ORLANDO – After recording a second straight clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Kansas State last Sunday, the UCF women’s soccer team will look ahead to this Sunday when it begins its three-match road trip with a tilt at Cincinnati.
The match will begin at 12 p.m. at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, and will air live on ESPN+. Live stats can also be followed by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights currently hold an 8-2-2 record through 12 games, as well as a 2-1-2 Big 12 mark that puts them in sixth place in the league standings.
The Black and Gold shared the points in a 0-0 affair with Kansas State on Sunday afternoon, logging their second straight match with a clean sheet.
UCF looked for its third conference victory in a row when it welcomed K-State to Orlando last Sunday but had to settle for a draw in an evenly-contested match.
Although the Black and Gold led in the possession share with 55%, they were unable to capitalize on their control of the ball.
The Knights’ best opportunity to score came around six minutes into the second half, when Tyra Eriksen let a shot loose from the right side of the box, forcing Kansas State goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing to jump to make the save.
At the other end of the pitch, Genesis Perez Watson made five saves to deny any offensive output from the opposition, securing UCF’s second straight clean sheet.
SEASON LEADERS
Liz Worden’s fourth goal of the season late in the first half against Utah brought her even with Rajanah Reed for top scorer on the team. Honoka Hamano’s converted penalty kick brings her to three on the year, tied with Gabi Berchon. Ainsley Moy follows not far behind with two, and Tyra Eriksen, Ella Holloran, and Edidiong Etim have one goal apiece. Worden also tops the assist charts with five, and the points charts with thirteen. Reed continues to lead the shots and shots on goal tallies, with 34 and 15 respectively.
With her fifth clean sheet of the season from her five saves on Sunday, goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson now totals 41 saves and an impressive .837 save percentage. She has played all 1080 minutes of the season for UCF.
EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDED
Through 12 games in 2025, the Black and Gold have scored in eight out of 12 matches, and are 7-0-0 when scoring two or more goals in one game. Defensively, they have kept five clean sheets and have only conceded more than one goal once against Arizona State on Sept. 28, a match in which the Knights came out on top 3-2.
Additionally, UCF has outperformed its statistical expectations on paper this year, posting similar or higher values than predicted on both sides of the ball. Through 12 games, the Knights have scored 19 goals and 1.58 per game, just on par with an Expected Goals (xG) tally of 9.20, and an xG per game mark of 1.60. The defense has performed spectacularly by only conceding eight goals and 0.66 per game, despite an Expected Goals Conceded (xGC) value of 10.94, and an xGC per game tab of 0.91.
The Knights have accrued a higher xG and lower xGC tally than seven of their 12 opponents this season, posting an undefeated 6-0-1 record in those matches.
ABOUT CINCINNATI
The Cincinnati Bearcats (3-5-5, 1-3-1 Big 12) will host the Knights looking for their second straight Big 12 victory, after most recently taking down Arizona 1-0 at Gettler Stadium last Sunday. UC achieved its first conference win of the season after being defeated at Houston 3-1, tying Utah 0-0, losing at BYU 3-0, and falling against Arizona State 1-0. The Bearcats opened their season with a 4-0 victory over Eastern Michigan, and also claimed victory in a 2-0 contest against Central Michigan.
Cincinnati was picked to finish 13th in the Big 12 this year after going 6-9-4 and placing 12th in the 2024 conference standings following a 2-6-3 finish. Their 2024 season ended in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament, falling 3-2 to Oklahoma State.
Forward Coley Sidloski, and defenders Faith Broering and Maddie Swingle lead the UC scoring charts with two goals each. Sidloski is also the points leader with six and is tied for first in assists at two with midfielder Claire Rea, and forwards Rylee Felton and Jada Arthurs.
Goalkeeper Camryn Miller has posted 45 saves on the season, good for fourth in the Big 12. Her five shutouts are tied for sixth place with BYU’s Paiton Collins and UCF’s own Genesis Perez Watson. Her 3.46 saves per game place her in fifth place in the conference. Miller has a .726 save percentage through 13 games.
Cincinnati is coached by third-year head coach Erica Demers, who has led Cincinnati to the Big 12 Tournament in both of her seasons in charge.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CINCINNATI
Sunday’s conference clash will be the 16th meeting between the two programs, with the Knights holding a 7-5-3 advantage. The two sides most recently met last season at the UCF Soccer Complex, playing out a 2-2 draw marked by goals from Brooke Mulroney and former Knight Chloe Netzel in the second half.
GENESIS PEREZ WATSON’S STELLAR START
UCF goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson has had an impressive season so far, commanding a back line that has only conceded eight goals, or 0.66 per game. Perez Watson’s five clean sheets bests her two from 2024, and she has set career highs in save percentage (.837) and goals against average (.670). Her 41 total saves see her in sixth place in the Big 12 Conference standings.
In addition to two clean sheets in her most recent games against Utah and Kansas State, Perez Watson also took home Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week and Big 12 Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
JADA SILVEST RANKED NO. 80 IN TOP DRAWER SOCCER MIDSEASON TOP 100
Redshirt sophomore defender Jada Silvest has been included in Top Drawer Soccer’s Women’s Midseason Top 100 Players list, taking the 80th spot. She has been an instrumental player for the Black and Gold this season, playing 90 minutes in all but two contests, in which she featured for at least 80 minutes in both. Silvest has been a key contributor to the Knights’ five clean sheets in 2025, and she has chipped in going forward with her long-ball assist to Liz Worden in a 3-1 victory against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 17.
BEST START AT THE D1 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 19-8 on the season and after scoring the Knights’ second goal in the victory against Utah last Thursday, Liz Worden now ties Rajanah Reed with four goals on the season. Gabi Berchon and Honoka Hamano are right behind them with three, and Worden continues to front the team in assists (5) and points (13). Reed leads the way with shots (34) and shots on goal (15).
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.
UP NEXT FOR UCF
UCF will continue its travels by heading to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. The Black and Gold will conclude their trip on Sunday, Oct. 19 when they travel to Texas to take on the Houston Cougars, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. ET.