ORLANDO – The UCF women's soccer team is set to kick off 2022 American Athletic Conference play, visiting Memphis on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Knights (2-2-2) started the season strong, going undefeated in their first four games. That stretch is the best start to a season since 2002 when the program opened the year 4-0-0. In its last two games, UCF has dropped a pair of hard-fought losses to a pair of teams ranked among the nation's top 15 teams. The Knights were edged 2-1 in close games against No. 13 Ole Miss and at No. 2 North Carolina.
The team battled hard without one of its leaders, Kristen Scott, in both of those games. Late rallies were stifled by great saves by the opposing goalkeepers. The fifth-year senior has been the leader on the offensive end this season for the Knights netting three goals including a brace against FGCU.
Another lynchpin of the Knights team has been AAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Caroline DeLisle. She has put up some stellar performances this season including a save that clinched a draw at LSU which ended up on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays and garnered more than 195,000 views across social media in just 36 hours. Her goals against average of 1.0 and save percentage of .778 each rank fourth best in the conference.
Memphis comes into the game tabbed as the AAC preseason favorite to win the conference. They are currently 4-3-1 with losses to No. 18 Ole Miss, Louisville, and No. 5 Virginia. They have wins over Little Rock, Iowa State, UAB, and FAU. They finished with a 0-0 draw in their most recent game against Indiana.
Momo Nakao and Anne-Valerie Seto are currently tied for the team lead in goals with three apiece. Nakao is also the team leader in points with seven.
The Tigers have cycled through three different goalkeepers, each starting at least two games. Claire Wyvile hasn't allowed a goal in her 180 minutes in net. Sarah Bozeman has a save percentage of .526, and Kaylie Bierman has saved .333 of the shots sent her way. Bozeman has the most games started with four.
As the Knights get ready to start their final season in The American before jumping to the Big 12, they look to leave the conference the same way they entered, with a championship. In 2013, the Knights won both the regular season and conference tournament crown. Since then, they have added two more AAC championships and look to add a fourth before joining the Big 12.
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