ORLANDO – Fresh off the first Big 12 conference road victory in program history, the RV UCF women’s soccer team (6-2) will return home Sunday, Sept. 24 to take on Kansas (3-2-5). The match will kick off at 1 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex and will serve as a camper reunion for all who took part in the Central Florida Girls Soccer Camps this past summer.
This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two teams, and the first in 15 years. Kansas took the previous matchup in Orlando, 3-2, during the 2008 season. This will be the first matchup of the two teams in the Big 12, as the Knights were in the Conference-USA when the two teams last went head-to-head.
SQUAD INSIGHT
UCF secured yet another historic victory on Thursday night at Houston, a 1-0 shutout that marked the first away Big 12 win in program history. The offense continued to put up phenomenal efforts in the early stages of the first 45, with Ellie Moreno, Chloe Netzel and Dayana Martin creating great opportunities in the final third. The backline, consisting of Sanja Homann, Jessica McCullen, Kyleigh Thelen and Olivia Lewis, kept Houston’s offense at bay, turning away any good looks Houston thought it had. In the 41st minute, Katie Bradley took her second corner kick in as many minutes. The set piece couldn’t have been planned any better, with the ball curling perfectly into the goal to give the Knights the advantage with five minutes left to play in the first half. The defense remained locked down to protect the lead and secure the three points for the Black and Gold. The shutout was Caroline DeLisle’s third of the season and 29th of her career. The fifth year is fourth in program history for career shutouts.
The Knights are looking to continue to dominate at home. The squad has not been beaten at home since Sept. 4, 2022, an active streak that is the longest in the Big 12. UCF most recently took down reigning Big 12 tournament champions West Virginia last Sunday, 4-2, in the conference opener. The streak runs 385 days, dating back to the 2-1 loss to Ole Miss in the non-conference slate of the 2022 season. The Knights also hold the longest active conference unbeaten streak of 11 matches. This streak goes back to the American Athletic Conference days, not having lost to a conference opponent since October 31, 2021 in the first round of the AAC Championship Tournament.
THE OPPONENT
The Jayhawks have stumbled out of the gates in Big 12 conference play, securing just one point in their first two matches, though they’ve shown the ability to stay in games. Kansas leads the conference with five draws, including two second-half goals against Oklahoma to leave Norman with a point. Sunday’s match will cap off a three-match road trip to kick off Big 12 play, with a loss to Oklahoma State, 1-0, preceding Kansas’ first meeting with the Knights as conference opponents. A tough non-conference campaign saw strong performances and gridlocked duels, including three draws to Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and Missouri. The Jayhawks lone meeting with a ranked opponent saw them suffer their first defeat in their non-conference finale 1-0 at No. 15 Washington State.
Similar to the Knights' inaugural Big 12 opponent, West Virginia, the Jayhawks are led by a tenured coach in Mark Francis. The England native took over the program in 1999 and has since instilled continuity and ushered in the most successful period(s) in the program’s history. With multiple regular season crowns and most recently a 2019 Big 12 tournament championship. Francis arrived in Lawrence following a brief yet decorated stint at South Alabama from 1996-98. Since the transition, Francis has accumulated 261 wins with Kansas, a nod to the players the program continues to produce.
Forward/Midfielder Hallie Klanke’s form has been vital for Kansas through the first half of the season, with four goals and five assists under her belt. She was included on TopDrawer Soccer’s team of the week earlier this month and ranked 10th in the conference with 13 points. Sophomore Lexi Watts has complimented Klanke in attack, following up a Big 12 All-Freshman season with a continued threat, netting two and assisting three thus far.