UCF earns No. 9 seed, home game for NCAA tourney

The UCF men’s soccer team got a mix of good and bad news when the NCAA Tournament field was revealed Monday.

The Knights are ranked No. 5 nationally and own a 14-2-2 record, the best Division I mark in school history.

This success earned UCF a No. 9 national seed and a first-round bye. The Knights will host the winner of a first-round match between Denver and Missouri

State at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The bye and chance to open play at home are significant advantages for the Knights, who are making their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and earned the fourth at-large bid in school history. UCF is tough to beat in Orlando, posting a 21-3-5 home record during coach Scott Calabrese’s tenure.

However, UCF’s seed was four spots lower than its national ranking in the latest top-25 polls and UCF was placed in the same region as fellow American Athletic Conference foe SMU, which is a No. 8 national seed.

The Knights, who won the American Athletic Conference regular-season title and lost to SMU in the AAC Tournament championship, are pushing to extend an elite season.

UCF deploys a highpowered attack, ranking No. 8 nationally in goals per game, No. 8 in assists per game and No. 7 in points per game.

The Knights lead the national in corner kicks (8.28 per match) and are No. 8 nationally in shots (16.22 per match).

The Knights won numerous AAC awards, with Cal Jennings earning back-toback Offensive Player of the Year honors, Yannik Oettl earning back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year honors and Calabrese and his assistants earning back-toback Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

UCF’s Yoni Sorokin took home Midfielder of the Year honors while Gino Vivi was named Rookie of the Year.