ORLANDO – Fresh off a 2-0 shutout victory over No. 24 Georgia on Sunday, the UCF women’s soccer team will head to Tampa for a Thursday evening contest at South Florida.
The match, which will mark the Black and Gold’s final non-conference contest of the season, is set for 7 p.m. at USF’s Corbett Soccer Stadium. The in-state clash will air live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via UCF.Statbroadcast.com.
The Knights, who are receiving votes in this week’s United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, are unbeaten on the season with a 2-0-2 overall record. UCF is 1-0-1 on the year against fellow Sunshine State opponents, as it opened the season with a 5-1 victory at Florida Atlantic and later recorded a 2-2 draw at Florida.
The Black and Gold will enter Thursday off a 2-0 shutout victory over the ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Senior Knight at UCF last Sunday. Freshman Ella Holloran scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 41st minute and senior Chloe Netzel later added her sixth goal of the season in the 48th minute to help lead to the victory. Freshman keeper Sami Lipcon also had a big match by recording her first career clean sheet thanks to four key saves down the stretch in the second half.
Sunday’s 2-nil win marked UCF’s first shutout of the season and its first since Oct. 15, 2023, when it blanked Cincinnati, 1-0. It also marked the Black and Gold’s first regular season win over a ranked opponent since Sept. 5, 2021, when it knocked off No. 7 Penn State, 2-1, at home.
A total of six UCF seniors were honored prior to the match in midfielder Annika Huhta, defender Taylor Jacobson, midfielder Caitlyn Matthews, forward Netzel, goalkeeper Lizah Pistorio and defender Kyleigh Thelen. Five of the six saw time in the match and Netzel led the way by finding the back of the net.
NETZEL’S HOT START
The senior Netzel will enter Thursday leading the team in goals (6), points (13), shots (20) and shots on goal (12). She has also scored in all four games on the year, which includes a pair of braces. Netzel ranks second nationally in goals per game average with a 1.50 clip. She is also third in the nation in both total goals (6) and points per game (3.25), fourth in shots on goal per game (3.0), eighth in shots per game (5.0), and 10th in total points (13). Junior Emily Thompson fronts the team in assists with three on the season, while Lipcon leads the way in saves (17) and shutouts (1).
JADA SILVEST EARNS BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
UCF redshirt freshman Jada Silvest received Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Wednesday after helping the Knights blank the Bulldogs last week. Silvest was a key contributor from the Black and Gold’s backline by starting and playing all 90 minutes. She also recorded her first career assist in the contest, as she fed a deep pass from near midfield to the top of the box that led to Netzel’s sixth goal of the season.
The weekly conference honor is Silvest’s first of her career as well as UCF’s first of the season.
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA
The Bulls will enter Thursday with a 3-1-1 record. After falling 5-0 to No.1 Florida State in their season opener, USF has gone on a four-match unbeaten streak. They recorded a 1-1 draw in their last game at Big 12 foe Kansas on Aug. 29.
South Florida went 10-6-2 last season and won the American Athletic Conference regular season title with a 6-1-2 conference mark. USF ended its season by falling 1-0 in the first round of the AAC Tournament to Florida Atlantic. The Bulls were projected to finish second in the 2024 AAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Anna Sutter leads the Bulls with four goals on the season while Gentiana Fetaj’s three assists are the most on the team. Georgia Brown, Sadie Sider-Echenberg and Serita Thurton earned AAC Soccer Preseason Watchlist honors before the season.
USF is led by first-year head coach Chris Brown.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. USF
Thursday’s match will be the 24th meeting between the Knights and Bulls. UCF leads the all-time series against USF, sporting a 13-6-4 record. The Black and Gold also hold a 5-3-1 advantage in Tampa. The last meeting between these two teams occurred last season. The Knights earned a 2-0 victory at home to give them two straight victories over their rivals.
GUTA FRANKE AND GENESIS PEREZ WATSON CURRENTLY TAKING PART AT 2024 FIFA U20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
UCF has a pair of players that are representing their home nations at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup currently in Colombia. Freshman defender Guta Franke is a member of Brazil’s 2024 U20 squad, while redshirt freshman goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson is playing for Costa Rica. The 2024 U20 Women’s World Cup will run Saturday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 22. Franke and Brazil are off to a 2-0 start in group play, while Perez Watson and Costa Rica dropped their first contest to the Netherlands on Monday. Costa Rica’s next match is set for Thursday against Korea DPR, while Brazil will face Canada on Friday.
UP NEXT
Following Thursday’s match at USF, the Knights will prepare for Big 12 Conference play as they’ll host Houston on Thursday, Sept. 12 in their 2024 Big 12 opener. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex.
Facing a familiar foe on Thursday in Tampa ‼️ pic.twitter.com/4kxSolAoq9
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) September 3, 2024