ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – With two days remaining until the UCF women’s soccer team officially begins its 2019 slate, the Knights are eager to continue the success from previous years.
“Every season our goal is to win our conference, and from there we want to go to the NCAA Championship and see where it takes us,” said Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak as the Knights gear up for another season.
Helping make that goal a reality are 14 new faces on the squad, made up of 10 freshmen and four transfers.
“I think having a young team brings a lot of energy,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Everyone is coming out, ready to work hard, and not really thinking about the opponent too much because they don’t know what to expect.”
The Black and Gold will also have four seniors suiting up this fall, including Jamaican Women’s National Team captain Konya Plummer – who was also named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference team.
When asked about the senior presence on the team, Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said, “Our seniors always take a big leadership role in every season. I know with Konya coming back from the Women’s World Cup, and having that experience, it will really help her lead her teammates. She had some pretty tough games on the international stage, I think she’ll be able to bring that experience to her teammates.”
“Elise Legrout has a French background and is very confident on the ball, Zandy Soree has been a four year starter, and Jessica Taylor has been very vocal – so we have four seniors with different personalities but they work well together and have earned a lot of respect from their team,” added Roberts Sahaydak on her senior class.
The Knights will play five matches against NCAA Championship tournament teams, two conference championship teams and two teams nationally ranked in the top 25. Coach Roberts Sahaydak commented on the challenging schedule ahead, “We typically schedule a very strong schedule every year because we want to be one of the best teams in the country, and to do that you have to play against the best.”
The UCF women’s soccer team will open the 2019 regular season as it plays host to a pair of Big Ten teams in Wisconsin (Aug. 22) and Ohio State (Aug. 28) at the UCF Soccer Complex.
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The UCF women's soccer team is in its seventh season under head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. Click here or call (407) 823-1000 for ticket information.