ORLANDO – Following a strong 2025 campaign that took the Knights to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, UCF women's soccer head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in 2026.
“I can’t believe the season is already here. We started preseason earlier than usual this year, and it seems like it flew by,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Preseason has been going really well, and fans are going to see a lot of new faces on the team this year. I’m extremely excited about this group and can’t wait to officially get things started.”
The Knights, who enter their fourth season of competition in the Big 12 Conference this fall, welcome back five starters along with 13 returning letterwinners. The Black and Gold will also mix in a total of 10 newcomers to the squad this year with seven incoming transfers and a trio of true freshmen.
“We’ve had a couple of exhibition matches, and we’ve learned and grown from them. Now it’s time to get going. We have a lot of new players, but we’re all excited about our potential,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “We have an identity in mind, and now it’s time to establish it and prove who we are.”
UCF went 12-4-5 overall a season ago and posted a 5-1-5 Big 12 Conference mark to record a sixth-place finish in the conference standings. The 2025 Knights then earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the tournament’s second round after recording a 2-0 home win over Maine in the opening round.
Coach Roberts Sahaydak is back for her 14th season at the helm of UCF women’s soccer. Roberts Sahaydak is an Olympic Gold medalist, World Cup champion and two-time NCAA champion. She is also a four-time conference coach of the year and has led the Knights to six NCAA Tournaments during her time in Orlando. She is also a current assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s National Team and will be a part of the USWNT’s 2027 World Cup run in Brazil next summer.
The Knights tied their best finish in the program’s Big 12 era a season ago by taking sixth last year with a 5-1-5 league mark. The Black and Gold were recently picked to finish eighth out of 16 teams in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll that was released earlier in the month.
“The Big 12 is a lot of fun because of the level of competition day in and day out,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Our players are excited for that challenge, and we’re looking forward to starting conference play after our non-conference schedule.”
THE SCHEDULE
The 2026 season will officially get underway for the Black and Gold on Thursday when the Knights welcome the Florida Gators to town for an Opening Knight clash. UCF will enter play unbeaten in their last six matches against UF. Thursday’s season opener will begin at 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex and will air live on ESPN+.
Following a pair of road matches at No. 16 LSU and South Florida the following week, the Black and Gold will host UAB on Aug. 27. The Knights will later close non-conference play with a home contest against North Florida on Sept. 10.
After suffering just one defeat in conference play a season ago, the Knights will begin their 2026 Big 12 Conference slate by hosting No. 23 Texas Tech on Sept. 17. UCF will also host home matches against No. 13 Colorado (Oct. 2), Oklahoma State (Oct. 11), Cincinnati (Oct. 22), Houston (Oct. 25), and Iowa State (Nov. 5). The Knights will also take on No. 6 TCU, No. 20 West Virginia, BYU, Utah, and Kansas State on the road. The 2026 Big 12 Soccer Tournament Presented by Allstate is scheduled for Nov. 9-14 at a site to be announced at a later date. In all, UCF is scheduled to face six teams that advanced to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
“Our expectation is to reach the postseason, finish in the top half of the Big 12 Conference and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Obviously, our ultimate goal is to win it, but first we need to make sure we qualify for the Big 12 Tournament and put ourselves in position to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.”
THE SQUAD
With UCF’s top two goal scorers from a season ago in Liz Worden and Rajanah Reed as well as goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson having gone pro, the Knights will look to some new faces to fill those voids in 2026. Reigning First Team All-Big 12 selection Worden and Second Team All-Big 12 honoree Reed combined for 50% of the team’s goals last year, while fellow Second Team All-Big 12 performer Perez Watson played every minute in goal for the Black and Gold.
Redshirt sophomore midfielder Gabi Berchon is UCF’s top returning goal scorer from a season ago after netting a trio of goals, while junior forward Ella Holloran and junior midfielder Ainsley Moy are next after each scoring a pair of goals. Sophomore forward Tyra Eriksen, junior forward Edidiong Etim, and redshirt junior defender Jada Silvest also each found the back of the net once in 2025. Berchon is also the Black and Gold’s top returning point scorer with nine, as she also added a trio of assists in 2025.
Redshirt senior midfielder Maria Tregansin is back for her sixth year with the Knights and was recently tabbed UCF’s 2026 team captain. Tregansin is the team’s lone returning all-conference performer, as she earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors last year after notching a pair of assists and starting 18 matches for the Knights.
Big things are also expected from a number of newcomers this season. Senior transfer Naomi Clark is a forward from Oklahoma that scored eight goals during her junior year at OU last season. Fellow transfer Alysiah Lockette is a junior forward that played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Baylor and found the back of the net three times for the Bears in 2025. Senior transfer Bella Douglas (defender from Boston College) and redshirt sophomore Carli Crews (defender from Memphis) will look to add to UCF’s back line. A pair of transfer goalkeepers will look to add to UCF’s goalkeeping core in junior transfer Kaïna Cesar (Lipscomb) and sophomore transfer Ansley Ittel (Louisiana Tech). Cesar earned third team All-ASUN honors last year at Lipscomb.
THE NEWCOMERS
Of UCF’s newcomers, seven are transfers in Kaïna Cesar (goalkeeper, Lipscomb), Momo Chogyoji, (midfielder, Arizona Western), Naomi Clark (forward, Oklahoma), Carli Crews (defender, Memphis), Bella Douglas (defender, Boston College), Ansley Ittel (goalkeeper, Louisiana Tech), and Alysiah Lockette (forward, Baylor). Five of the seven are upperclassmen and two are seniors in Clark and Douglas. The Knights also welcome in a trio of freshmen to the roster this year in Haley Cramer (midfielder, Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Virginia Green (goalkeeper, Nashville, Tenn.) and Daniela Ocampo (midfielder, Alajuela, Costa Rica).
“The transfer portal has been great for us, and we feel like we added some outstanding players for the season. One of those additions is Naomi Clark. She’s athletic, fast and has a knack for finding the back of the net. We also brought in a balanced group to address some needs on the defensive side. I’m confident we can maintain the same attacking style and offensive production we had last season with this new group of players,” Roberts Sahaydak added.
THE RETURNERS
The Knights welcome back five starters from last year’s squad in defenders Jada Silvest (R-Jr.) and Guta Franke (Jr.), midfielders Maria Tregansin (R-Sr.) and Ainsley Moy (Jr.), and forward Tyra Eriksen (So.). Tregansin is a sixth-year senior for the Black and Gold while Silvest is in her fourth year as a Knight. Eight other returning letterwinners are back for UCF in 2026 in defenders Kalena Bellini (So.), Jessica McCullen (R-Sr.) and Brooke Mulroney (R-Sr.), midfielders Gabi Berchon (R-So.), Katsi Bengoa (Jr.), Ella Holloran (Jr.) and Sophia May (So.), and forward Edidiong Etim (Jr.). McCullen and Mulroney are both in their fifth seasons of competition for the Black and Gold.
The Knights also have four players coming back that redshirted last year in forward Payton Patrick (R-Sr.), defenders Camryn Szotak (R-So.) and Natalie Leon (R-Fr.), and goalkeeper Brianne MacDonald (R-Jr.). Patrick highlights the group, as she earned American Conference Second Team honors during her junior campaign at Charlotte after tallying 18 points that season with five goals and eight assists.
