ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women's soccer team will boast six new faces when the squad returns to campus for preseason training in August.
"It's been a long process of identifying and recruiting players to carry on the winning tradition of our program," head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "I certainly believe that we've accomplished that goal with this group. The wealth of talent and experience that we've added strikes me as a defining characteristic of this signing class. I'm confident that many of these players will prove to make an immediate impact this season."
The group of five freshmen and a junior transfer boasts youth national team experience – both domestically and internationally – and have won championships on the state and national levels.
| 2017 UCF Women's Soccer Signing Class |
| Name |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown / High School (Previous School) |
| Keli Lindquist |
D |
Fr. |
Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS |
| Madison Murnin |
M |
Fr. |
Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood HS |
| Lauren Nemeroff |
F |
Jr. |
Park Hills, Ky./Dixie Heights HS (Kentucky) |
| Dina Orschmann |
F |
Fr. |
Berlin, Germany/FC Union Berlin |
| Stefanie Sanders |
F |
Fr. |
Hamburg, Germany/SV Werder Bremen |
| Jaida Scott |
D |
Fr. |
Plantation, Fla./American Heritage School |
The Knights open the 2017 campaign on Aug. 18 at South Carolina before returning to Orlando to host Stetson in the home opener. UCF will play nine matches at the UCF Soccer Complex in 2017, hosting four squads who earned bids to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Among those making the trip to The City Beautiful is the alma mater of both Sahaydaks, North Carolina, on Aug. 25.
| Keli Lindquist |
| Defender |
Fr. |
Merritt Island, Fla. (Merritt Island HS) |
|
Prior to UCF:
- Named Florida Soccer Athlete of the Year and Florid Today Top Female Athlete as a senior
- Garnered Florida Today Player of the Week honors twice as a senior
- Earned MVP honors twice and was Most Outstanding Newcomer at Merritt Island HS
- Won the state title during senior campaign with the Mustangs
- Four-time district and region champion
- Named All-Space Coast First Team during her final three seasons
- Won the U16 Disney President's Day Championship in 2014
|
| Madison Murnin |
| Midfielder |
Fr. |
Jacksonville, Fla. (Sandalwood HS) |
|
Prior to UCF:
- Competed at the Olympic Development (ODP) 1999 Girls Camp in 2013 and 2014
- Member of the ODP Regional and State Team from 2012-15
- Played for Eric Dade and Mike Walker with the Jacksonville Futbol Club (JFC), helping to lead the team to three National Titles - U-13 U.S. Club Title, U-15 USYS Title, U-16 USYS Title
- JFC was the U-14 U.S. Club National Finalist and captured three state titles
- Participated in the U-14 U.S. National Soccer Team Camp in 2013
|
| Lauren Nemeroff |
| Forward |
Jr. |
Park Hills, Ky. (Dixie Heights/Kentucky) |
|
Prior to UCF:
- Played two seasons at the University of Kentucky, appearing in 13 matches on all three lines as a sophomore in 2016
- Earned her first career start against Ole Miss as a freshman at UK
- Tallied first career point on an assist on the game-winning goal against Louisville in the "Battle of the Bluegrass"
- Played with Payton Atkins for Kings Hammer Academy in Cincinnati
- Named Top-11 at Nationals, while leading team to National Championship finals in 2012 and 2013
- Won the Golden Ball in 2013
- At Dixie Heights High School, Nemeroff was named DHHS Varsity Player of the Year in 2012 and State High School Player of the Year in 2014
- Named NSCAA All-American in 2014
|
| Dina Orschmann |
| Forward |
Fr. |
Berlin, Germany (FC Union Berlin) |
|
Prior to UCF:
- Member of the U19 and U20 German National Team
- Competed on the German U20 World Cup Team
- Competed with the U19 German National Team in the European Championship
- Was the league-leading scorer with FC Union Berlin in 2015
- Earned a promotion to Bundesliga 2 in 2015
- Berlin Champion
|
| Stefanie Sanders |
| Forward |
Fr. |
Hamburg, Germany (SV Werder Bremen) |
|
Prior to UCF:
- Competed with the U16, U17, U19 and U20 German National Team
- Member of the German National U17 and U20 World Cup teams
- Competed with the German National U17 and U19 teams at the European Championships
- Member of the U16 German National Team that won the Nordic Cup in 2014
- Was the top goal scorer on the U17 European Championship team in 2015
- Top scorer for both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons with SV Werder Bremen
- Member of the U17 league runner-up SV Werder Bremen squad in 2014-15
- Promoted to Bundesliga 1 in 2015
|
| Jaida Scott |
| Defender |
Fr. |
Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage School) |
|
Prior to UCF:
- Named Miami Herald/Sun Sentinel 3A Player of the Year
- Won three consecutive state championships with the Patriots from 2014-16
- Earned a spot on the All-American Watch list as a senior
- Top Drawer Soccer four-time all-state selection
- Started every game during her four-year career at American Heritage and served as team captain twice
- Three-time Miami Herald/Sun Sentinel All-County selection, including First Team as a sophomore and junior
- Played for the U14 National Team in 2012 and 2013
- Two-time captain of Sunrise Sting who won a pair of Disney Championships
- Member of the ODP 99s state team from 2012-15 and the ODP regional team in 2014-15
|
