The UCF Knights men's soccer team represents the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

National Collegiate Athletics Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) Division I. As of the next NCAA men's soccer season in 2023, the Knights compete in the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

(SBC). This coincides with UCF's July 2023 move from the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

(The American), a league in which it has been a member since 2013, to the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

, which sponsors soccer only for women. They play their home games on UCF's main campus in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

at the

UCF Soccer and Track Stadium The UCF Soccer and Track Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. The 2,000-seat stadium is home to the UCF Knights track and field, cross country and s ...

. The Knights are currently led by head coach

Scott Calabrese Louis Scott Calabrese (born June 2, 1972) is an American former soccer goalkeeper who is currently the head men's soccer coach at University of Central Florida. Playing career Calabrese attended Bryant University from 1990 to 1995. During this ...

. After UCF announced its move to the Big 12, it was forced to find a new home for men's soccer, as the Big 12 sponsors that sport only for women. School officials expected to join the SBC, which reinstated men's soccer for the 2022 season with a lineup that significantly included the only then-current Big 12 member with a men's soccer program (

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

) and both

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

schools that sponsor varsity men's soccer (

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

). This was confirmed on June 21, 2022, when the SBC officially announced UCF's 2023 arrival as a men's soccer member.

History

The Knights soccer program began in 1975 under Jim Rudy. The Knights went 10–4–1 that year, defeating St. Leo in their first match 8–0. In 1984, the team made the move to Division I. The Knights were nationally ranked for the first time during the 2010 season, and rose to a program high of No. 8 during the 2011 season.2011 UCF Men's Soccer Yearbook
Issuu.com (September 14, 2011). Retrieved on November 16, 2011. The Knights have an all-time record of 332–259–51 (86–71–17).

Stadium

The Knights play their home games at the

which is a part of

Knights Plaza Knights Plaza at University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as Knights Plaza, is an athletic village and shopping center on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. The plaza consists of h ...

, located on the north end of UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida. The soccer field is made of natural grass and measures x . In 2011, the stadium was heavily renovated, boasting a 2,000 seat capacity with a new 1,475-seat stand, press box, clubhouse, restrooms and new entrance on the west side of the facility. The original 500-seat stand was retained as a visitors' stand. File:UCFTrackSoccerComplex.jpg File:UCF Soccer and Track Stadium.jpg File:UCFTrackandSoccerComplex.jpg

Roster

Coaches

Seasons

Alumni

UCF has produced a number of notable soccer stars. Most notably,

Eric Vasquez Eric Vasquez (born November 18, 1982 in Miami, Florida) is an American soccer player, who last played as a midfielder for Miami FC. Vasquez played college soccer at the University of Central Florida from 2001 to 2003. He was twice named to the ...

, Sean Johnson and Ryan McIntosh. Vasquez, who made his professional soccer debut with the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

in Major League Soccer, later played for

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

in the United Soccer Leagues' First Division and the

Orlando Sharks The Orlando Sharks were a professional American indoor soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, United States. Founded in 2007, by Buena Vista Corporation the Chairman Mr. Sham Maharaj acquired the franchise early 2006. the first game was played ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League before retiring due to injury. Former Knights Goalkeeper Ryan McIntosh initially played with

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

, and after a year with the D.C. United Reserve team, McIntosh signed with the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of USL Division One, where he led the team to the league final. Both players were a part of the 2004

Central Florida Kraze Orlando City U-23 was an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the ...

amateur soccer team that won the Premier Development League's championship by defeating the Boulder Rapids Resevers, 1–0 at the UCF soccer stadium. In 2019, two of players got selected in the

MLS SuperDraft The MLS SuperDraft is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada. It takes place in January and is used by teams to select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the l ...

that took place in Chicago.Striker

Cal Jennings Cal Jennings (born May 17, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward who currently plays for Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL Championship. Early life and college Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Jennings attended Roswell H ...

was picked number 15th in the first round by the

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

and Defender Jonathan Dean got selected 32nd in the second round of the draft by

Orlando City Soccer Club Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

. Sean Johnson, another former UCF goalkeeper, joined the Chicago Fire of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

in 2010.2010 MLS SuperDraft
He was a member of the

United States U-20 men's national soccer team The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years. The United States' b ...

which qualified for the

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October 2009. The tournament was initially going to take place between 10 and 31 July. However, the 2009 FIFA Confedera ...

in Egypt.

References

External links

* {{Sun Belt Conference men's soccer navbox Soccer clubs in Florida 1975 establishments in Florida