ORLANDO – Honoka Hamano and Liz Worden each found the back of the net and Genesis Perez Watson recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season, as UCF defeated Utah 2-0 on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The Knights improved to 8-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in Big 12 Conference competition with the victory, while the Utes dropped to 5-5-3 on the season and 0-2-2 in league play with the result.
“I thought that we weathered the storm in the beginning of the game, and it’s all about being able to put goals away—and we were able to do that tonight,” head UCF coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said.
Scoreless through the first 20 minutes of play, Worden managed to draw a foul in the center of the box which resulted in a penalty kick for the Black and Gold. After review, Hamano slotted one past Utah’s keeper on the right side of the goal to give the Knights a 1-0 advantage in the 24th minute. The goal marked Hamano’s third of the season.
24' | Honoka Hamano sinks the PK!
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 2, 2025
UCF 1, Utah 0 pic.twitter.com/EDZvTuiqtW
UCF continued on the attack over the next few minutes and managed to extend its lead to 2-0 lead following a goal from Worden in the 32nd minute. The Utes’ defense sent a ball back to their goalkeeper Erin Gibbs and Worden put the pressure on and was there to intercept a pass. Worden then fired a shot into the back of the net to add to the Black and Gold’s lead. The goal marked Worden’s fourth of the season to tie with Rajanah Reed for the team lead.
31' | Liz Worden presses through 😤
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 2, 2025
UCF 2, Utah 0 pic.twitter.com/Pqd9pSynpK
“Noki did a great job in a big moment to put that PK away. I was pleased that she was able to stay calm and be present and get one past the keeper,” Roberts Sahaydak added. “Obviously, Liz’s energy on the press, and being able to put it away, was awesome.”
After recording four saves in the opening half, UCF’s Perez Watson posted three more in the second half to come away with her fourth clean sheet of the season. All three second-half saves came from shot attempts from Utah’s Grace Watkins.
With the victory between the sticks, Perez Watson upped her season record to 8-2-1 on the year.
54' Air-Genesis pic.twitter.com/8UQE3ryCFC
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 3, 2025
Reed and Hamano led UCF with a pair of shots apiece in the contest, while Watkins paced Utah with six shots and four on target.
Utah threatened offensively in the contest by recording 20 shots to UCF’s eight and seven shots on goal to the Black and Gold’s three. But the Black and Gold defense and Perez Watson were up for the challenge by shutting out the Utes to record the program’s inaugural victory over Utah in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Knights will remain home to host Kansas State in Big 12 action on Sunday at 1 p.m. The contest will mark Alumni Weekend for UCF. Following Sunday’s matinee, the Black and Gold will hit the road to play at Cincinnati next Sunday (Oct. 12). The Cincinnati match will mark the first of three-game road swing for the Knights.