ORLANDO, Fla. - It didn't take much convincing for UCF men's soccer defender Itzik Efraim to transfer from Belmont University after speaking to Knights junior Yono Sorokin. 

  • UCF is ranked No. 3 in the country in RPI
  • Conference tournament begins Nov. 13
  • Sorokin has four goals in junior season

"He said the team is really good," Efraim said. "They play more like an Israeli-style and less like a college style where you keep the ball on the floor in the grass."

That's something the two know well. They both were born in Israel, where they shared a common bond growing up.

“I tried to find my way and still be in the army, and serve the country and play soccer," Sorokin said. "Luckily, I still had the opportunity to do it.”

Efraim and Sorokin both served in the Israeli Defense Force, a requirement of many citizens.

“When you wear the uniform, you represent something bigger than you,” Sorokin said.

"Some people are really excited about it and really wanna go to it and do their best and serve the country in the field," Efraim added. "And some people are less excited about it. I was right in the middle.

Efraim was a firefighter, and Sorokin a cook. And while they served their roles as they should, they both just wanted to be on the pitch. 

"I would wake up every day in the morning to go to the station and after a couple of hours, iIwould go to practice. I finish practice, I go back to the station every night, and I go back home, and it’s like endless repeat, every day."

They may not have served on the front lines, but head coach Scott Calabrese believes their service was a major reason for their success on a team chasing a national championship.

"You have to grow up a lot quicker," he said. "And they are in a different situation, where potentially their safety, especially here in the military, is in question."

Efraim noted the two don't look at their service as something special, but it no doubt has brought them together as they live out their dream.

Ii think here, it’s why we’re connected more than others here," he said. "And I think we’re the best friends on the team, and I think this is one of the reasons for that.”