ORLANDO — The new home of Sandpoint star Kai Longanecker, the UCF Knights men's soccer team, was voted third in the Sun Belt Conference's preseason poll on Wednesday. 

The freshman goalkeeper committed to the Central Florida school over the summer after spending several years at a Major League Soccer academy with Charlotte FC. The Knights are fresh off a Sun Belt Conference championship a year ago but only received one first-place vote in the preseason poll, falling behind Marshall and West Virginia. 

Matisse Hébert, a junior goalkeeper who transferred into UCF from Wisconsin, is slated to start for UCF and was selected as the Sun Belt's preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. Hébert should serve as an excellent mentor for the Sandpoint native as an established collegiate player who has excelled at the highest level in the sport. 

The Knights have one remaining exhibition match against North Florida on Friday at 2:30 p.m. PT. UCF opens its season against Boston University at 4 p.m. PT on Aug. 20.

All of the team's games will be streamed on ESPN+, giving those in North Idaho a chance to tune in for Longanecker's first collegiate season. More information can be found on the UCF Athletics website, ucfknights.com.