After anchoring a UCF defense that recorded a pair of shutouts, senior Ben Hunt of the UCF men’s soccer team was selected as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week Monday. Hunt and the Knights capped the week with a 1-0 victory over No. 17 SMU Sunday that snapped the Mustangs’ nine-game unbeaten streak.
The senior center back logged all 200 minutes in a pair of matches for the Knights last week. Against the Mustangs, he helped limit SMU to seven shots, with only two coming on goal. With the host Knights leading 1-0 late in the game, Hunt made an impressive play after the Mustangs’ Brendan Lee got past UCF keeper Sebastian Evers in the box. With Lee crossing the ball to an open teammate with an empty net, Hunt moved in and knocked the ball away.
Hunt also logged all 110 minutes in a scoreless draw with local rival Stetson. The Hatters mustered nine shots during the double-overtime match, with only one coming on goal.
This is the first C-USA Player of the Week honor for Hunt. A native of Bucklands Beach, New Zealand, Hunt has started all 12 matches in 2012 for the Knights, and leads the team with 1,135 minutes.
UCF will return to action Sunday at No. 30 Tulsa. The Knights’ next home game is set for Oct. 24 against Memphis.