By Don Strouble
There are just 17 days to go until the UCF Knights men’s soccer team faces off against Florida Atlantic University in their first exhibition match ahead of the 2024 season.
After a 2023 campaign that saw the Knights grab the number one spot in the nation before a disappointing skid in which they lost their last three games, the men’s team has been filling the dog days of summer with practices to prepare themselves for the fall.
Amongst these players, there is one who is preparing himself for his finale in a Knights uniform, fifth year forward Lucca Dourado.
“Exciting, a little bit nervous to finish my college [career] and give a goodbye to UCF,” Dourado said as he reflected on entering his fifth and final season with the team. “But it’s exciting, you know, we have a good group of guys that are already here, and we are practicing so it’s a new team, so I’m very excited for it.”
Dourado, who hails from São Paulo, Brazil, attended Montverde Academy before coming to UCF. In his time as a Knight, Dourado has put up highly productive offensive numbers. Dourado’s aggressive play has allowed him to lead the team in goals or points in every season except his freshman campaign. According to UCF Athletics, Dourado recorded his third 21-plus-point season in a row as a senior in 2023.
When asked about his killer mentality on the field, Dourado credited his teammates for his approach. “I think that goes a lot with the players I’m around, you know the players we have here,” Dourado said. He specifically credited forwards Emmanuel Bam and Clarence Awoudor for helping with his production.
“Bam and Clarence, they had been helping me a lot to get those numbers up, and the success of the team is by them and by us. Them helping me get those goals, get those stats, you know it’s very good for me obviously, of course for the team as well, but I think it’s all because of them,” Dourado said.
In addition to Dourado’s high production, he has also been a model of durability during his tenure at UCF.
Last season, Dourado appeared in 16 matches for the Knights, which was the second time he has achieved this feat in his collegiate career. Furthermore, Dourado logged 1,234 playtime minutes out of a possible team total of 1,460 in 2023.
Dourado credits his athletic durability to a lot of discipline, especially as the season inches closer.
“We have been practicing every day since the day we arrived here at the beginning of July. Just by training every day, you know, doing gym, doing recovery, I think that makes us be better for the fall, makes us prepare our body for the games, you know, to play all the games. Just be prepared,” Dourado said.
Amongst the good, Dourado also took time to reflect on the challenges and arduous times he and his team faced after reaching a number one ranking nationally before losing three straight which caused the team to drop to number 12 in the rankings to end the 2023 season.
“It was a big upset for us, especially, you know, we were believing a lot in last season, you know, with the team we had, the players we had, the mentality and all the experienced players, I think we were like ‘okay, this is a year we can go far,’” Dourado said.
He added: “Unfortunately, something like that happened which is normal in soccer. It happens, but at the end everybody was just like ‘okay, what can we do to not let this happen again next season.’”
While Dourado is chasing a better outcome for the 2024 season, he is tasked with the same challenges that his teammates and all student athletes face: producing good results in the classroom as well as on the field.
“It’s not easy, of course, you have to balance a lot, especially when we travel all the time and during the week,” Dourado said of avoiding burnout and keeping up with the grind.
“I think the first year of course it’s a little bit different, you’re still kind of getting used to it, but now it’s my last year, you know, I’ve been used to it,” Dourado said.
When it comes to enjoying some downtime, Dourado likes to play video games with his friends, but his competitive nature doesn’t change.
“When I play video games with the boys, I want to win, because that’s the mentality,” Dourado said.
Though Dourado is nearing the end of his collegiate career, he aspires to go even further in his soccer journey.
“This is just the beginning, you know, I feel like that’s my dream; to become a professional soccer player, it has been my dream since the day I arrived here. It requires patience and hard work, which I’ve been on. Hopefully this season can be a better one than last season and help me to get to where I want to be, which is the next level,” Dourado said.
Lucca Dourado and the Knights open their season at home against Mercer on Thursday, August 22nd.
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