Women’s Soccer Records Decisive 5-0 Victory over Houston in Big 12 OpenerWomen’s Soccer Records Decisive 5-0 Victory over Houston in Big 12 Opener

Women’s Soccer Records Decisive 5-0 Victory over Houston in Big 12 Opener

by James Warnick
Box Score

ORLANDO – Chloe Netzel recorded her third brace of young season en route to leading UCF women’s soccer to a decisive 5-0 shutout victory over Houston in the Big 12 Conference opener on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.

The senior Netzel scored the Knights’ (3-1-2, 1-0-0 Big 12) first goal of the evening in the eighth minute and later capped the scoring with her eighth goal of the season in the 71st minute. Taylor Jacobson, Edidiong Etim and Mia Asenjo all also found the back of the net on the evening for the Black and Gold.

“I’m really proud of the team. One of our goals was to inspire tonight, and I thought that we did exactly that,” head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. “Overall, it was a full and total performance. We played a lot of players, and everybody contributed. I loved our effort.”

With Asenjo racing for the ball in the box in the eighth minute, UH (3-3-1, 0-1-0 Big 12) keeper Olivia Dietrich tackled the UCF forward to the pitch which resulted in a penalty kick for the Knights. Netzel took the PK and calmly buried the ball in the bottom left corner for her seventh goal of the year.  

“I think Chloe’s early goal helped set the tone for us tonight. We are a good team, and we like to have the ball. When you score an early goal, it helps you relax and play the way you want to,” Roberts Sahaydak added. “So, getting that early goal was key for us.”

Holding to the 1-0 advantage in the 22nd minute, Annika Huhta played a corner kick into the center of the box that was headed out and the senior defender Jacobson was there to fire it into the back of the net. The goal marked Jacobson’s first of the season and first of her career.

The Knights later tacked on their third goal of the half in the 37th minute, as Kyleigh Thelen fed a cross into the box off a free kick and the freshman Etim was there to head it into the left side of the net for her second goal of the season.

In a dominant first half, UCF tallied eight shots on goal while the Cougars couldn’t connect on frame.

Holding to the 3-0 lead in the second half, Etim raced a ball down the right side in the 65th minute and fed a cross into the box to a streaking Asenjo and she was able to drill the ball home to give the Black and Gold a 4-0 advantage. The goal marked Asenjo’s first of the season and fourth of her career.

Netzel then capped the scoring in the 71st minute, as Brooke Mulroney passed a ball ahead to her at the top of the 18 and the senior captain was able to get enough on the shot to chip it home off of a deflection to give UCF the 5-0 lead. The goal marked Netzel’s third brace of the season as well as the third of her career.

In all, UCF produced 12 shots on the goal in the contest to just two from Houston.

A total of 22 players saw action in the game for the Knights, which included the first minutes of the season for Polly Watson, Jade Steele, and Genesis Perez Watson. It also marked UCF’s second shutout of the season and its first clean sheet in Big 12 play since it blanked Cincinnati, 1-0, on Oct. 15, 2023. Sami Lipcon and Perez Watson combined for the shutout on Thursday, as the two keepers split time in goal and totaled two saves on the evening.

The five-goal outing marks the Black and Gold’s second five-goal performance on the season, as they previously defeated Florida Atlantic 5-1 in the season opener in Boca Raton. With the win, UCF improves to an impressive 18-2-1 all-time against the Cougars. The Black and Gold also moves to 2-0 in Big 12 Conference openers, as they defeated West Virginia, 4-2, in their inaugural Big 12 match last season.

The Knights will next hit the road for their first Big 12 away match on the season on Thursday, Sept. 19 at Iowa State. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT start and will mark the first meeting between the two programs. Following the game, UCF will then return home to host Big 12 newcomer Arizona State on Sunday, Sept. 22 at noon.