Less than five minutes later, fifth-year Anderson Rosa sent a long pass from the halfway line toward the Bears goal. A Mercer defender got into a tussle with Jonas Fritschi, the Knights’ fifth-year defenseman, resulting in not only a Bears foul but also a penalty.
Calabrese gave that task to Awoudor, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, and he handled it with ease, smashing the ball inside the left goal post for the first penalty attempt of his career in the 22nd minute to double UCF’s lead.
Clarence makes the penalty perfect! pic.twitter.com/kifB2Kt3rD
— UCF Men’s Soccer (@UCF_MSoccer) 23 August 2024
“It’s a relief to get the first win,” Calabrese added. “It feels good, it gives you some confidence the way we played. There are a lot of positives to take from it in different parts of the game and there are things we can always do better. But it feels good to get the first win.”
In achieving its second consecutive season-opening victory, UCF also played a tight defense on the opposing side for most of the evening, only allowing the Bears to score a late goal in the 89th minute, despite having a total of three shots on goal.
The Knights’ young goalkeeper, Juanvi Muñoz, was responsible for the necessary stability between the posts for his team from the kick-off of the game and was able to make two important saves during the course of the game, including a diving right-handed save to thwart a Bears chance with just under 22 minutes left in the second half.
Juanvi. Nails. 🧱
UCF 3, MER 0 pic.twitter.com/pidzVm7SUQ
— UCF Men’s Soccer (@UCF_MSoccer) 23 August 2024
Muñoz, who entered the game ranked 10th on the Knights’ all-time scoring list with a 1.29 career average, allowed just one goal on Thursday, marking the 18th time in 29 games in his two-plus-year career that he has conceded one or fewer goals.
“We have a lot of confidence in the team, which is clear from the way we presented ourselves,” Calabrese continued. “This will strengthen that confidence. Now we have another challenge in Seattle, a team from the top 25. We will do everything we can to recover physically and be ready for this another difficult challenge.”
Next
With a season-opening win under their belt, the No. 19 UCF men’s soccer team can quickly prepare for their next game: Sunday night’s matchup against the No. 23 Seattle Redhawks, who themselves just earned a 4-1 victory over the South Florida Bulls in Tampa on Thursday night.
Kickoff of the game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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