TEMPE, Ariz. – In the midst of a two-game road trip in the Grand Canyon State, the UCF women’s soccer team will conclude the trip by facing No. 17 Arizona State in Tempe on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s Big 12 matinee will begin at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. MST and be contested at ASU’s Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats can be followed by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter the contest with a 6-2-1 overall record and an 0-1-1 Big 12 mark after dropping a 1-0 result to Arizona in the opening match of the trip on Thursday evening in Tucson.
The Wildcats scored the lone goal of Thursday’s contest via a penalty kick. With both sides battling and the game still scoreless late in the first half, Arizona’s Aurora Gaines found herself with an opportunity on the left side of the box. After a foul was called on the Black and Gold as Gaines fell to the turf, the UA forward was able to score what turned out to be the game winner on a penalty kick in the 43rd minute by ricocheting the ball off the post and into the back of the net.
The Black and Gold came out and looked determined to even the score in the second half by controlling the possession battle early in the stanza, but UA managed to hold on to the lead despite a handful of shots from the Knights down the stretch.
Despite finishing on the wrong end of the score sheet, the UCF offense outshot the Wildcats 8-7 on the night. Jessica McCullen and Gabi Berchon led the way with a pair of shots apiece and Ainsley Moy and Katsi Bengoa finished with shots on goal.
UCF goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson finished with a game-high saves but ended up falling to 6-2-1 on the season with the result.
SEASON LEADERS
Arizona native Rajanah Reed continues to lead the team in scoring with three goals on the year. Her 14 shots on goal also front the Knights and she is tied with teammate Liz Worden in total shots with 27. Worden also paces the team in assists with four and points with eight. She also has two goals to tie for second with teammates Gabi Berchon, Honoka Hamano, and Ainsley Moy.
Between the posts, goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson continues to provide defensive stability with her 26 saves and .813 save percentage, playing all 810 minutes on the year so far.
JUST UCF’S THIRD VISIT TO THE GRAND CANYON STATE
This week’s trip will mark just UCF’s third trip in program history to the Grand Canyon State. The Knights previously made the trip to take part in the Cats Classic to play both Arizona and Arizona State in Tucson in 2010, as well as the Sun Devil Desert Classic to play both schools again in 2017 in Tempe. UCF posted a 3-0-1 record over the four matches and is now a combined 4-3-2 all-time against the Wildcats and Sun Devils following Thursday’s result.
This week, Knights take on the desert 🏜️ pic.twitter.com/P1DMlRLz4Q
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) September 23, 2025
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE
The Sun Devils (8-0-2, 1-0-1 Big 12) will enter the contest ranked 17th in this week’s Top Drawer Soccer top 25 poll. An undefeated ASU dropped points for only the second time in 2025, drawing Oklahoma State 0-0 on Thursday. Prior to then, Arizona State won six games straight, capped off with a 2-1 victory over No. 10 ranked BYU.
With their +17 goal difference, the Sun Devils are one of three Big 12 programs with a goal difference of +15 or better, joining Colorado and Houston who each sit on +24. ASU also ranks in the top three in the Big 12 for goals, assists, points, and corner kicks.
Arizona State was picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 this year after going 8-8-3 and placing 11th in the 2024 conference standings following a 3-7-1 finish. The program’s 2024 season ended in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, falling 2-1 to Kansas. The Sun Devils have made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2023.
Sun Devil senior Tatum Thomason (M/F) leads the team in goals with five, along with her three assists. Senior Cameron Valladares (M/F) leads the squad in assists with seven, along with her three goal contributions. Both of them are co-leaders in points with 13, and are followed not far behind by freshman Addison Baltodano (D/M/F) with nine points from three goals and three assists. Valladares’ seven assists see her in second place in the Big 12 Conference, only behind Texas Tech’s Macy Blackburn with eight.
Between the sticks, goalkeeper Pauline Nelles has 31 saves, and a .861 save percentage, good enough for third in the Big 12.
Arizona State is coached by ninth-year head coach Graham Winkworth, who has brought the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four years.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ASU
Thursday's match will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Knights and Sun Devils and just UCF's second visit to Tempe. The Black and Gold will enter with a 3-1-1 series advantage. The two played to a 1-1 draw last season in Orlando, but UCF had won three straight matches prior to that—4-1 in 2019, 2-1 in 2017 and 5-0 in 2010.
BEST START AT THE DI LEVEL
The Knights began the 2025 season with an unblemished 5-0-0 start. The 5-0 record marked the Black and Gold’s best start to a season in program history at the NCAA Division I level and the best since the program's inaugural season of competition in 1981 when UCF opened a perfect 7-0.
UCF opened the year with a 2-1 victory on the road at UAB and followed it up with a trio of home wins over Florida Atlantic (3-1), South Florida (4-1) and LSU (2-1). The Knights then defeated their second straight SEC foe on Aug. 28 with a 1-0 shutout victory at Florida.
UCF has outscored the opposition 14-6 on the season and after scoring the game winner in the 87th minute at Florida on Aug. 28, Rajanah Reed leads the way with three goals. Liz Worden, Ainsley Moy, Honoka Hamano, and Gabi Berchon are right behind her with a pair of goals apiece. Worden fronts the team in assists (4) and points (8), and Reed leads the way with shots (27) and shots on goal (14).
Now at 6-2-1, the record marks the Knights' best start to a season since 2023 when the team opened with a 7-2 clip.
4-1 AGAINST SUNSHINE STATE FOES
The Knights capped non-conference play with a solid 4-1-0 record against Sunshine State foes on the season.
The Black and Gold first pulled out back-to-back home wins over Florida Atlantic (3-1) and South Florida (4-1), before shutting out the Florida Gators on the road by a score of 1-0. UCF then suffered a 1-0 setback in its first loss of the season to FIU at home on Sept. 4, but responded with a 2-0 victory at North Florida in the Black and Gold's non-conference finale on Sept. 11.
LATE GAME MAGIC
UCF has scored a pair of game-winning goals with the clock winding down against SEC foes on the season.
All deadlocked at 1-1 and less than 30 seconds to play against SEC foe LSU, the Knights found themself in a goal line scramble. Gabi Berchon took a shot from the center of the box with 17 seconds to go but LSU’s keeper was there to make the save. The ball then bounced over to Tyra Eriksen and she got off another shot that was again saved, but the ball deflected to Berchon right in front of the goal and she was able to slot it home for the dramatic game winner with just 11 seconds on the clock.
Scoreless at Florida just days later and in the 87th minute, Guta Franke fed a deep pass over the top to Liz Worden. Worden then deflected it ahead to Reed on the right side of the box and the senior forward was able to drill a late strike into the back of the net to propel UCF to another thrilling victory.
BERCHON TABBED BIG 12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
UCF redshirt freshman midfielder Gabi Berchon was named the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Week following a standout performance that included her first collegiate brace and a dramatic game-winning goal against LSU. The Porto Alegre, Brazil native helped give UCF an early lead in the match, as she found the back of the net on an assist from Honoka Hamano in the fifth minute. With the game all knotted up at 1-1 and under 30 seconds remaining in the match, Rajanah Reed fed a cross into the box and Berchon fired a shot from the center of the box with 17 seconds to go but LSU’s keeper was there to make the save. The ball then bounced over to Tyra Eriksen and she got off another shot that was again saved, but the ball deflected to Berchon right in front of the goal and she was able to slot it home with 11 seconds remaining for the dramatic game winner. The weekly conference honor marked UCF's first of the year and also the first of the career for Berchon.
UP NEXT FOR UCF
The Knights will next return home to welcome conference foes Utah and Kansas State to the UCF Soccer Complex. The Black and Gold will first host the Utes on Thursday, Oct. 2 before welcoming the K-State Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 5. Sunday’s match will mark the Alumni Game for the Knights.
TICKETS
UCF women’s soccer season and single-game tickets are on sale now. Please visit ucfknights.com/tickets for more information or call the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.