ORLANDO – With its 2026 home slate complete, the UCF men’s soccer team is set for its final regular-season tuneup before it commences play in the Sun Belt Conference tournament this fall, making the trip to Statesboro, Georgia, for a Tuesday clash with the Georgia Southern Eagles.
The Knights most recently punctuated their regular-season home schedule in emphatic fashion, toppling the visiting Georgia State Panthers by a 5-1 final score Thursday, Oct. 29. The effort represented UCF’s third five-plus-goal display of the season, as well as the squad’s fourth match with at least four goals scored.
Thanks to their latest prolific showing, the Knights (2.13) now join Old Dominion (2.44) and South Carolina (2.25) as one of three teams in the Sun Belt to average over two goals per game entering the regular-season finale, a match UCF enters in sole possession of fourth place in the Sun Belt table with a 4-3-1 record (13 points) against league foes.
At the center of the Black and Gold’s offensive exploits once again was redshirt junior forward Drew Hansen, who in the winning effort recorded his fifth career multi-goal game, fourth of the season, third in his last four games and second in a row.
The already-back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week became the first Knight since Cal Jennings in 2018 to record four multi-goal games in the same season, and he enters play against the Eagles Tuesday leading the Sun Belt Conference in total goals (11), goals per game (0.73), game-winning goals (4), points per game (1.67), and total points (25).
With two assists in UCF’s latest win as well, Hansen also recorded his second six-plus-point outing of the season, joining his effort against Florida Polytechnic Sept. 6 during which he notched his first career hat trick and his first career helper to tally a career high seven points in UCF’s 6-0 victory.
Hansen was joined offensively by scores by Joachim Kyei, Germán Moreno and Alex Partera in the win, with Moreno recording his first career Division I goal in the 31st minute to punctuate a four-goal first half for the Black and Gold.
With three wins in its last four outings and four triumphs in its last six overall, UCF has also greatly improved its positioning in its quest for a bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Knights saw their national NCAA RPI slot drop even further to No. 43 in the nation Monday morning, an improvement of over 100 spots from its placing at No. 149 following their 2-1 loss to Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina Oct. 9.
Tuesday’s meeting will also represent a rematch of the squads’ 2025 Sun Belt Conference tournament first-round matchup, a contest UCF took in dramatic fashion by a 3-2 final score in double overtime on Hansen’s 104th-minute game-winner.
UCF on Tuesday will look to clinch its third straight win over the Eagles overall, and fourth in five matchups since the Black and Gold joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2023. A Tuesday victory would also represent UCF’s first in Statesboro since the Knights joined their new league.
The Knights will meet a Georgia Southern team that has gone 6-5-4 through 15 games overall, including 2-4-2 against Sun Belt foes, and is led offensively by Broden Beorlegui, who co-leads the league in game-winning goals with Hansen and ranks tied for third in the Sun Belt with eight total goals.
The Eagles’ season has been highlighted by a 3-1 victory over then-No. 15 Old Dominion Sept. 27 and a 2-2 draw with then-No. 5 Clemson on the road Oct. 6, though with losses in each of its last four games against James Madison, then-No. 18 South Carolina, West Virginia and Kentucky, Georgia Southern is looking to conclude its regular season on a high note.
Opening kick is set for 7 p.m. from Bo Pitts Field 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.