove a point.”
The Knights fought, and a point was certainly proven.
On the strength of a brace by redshirt junior forward Drew Hansen, the Knights weathered a late South Carolina offensive storm to clinch their strongest win to date this fall, toppling the 18th-ranked Gamecocks by a 3-2 final score to put a bow on the program’s 2026 Alumni Weekend celebration.
With UCF’s latest triumph, the team toppled a Gamecocks team that entered the evening at No. 6 in the nation in the NCAA’s latest RPI update after having previously risen as high as No. 1 overall in the United Soccer Coaches’ week five poll.
The victory also marked UCF’s first ranked win of the season after the program set a single-season record with three top 25 wins in 2025, and lifted the Knights to 7-4-3 overall and 3-3-1 in Sun Belt play with the team’s third straight win over the Gamecocks.
“We were good in some counterattacking moments and found the back of the net, maybe against the run of play in different moments,” said head coach Scott Calabrese. “I thought we defended well, especially when we were lower on the field. We made it difficult for them to create the types of chances that they like to create.”
Hansen gave his team an early offensive jolt with his eighth goal of the year in just the 13th minute of play, scoring the Knights’ second-fastest goal of the year with aid from sophomore midfielder Joachim Kyei.
The squad brought its slim one-goal advantage into the halftime break, and the Black and Gold’s 1-0 advantage held until junior midfielder Izán Martínez tallied his team’s second of the match with just over 25 minutes to play.
The Peñíscola, Spain, native dribbled into the 18-yard box and around a pair of South Carolina defenders before sending a quick strike past the Gamecocks goalkeeper into the upper half of the goalmouth, tallying the first goal of his Division I career.
After South Carolina got one back in the 69th minute, halving UCF’s 2-0 advantage, Hansen tallied what would prove to be a crucial third Knights goal, and his second of the match, in the 71st minute.
With just one Gamecocks defender to beat in the 18-yard box, Hansen restored his team’s two-goal advantage and clinched his ninth goal of the year and third multi-goal showing of the season, joining his efforts against Florida Polytechnic Sept. 6 and Old Dominion Oct. 17.
“It was a really good win; it was a total fight between both teams,” Hansen said. “It was just one of those games, in this conference, anybody can beat anybody. Definitely had to scrap it out, but it was a fun game. We’re blessed to be out here and we really enjoyed it.”
Standing tall amid 19 South Carolina shot attempts, goalkeeper Matisse Hébert once again played an instrumental role in his team’s successful result, making four key saves to record his second consecutive game with at least four denials.
The junior goalkeeper now enters the Knights’ penultimate match of the regular season boasting a 1.07 goals-against average and a career-best .706 save percentage, and with two more saves will set a new single-season career high.
UP NEXT
The Knights will conclude their 2026 home slate Thursday, Oct. 29 against the visiting Georgia State Panthers. 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 website at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.