ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Nine home matches, including four contests against teams who earned NCAA Tournament berths a year ago, highlight the 2017 UCF women's soccer schedule, which was announced on Thursday. Overall, the Knights will face six teams who made the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
"We have a really strong schedule, and we're testing ourselves against the best teams from across the country," head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "We're playing tough teams from the SEC, ACC and Pac-12, and we're playing a lot of those teams in front of our fans."
UCF opens the season on Aug. 18 at South Carolina. The Knights and the Gamecocks met last season in Orlando.
On Aug. 20, the Knights host Stetson for the first home match of the 2017 campaign.
For the second straight season, the Sahaydaks will go up against their alma mater, as North Carolina travels to Orlando for an Aug. 25 matchup. The Knights opened their 2016 campaign against the Tarheels, dropping a 2-0 decision in Chapel Hill. UNC advanced to the College Cup semifinals in 2016 before falling to national runner-up West Virginia.
"It's very exciting to have UNC come here," Roberts Sahaydak said. "I'm really proud of what we have at UCF, and I'm excited to show my former coach. The team is looking forward to the opportunity of playing them again. I thought we played UNC really well last year, and I think the players are really excited to have another opportunity to meet them on our turf."
UCF opens September on the road, heading to Tempe, Ariz. The Knights will take on Arizona (Sept. 1) and Arizona State (Sept. 3) before heading back to Orlando.
On Sept. 8, the Knights welcome their second SEC opponent of the season with a match against LSU. The non-conference portion of the season wraps up on Sept. 15 when UCF hosts FGCU.
The Knights begin their American Athletic Conference slate on the road, traveling to Cincinnati for a Sept. 21 matchup before heading to East Carolina on Sept. 24.
UCF hosts its first league opponent on Sept. 28 when Tulsa comes to Orlando, followed by Memphis on Oct. 1. A trip to Houston on Oct. 5 is followed by a contest at SMU on Oct. 8 to round out the regular season road matchups.
The Knights will close out the season with three straight home contests, starting with defending conference champion UConn on Oct. 19. Temple will be at the UCF Soccer Complex on Oct. 22.
UCF will recognize its senior class in its final home match against USF on Oct. 27. Six War on I4 rivalry series points will be on the line in the lone matchup between the Knights and the Bulls. In 2016, the teams split the points after a 1-1 draw in Tampa. The last two meetings in Orlando have drawn over 1,000 fans, with the 2013 match setting a school record with a crowd of 2,706 witnessing the Knights win their first ever American Athletic Conference match.
"South Florida is always a big rivalry," Roberts Sahaydak said. "It's our last game, senior night, at home. I remember the 2013 match with all of those fans, and my hope is that we can break that record this year."
This year's American Athletic Conference Championship will take place at the site of the regular season champion. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Nov. 1; the semifinals Nov. 3 and the title game on Nov. 5.
UCF Soccer features 13 returning players who clocked time in at least 10 matches last year. Among those returners include American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year Saga Fredriksson and all-conference picks Morgan Ferrara (second team) and Zandy Soree (rookie team).