ORLANDO – Impact players come alive when you need them most. For Chloe Netzel, her fourth match-winning goal, arguably the most crucial of them all, secured the Knights' first conference tournament win in a 3-2 thriller over TCU in the Big 12 quarterfinals. This afternoon, the league recognized her performance in the triumph with selection to the All-Tournament Team.
The Xavier transfer put everything on the pitch during her first season in Orlando. A campaign that saw the St. Louis native match her best goal tally from her two prior collegiate seasons with seven, paired with three assists to propel her to a career high in points with 17, head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak called upon her in the most important situations.
Last Monday, the sixth-seeded Knights faced off against the second-seeded Horned Frogs in what was sure to be a back-and-forth affair. A second-half equalizer from Mia Asenjo, courtesy of Netzel, in the 52nd minute, proved to be the kickstart for a vibrant final 45.
With the match entering the last 10 minutes, there were signs of a potential extra-time duel, which has been familiar for the Knights over the past few seasons. However, a crisp pass from Sanja Homann fell to Netzel, who has shown brilliant composure throughout UCF’s inaugural season in the Big 12. She slotted it between the keepers’ legs to notch the Knights' first-ever postseason win in the conference.
Chloe Netzel. That’s it. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/eh2Htj8r90
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 31, 2023
The 11-player squad was announced following Texas’ eventual triumph in the championship match over BYU, 2-1.