IRVING, Texas – UCF redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson has been named the Big 12 Conference Goalkeeper of the Week as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
After leading the Knights to a pair of shutouts last week with a 2-0 victory over Utah and a 0-0 draw against Kansas State, Perez Watson earned her first Big 12 weekly honor of the season.
Perez Watson secured clean sheets in both games for the Knights last week, making 12 saves en route to helping the Black and Gold up their record to 2-1-2 in conference play and 8-2-2 overall.
The Costa Rican shot stopper’s seven saves against Utah were a season high, and the shutouts marked numbers four and five for her this season, a career high.
Perez Watson’s five clean sheets through 12 games are the most for a UCF goalkeeper since 2022, when Caroline Deslisle achieved six in 12.
Perer Watson’s 3.42 saves per game, .837 save percent, and .667 goals against average all put her in fifth place in the Big 12 goalkeeper rankings. Additionally, her 19 saves during conference play puts her in the top 20% of all NCAA Division 1 goalkeepers.
Denied by Genesis.🧤🚫 pic.twitter.com/v6QdW1iK4j
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 5, 2025
The recognition marks Perez Watson’s second of the week, as she was previously named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Women’s Team of the Week on Tuesday after recording the pair of clean sheets last week.
The Big 12 weekly honor is the second for UCF on the season, as redshirt freshman Gabi Berchon previously earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week accolades on Aug. 27. The weekly conference award is also the second of Perez Watson’s career, as she previously earned Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Week honors following a 14-save performance in a 0-0 draw against Colorado on Oct. 13, 2024.
Other Big 12 weekly winners on Wednesday were Baylor’s Aryanna Jimison and Texas Tech’s Taylor Zdrowjewski for offensive, Texas Tech’s Macy Blackburn for defensive, and Kansas’ Becca Smith for freshman.
Perez Watson and the Knights will now embark on a three-game road trip, beginning at Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET, before travelling to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. They will conclude the trip on Sunday, Oct. 19 when they travel to the Lone Star State to take on the Houston Cougars, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.
