ORLANDO – Behind a brace from Naomi Clark, UCF women’s soccer overcame an early 2-0 deficit by reeling off four unanswered goals to defeat Florida 4-3 in the 2026 season opener on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The senior forward Clark recorded her first brace as a Knight with a pair of goals, while Ella Holloran added a second-half goal and Gabi Berchon scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 84th minute off a penalty kick.
UCF (1-0-0) is now unbeaten in its last seven matches against the Gators (0-1-0) with the win and has also won seven straight Opening-Knight contests. The Knights last loss to UF came a decade ago on Sept. 18, 2016.
“I’m really proud of the team for how they handled adversity tonight,” UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. “We had a great conversation at halftime, and the girls took the information to heart and responded. It truly took every player to earn this win, and everyone played an important role.”
Florida jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a goal from Zoe Main in the second minute and another from Adia Symmonds in the 19th. But back struck the Knights, as the senior transfer Clark helped jumpstart the Black and Gold’s offense in the 25th minute. She found the back of the net on assists from Ainsley Moy and Gabi Berchon to cut the deficit in half.
With the score still 2-1 UF at the half, Kalena Bellini fed a ball to Holloran at the top of the box and the junior slotted a shot home on the right side of the goal just after the break to deadlock the score.
Ella equalizes right out of the break‼️ pic.twitter.com/kaGtbLrd98
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 14, 2026
Just three minutes later in the 52nd minute, Clark picked up a deflected ball and raced it towards the box and beat the Florida defense to give the Knights the lead with her second goal of the game. The brace marked her first as a Knight and her third in the last two years.
THE CELLY 🤯#NCAAWSoccer x 🎥ESPN+ / @UCF_WSoccer pic.twitter.com/9yrBzoScf7
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) August 14, 2026
The Black and Gold did a nice job defending their box from there by playing stout defense over the next 30 minutes to keep it a 3-2 advantage.
The redshirt sophomore Berchon then drew and converted a penalty kick in the 84th minute for UCF’s fourth unanswered goal to extend the Black and Gold’s advantage to 4-2.
Gabi slots home the dagger from the spot🙌 pic.twitter.com/PIhESAuWRt
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 14, 2026
A PK was later awarded for Florida after hand ball was called following a VAR review in the 90th minute. UF’s then Hannah Jibril made things interesting by netting the goal to pull the Gators within one. But UCF managed to hold on over the final minute to record the season-opening victory.
Clark finished with the brace while Berchon had what proved to be the game-winning goal and an assist to lead the way for the Black and Gold. Clark and Holloran also led the way with three shots apiece.
Newcomer Kaïna Cesar earned her first victory in goal in a Black and Gold uniform by tallying a game-high five saves.
Up Next
The Knights will next hit the road to face their second consecutive SEC opponent when they travel to Baton Rouge next week to face No. 16 LSU on Aug. 20. UCF defeated the Tigers last season at home thanks to a last-second game-winning goal from Berchon.
Tickets
UCF women’s soccer season and single-game tickets are on sale now! Please visit ucfknights.com/tickets for more information or call the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.