ORLANDO – Back for her 13th season at the helm of UCF women’s soccer, head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak likes what she sees from her 2025 squad and is excited to officially open the season this week.
“I’m really looking forward to the season. We have a brand-new team with 12 new players on the roster. But we also have a number of players returning that hold the experience and the knowledge from having played in our system,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Ultimately, I’m a really proud coach because we’ve really gone to work since January. The players that we’ve added have really gelled. They love playing together, and they love training. To be able to coach a team with the attitude that they have is a dream.”
The Knights, who enter their third season of competition in the Big 12 Conference this fall, welcome back six starters as well as 13 returning letterwinners from last season’s team. The Black and Gold will also look to mix in a total of 12 newcomers to the fold with eight incoming transfers and four true freshmen.
“We worked really hard to recruit from the transfer portal and we also have a couple of true freshmen that will make an immediate impact right away. You’re going to see a whole new roster and we’re excited about this year’s team.”
UCF posted a 3-6-6 overall record last season and a 1-5-4 Big 12 Conference clip to finish 13th in the league standings. The Knights were recently picked to finish 12th out of 16 teams in the Big 12’s annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Black and Gold will look to use the projection as motivation for the season to help the program get back to its winning tradition.
THE SCHEDULE
The season will get underway on Thursday with a road match at UAB. UCF will then open its home slate by hosting in-state foe Florida Atlantic on Sunday. The contest will open the first of three straight home matches, as the Knights will also welcome South Florida on Thursday, Aug. 21 and LSU of the SEC on Sunday, Aug. 24. In all, the Black and Gold will host nine home matches in 2025, and Big 12 Conference play will open at home on Sept. 18 against West Virginia and conclude at Texas Tech on Oct. 30.
“We need to be tested early on; the Big 12 Conference is no joke. There’s a lot of travel in the Big 12, so my goal was to not be on the road as much the first half of the season. I’m pleased with our schedule this year and looking forward to getting things going,” Roberts Sahaydak said.
THE SQUAD
With reigning first team all-conference and second team all-region performer Chloe Netzel having graduated, the Knights will look to a new core of goals scorers this season after Netzel found the back of the net nearly 50% of the time for UCF in 2024. Behind Netzel’s 11 goals last year, Edidiong Etim and Honoka Hamano scored the most goals of the Black and Gold’s returners with two apiece. Ella Holloran, Brooke Mulroney, Jessica McCullen and Guta Franke also all return after netting a goal apiece.
Big things are also expected from senior forwards Liz Worden (Long Beach State) and Rajanah Reed (Washington State), as well as senior midfielder Hannah Boughton (Baylor) and sophomore midfielder Ainsley Moy (TCU). Of the group, three of the four have previously played in the Big 12, as Worden previously played at Texas, Boughton at Baylor and Moy at TCU. Redshirt freshman midfielder Gabi Berchon and freshman forward/defender Kalena Bellini will also look to be key contributors around the goal as well as others.
“It is hard to replace a Chloe Netzel, and we won’t, since you guys saw how dominant she was,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “We brought in Liz Worden—from Long Beach State and Texas—and we’re going to be leaning on her. We have another amazing goal scorer in Rajanah Reed, also a transfer. You’re going to love her style. She is very deceptive and can get many looks on goal.
“Our midfield is also very strong. We have a number of key returners there as well as some newcomers that will be big for us. We also have a freshman in Kalena Bellini that has been playing both forward and defender, and I feel that she was our most effective forward in our exhibition against JU. Will we have a Chole Netzel, I hope so, but I know as a whole that we’ve added a lot more talent to this roster.”
