ORLANDO – Following a conference regular season title and the Knights best campaign since 2017, the American Athletic Conference honored six UCF players on Wednesday, announcing the 2022 women's soccer awards, voted on by the league's head coaches.
Kristen Scott has been named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, the first Knight to receive the honor since Morgan Ferrara won the award in 2017. Scott has had a career season, scoring nine and assisting three in just 11 games played, averaging a goal or assist every 50 minutes. Her goal tally was the best in the conference along with her total points mark of 21. After returning from injury against Temple on Oct. 6, Scott scored or assisted eight of the teams 14 goals. She claims the award for the first time in her career, becoming the fourth Knight to receive the award.
Along with the Offensive Player of the Year, Caroline DeLisle also took home the AAC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second year running. She has matched Vera Varis Jr. as the only Knights to have defended their crown from the previous season. DeLisle has had a historic year both between the posts and directing the back four. The Knights defense only conceded twice during conference play. While defending her crown, she was first in the conference in overall shutouts (9), shutouts per game (0.60), save percentage (.839), and goals against average (0.67). She is now the fifth keeper in UCF history to win the award and now means that the Knights have taken home the honor in half of their seasons in the AAC.
Four Knights were named to the All-Conference First Team as DeLisle, Scott, and Darya Rajaee have all landed on the prestigious list for the second year in a row. Rajaee, who was last year's Midfielder of the Year, followed up it up with another stellar season leading the UCF midfield. She played and started in all 15 matches, assisting on three goals and aiding the backline in a solid defensive role. Rajaee, along with Scott and DeLisle joins Tatiana Coleman, Carol Rodriquez, and Varis Jr. in being the only Knights to earn the first-team accolade twice in their careers. Dayana Martin rounds out the group, having been neck and neck with Scott all season leading the Knights attack. Martin set career highs in goals (four), assists (five), and points (13), and was crucial down the stretch, capping off the season with a wonder-goal at South Florida in the War on I-4. In UCF's ten-year stint in the AAC, the Knights have had a total of 25 players named to the first-team list, not having gone a single season without at least one.
Georgia Eaton-Collins represents UCF on the All-Conference Second Team, landing on the list in her first and last year in Orlando. The England native arrived from Florida before the season and perfectly slotted into the Knights backline. She played and started in thirteen matches, competing alongside Ariel Young to give the Black and Gold one of the best center-back duos in the conference. Eaton-Collins is one of 13 Knights to be listed on the second team since 2013.
Playing in all 15 matches, starting in 11 for UCF, Mia Asenjo was named to the All-Conference Rookie Team. Along with Rajaee in midfield, she was constantly breaking through the opponents' lines and playing in Scott, Martin and the other Knights attackers. Asenjo is the 16th Knight to receive the honor from the ACC and UCF has now had a player land on the list in all ten years.
Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, joined by her husband and Associate Head Coach Tim Sahaydak took over the program when UCF joined the American in 2013. They both won Coaching Staff of the Year in their first season, then repeated in 2014, this time alongside Chris Cummings. The staff then won the award yet again in 2017, and now receive the honor for the fourth time.
UCF is leaving the AAC in style but the team's not done yet as the Knights now set their sights on adding more awards, honors, and trophies this week in the conference tournament, hosted by the program for the fourth time ever.
The full conference award list is below.
Offensive Player of the Year
Kristen Scott, Sr., F, UCF
Defensive Player of the Year
Ashley Barron, Sr., D, Cincinnati
Midfielder of the Year
Courtney Sebazco, Gr., SMU
Goalkeeper of the Year
Caroline DeLisle, R-Sr., UCF
Rookie of the Year
Jazmin Ferguson, D, East Carolina
Coaching Staff of the Year
UCF
Team Fair Play Award
Temple
All-Conference First Team
Caroline DeLisle, R-Sr., GK, UCF
Dayana Martin, R-Sr., F, UCF
Darya Rajaee, Sr., M, UCF
Kristen Scott, Sr., F, UCF
Ashley Barron, Sr., D, Cincinnati
Mya Jones, Sr., F, Memphis
Grace Stordy, Jr., D, Memphis
Haylee Spray, Jr., D, Memphis
Chiara Hahn, So., M, South Florida
Vivianne Bessette, So., D, South Florida
Courtney Sebazco, Gr., M, SMU
All-Conference Second Team
Georgia Eaton-Collins, Sr., D, UCF
Lauren Bastian, Jr., M, Cincinnati
Kendall Battle, Sr., D, Cincinnati
Vanessa DiNardo, Gr., F, Cincinnati
Maeve English, Jr., GK, East Carolina
Jazmin Ferguson, Fr., D, East Carolina
Carsen Parker, Gr., F, East Carolina
Emma Clarke, Sr., D, Houston
Jocelyn Alonzo, So., M, Memphis
Momo Nakao, So., M, Memphis
Jewel Boland, Gr., F, SMU
Julissa Cisneros, Gr., F, SMU
All-Rookie Team
Mia Asenjo, M, UCF*
Megan Smith, F/M, Cincinnati
Maddie Swingle, D, Cincinnati
Jazmin Ferguson, D, East Carolina
Alex Whitcraft, D/M, Houston
Daniella Chung, M, South Florida
Signe Markvardsen, D, South Florida
Peyton Annen, D, SMU*
Aurrianna Parker, M, Temple
Jordan Frederick, F, Tulsa
Tatum Sanders, GK, Tulsa
Maggie Symsmith, M, Tulsa
*denotes unanimous selection