DURHAM, N.C. – Despite a career-high 15 saves from goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson, seventh-seeded UCF women’s soccer had its 2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship run come to a close with a 1-0 setback to the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night at Freeman Field at Koskinen Stadium.
The 15 saves not only mark a career-high for Perez Watson but also tie for the fourth-most in UCF women’s soccer history and the most since 1997 when Alyssa O’Brien achieved the feat against UW Milwaukee.
The Knights close their season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 12-4-5 record with the result, while No. 11/10 Duke (15-4-1) advances on to the Sweet 16 to face the third-seeded Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday.
“I’m really proud of our team. For me, what I told them after the match was that it's not just about one game, we really need to look at the whole season. If we look at the whole season, it’s something to be really proud of, and we're a team that stayed together and believed in one another and fought to the end today,” head UCF coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said.
The Blue Devils, who finished third in the ACC this season, were the aggressors early, as they got off a handful of shots in the first few minutes, but Genesis Perez Watson and the UCF defense managed to keep Duke off the scoreboard.
Perez Watson continued to play well in the first half with a couple of brilliant saves midway through the opening stanza.
23' | Genesis with the denial 🧤
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) November 21, 2025
UCF 0, Duke 0 pic.twitter.com/AjjbYm9AIu
Following another pair of impressive saves from Perez Watson, Duke managed to get on the scoresheet in the 35th minute via a goal from Mia Minestrella. The goal marked Minestrella’s team-leading 16th score of the season.
Over the first 45 minutes of action, the Blue Devils outshot the Knights 14-2 and 7-1 in shots on frame. Perez Watson led the way by tallying six first-half saves.
The Knights had a chance offensively in the 50th minute after Honoka Hamano was fouled a few yards outside of the box. Senior forward Liz Worden then fired off a left-footed shot from the free kick that was just saved in the lower corner by Duke’s Caroline Dysart to keep it a 1-0 contest.
Ainsley Moy followed with a shot from distance in the 58th minute but the attempt sailed high and Worden fired another shot off from the top of the 18 minutes later, but it was blocked.
The Blue Devils continued to put pressure on offensively throughout the second half, but Perez Watson continued to shine in goal for the Knights. The redshirt sophomore from Costa Rica denied nine more shots that were sent her way in the final 45 minutes in action to finish with the incredible tally of 15 saves. She stopped an impressive tally of 15 of Duke’s 16 shots that were sent on target in the match, which included a pair of late saves in the 86th minute.
86' | Genesis moves into fourth-place in the all-time record books with her career-best 15th save
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) November 21, 2025
Duke 1, UCF 0 pic.twitter.com/j9CqGEiu0u
The Knights looked to piece together a late rally by threatening in the final minute, but Duke’s defense prevented UCF from getting off the game-tying shot.
In all, the Blue Devils finished with 26 shots and 16 on target while UCF put up six total shots and two on goal. Seniors Rajanah Reed and Worden tallied the Black and Gold’s shots on frame in the game, while Kat Rader led Duke with seven shots and five on target.
“I thought the first half, wasn't our best. I think we were still trying to get our footing, and we have a lot of respect for Duke, so we may have been overwhelmed,” Roberts Sahaydak added. “I thought we did a much better job in the second half overall. And then this superstar woman right here (speaking of Perez Watson), obviously, she kept us in the game. She's at the top of her game, and we're extremely proud of her performance tonight, but not just tonight, it's all the work that she's been putting in since she's been with us at UCF. So, she deserves to have a game like that, and I’m really proud of Genesis.”
The setback marked just the Black and Gold’s second over its last 12 matches.
The result marked the conclusion of UCF’s 2025 campaign. The Knights had a strong season in which they recorded their most wins since 2017 with 12 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last four seasons. UCF also posted a sixth-place finish in the Big 12 this season with a 5-1-5 record and was one of a conference-record eight Big 12 institutions to advance to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.
We couldn’t do it without you 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Q0v84lNCcs
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) November 21, 2025