ORLANDO – The UCF women’s soccer team will open its second season of Big 12 Conference competition on Thursday when it welcomes Houston to town.
The Black and Gold’s 2024 Big 12 opener is set for a 7 p.m. start and will take place at the UCF Soccer Complex. The first 100 UCF students in attendance will receive a free Knights scarf. Thursday’s contest will air live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available by visiting UCF.Statbroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter Thursday with a 2-1-2 overall record through the team’s non-conference portion of the schedule. After defeating Florida Atlantic and then-No. 24 ranked Georgia, and drawing with Florida and Utah Valley, the Black and Gold dropped a hard fought 1-0 contest at South Florida in their most recent game last Thursday.
In last Thursday’s match at USF, the Knights created several scoring opportunities early in the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net as the game remained scoreless at the half. Senior Chloe Netzel then had another good look in the 76th minute, but USF’s keeper managed to get a hand on it to deflect it off the crossbar for the save.
The Knights later looked to have drawn a penalty kick in the 83rd minute, as Ella Holloran was fouled in the box. But after review, the official reversed the call and said no offense was committed which resulted in no penalty kick.
The Bulls managed to get on the board in the 86th minute as a cross was deflected to the left side and USF’s Elyse Thornton was there to score what proved to be the lone goal of the hard-fought match.
The contest marked the first time that UCF had been shutout since Aug. 31, 2023, when it fell 1-0 at No. 4 Penn State.
NETZEL’S HOT START
The senior Netzel leads UCF on the season in goals (6), points (13), shots (26), and shots on goal (15). She also ranks fifth nationally in both goals per game and shots on goal per game with respective averages of 1.20 and 3.00. Netzel too ranks seventh nationally in shots per game (5.20), ninth in points per game (2.60), and is 11th in total goals scored with six. Emily Thompson currently paces the team in assists with three while freshman Sami Lipcon leads the way in goal with 27 saves.
CONFERENCE OPENERS UNDER ROBERTS SAHAYDAK
Thursday will mark head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak’s 12th conference opener here at UCF. The Knights have been successful in these games during her tenure, sporting a 7-2-2 all-time record. In the five games that Roberts Sahaydak’s squad has opened conference play at home, the team has gone 4-1. UCF was victorious in its inaugural Big 12 opener last season. The team earned a 4-2 home victory over West Virginia.
ABOUT HOUSTON
The Cougars will come to Orlando with a 3-2-1 record. UH is currently on a three-game winning streak, having knocked off Tarleton State, UTSA and Texas State. Houston went 8-8-2 last season and 2-7-1 in conference play to finish 12th in the league standings. The team was picked to finish 14th in the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Juliet Moore leads the Cougars in goals with three, while Anna Reysa’s two assists are the most on the team. Aryanna Jimison was named to the Big 12 Soccer Preseason team prior to the season.
Houston is led by third-year head coach Jaime Frias.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. HOUSTON
Thursday’s match will be the 21st meeting between the Knights and the Cougars. UCF holds a commanding 17-2-1 lead in the all-time series and an 8-1-0 mark in Orlando. The Knights have won two straight in the all-time series, after defeating UH 1-0 at home in 2022 as well as 1-0 in Houston on Sept. 21, 2023.
FRANKE AND PEREZ WATSON TAKING PART AT 2024 FIFA U20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
UCF has had a pair of players representing their home nations at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Freshman defender Guta Franke is a member of Brazil’s 2024 U20 squad and has moved on to the Round of 16, while redshirt freshman goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson took part in group action for Costa Rica. The 2024 U20 Women’s World Cup is being held Saturday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 22. Franke and Brazil went 3-0 and won their group, while Perez Watson and Costa Rica finished their 2024 run with an 0-3 record.
UP NEXT
Following Thursday’s 2024 Big 12 opener, the Knights will hit the road for their first conference road match of the season on Thursday, Sept. 19 at Iowa State. The Black and Gold will then return to the UCF Soccer Complex on Sunday, Sept. 22 to host conference newcomer Arizona State for a 12 p.m. matinee.
We open conference play vs. Houston on Thursday 😍 pic.twitter.com/wk9FEXaVdO
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) September 10, 2024