ORLANDO – Fresh off a season-opening come-from-behind victory over Florida last week, the UCF women’s soccer team will head on the road to face No. 21 LSU in Baton Rouge on Thursday night.
Thursday’s contest will begin at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT at the LSU Soccer Stadium. The match will air live on SEC Network+ and live stats will also be available by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter the match with a 1-0-0 record after overcoming an early 2-0 deficit by reeling off four unanswered goals in the season opener last week to top in-state foe Florida, 4-3. Thursday’s contest will mark UCF’s second straight game against an opponent from the SEC and its first road match of the season.
After allowing two early goals to the Gators last Thursday, senior forward Naomi Clark cut the deficit in half in the 25th minute by drilling home her first goal in a Black and Gold uniform thanks to assists from Gabi Berchon and Ainsley Moy.
Trailing by a goal at the half, UCF scored two goals in the opening minutes of the second half to take a 3-2 advantage. Junior Ella Holloran tied things up in the 49th minute on an assist from Kalena Bellini and Clark found the back of the net for the second time of the match for the go-ahead goal just a couple of minutes later by netting a goal in the 52nd minute. In the go-ahead goal, Payton Patrick dispossessed the ball from a UF defender and poked it ahead to Clark who raced it towards the goal to secure her first brace as a Knight.
The score stayed 3-2 UCF until the 84th minute when Gabi Berchon drew and converted a penalty kick to extend the Black and Gold’s advantage to 4-2. The Gators then got a goal back in the 90th minute following a late hand ball call in the box, but UCF’s defense managed to hold the lead over the final 40 seconds to secure the victory.
The win marked the Knights’ seventh straight Opening-Knight victory under head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. It also moved UCF to 6-0-1 in its last seven matches against the Gators.
The brace from Clark led the way for the Black and Gold, while the redshirt sophomore Berchon followed with a goal and an assist. Clark’s brace marked her first as a Knight and the third of her collegiate career, as she recorded a pair of braces last season while playing at Oklahoma.
What a way to open the season 🎥 pic.twitter.com/ZrZEDtyNJC
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 16, 2026
SEASON LEADERS
The senior newcomer Naomi Clark leads UCF on the young season with a pair of goals. She also paces the squad with two shots on goal and is tied in total shots with three. Junior midfielder Ella Holloran is tied in shots with three and has a goal on the year, while redshirt sophomore midfielder Gabi Berchon also has a goal and is tied for the team lead in assists with one. Junior newcomer Kaïna Cesar paces the team in goal with five saves.
ABOUT LSU
The Tigers will enter Thursday ranked 21st on the season in this week’s Top Drawer Soccer poll with a 1-1-0 record. LSU first dropped a 2-0 contest on the road to No. 18 Wake Forest in the season opener before responding with a 5-0 home victory over Northwestern State on Sunday.
LSU was picked to finish in a tie for fourth place in the SEC this season after going 15-6-4 overall and tying for fifth in the league standings last season with a 5-2-3 conference mark. The Tigers, who recorded wins over Houston Christian and No. 21 Iowa in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, had their 2025 season come to a close in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after falling 1-0 to No. 8 Vanderbilt.
Ryann Denecour paces the Tigers on the season with a goal and an assist, while Preseason All-SEC Watchlist honoree Sariyah Bailey leads the team in assists with two. Fellow Preseason All-SEC Watchlist honoree Ava Galligan, who is tied for the team lead in goals with one, is LSU’s top returning goal scorer from the season ago with 11 goals in 2025. Audur Scheving leads the way in goal with five saves.
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY VS. LSU
Thursday's contest will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Knights and Tigers. UCF will enter play holding to a 2-1-2 advantage after topping LSU 2-1 in Orlando last season thanks to a last-second goal from Gabi Berchon. The Knights will also enter undefeated in Baton Rouge with a 1-0-1 record.
WHAT A DEBUT FOR NAOMI CLARK
In her debut match in a Black and Gold uniform, senior forward Naomi Clark didn’t disappoint by scoring a brace and anchoring a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over in-state Florida. Down 2-0 early in the first half, Clark put the Knights on the board with her first goal in the 25th minute to cut the deficit in half. She later gave the Black and Gold the lead in the 52nd minute after racing a loose ball towards the goal and beating the UF keeper. She punctuated the performance with a celebratory back handspring into a backflip, sending Knight Nation to its feet.
The brace marked her first as a Knight and the third of her collegiate career, as she previously had a pair of braces during her junior year at Oklahoma.
O CAPTAIN, OUR CAPTAIN
Redshirt junior midfielder Maria Tregansin has been named UCF's team captain again for the 2026 campaign. Tregansin is in her sixth year with the program and is coming off a stellar 2025 season in which she earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors. She notched a pair of assists in 2025 and started 18 matches in the midfield a season ago.
Tregansin earned both CSC Academic All-District honors and Academic All-Big 12 last year and is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree from UCF in Biomedical Engineering.
10 NEWCOMERS
UCF welcomes in a total of 10 newcomers to the 2026 roster. Of the 10 newcomers, seven are transfers and three are freshmen. Of the transfers, five are upperclassmen in seniors Naomi Clark (F, Oklahoma) and Bella Douglas (D, Boston College), and juniors Kaïna Cesar (GK, Lipscomb), Momo Chogyoji (M, Arizona Western) and Alysiah Lockette (F, Baylor), and two are sophomores in Carli Crews (D, Memphis) and Ansley Ittel (GK, Louisiana Tech). Clark was one of OU's top goal scorers last season with eight goals and five assists.
The incoming freshmen are Haley Cramer (M, Lee's Summit, Mo.), Virginia Green (GK, Nashville, Tenn.) and Daniela Ocampo (M, Alajuela, Costa Rica).
BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
The Knights have been picked to finish eighth out of 16 teams in the Big 12 Conference's annual preseason poll that was announced prior to the season. UCF went 12-4-5 overall and tied for sixth in the Big 12 a season ago with a 5-1-5 league clip. The Black and Gold were picked to finish ahead of Arizona State (9th), Houston (10th), Utah (11th), Arizona (12th), Oklahoma State (13th), Kansas State (14th), Cincinnati (15th) and Iowa State (16th).
The two-time defending Big 12 champion TCU Horned Frogs were picked to win the conference this year. Colorado was picked second, Kansas and West Virginia third, Texas Tech fifth, BYU sixth, and Baylor seventh.
COACH TIFF TO REPRESENT THE USWNT AT 2027 WORLD CUP
UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak has rejoined the U.S. Women's National Team as a current assistant coach on Emma Hayes' staff. Roberts Sahaydak has joined the USWNT a number of times during 2026, as she took part in the team's January Camp, in February for the SheBelieves Cup, in April for the April Camp (friendlies vs. Japan), and in June for the June Camp (friendlies vs. Brazil). She will remain on staff and represent her home nation at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
As a player, Roberts Sahaydak won both Olympic Gold (1996) and the 1999 World Cup with the USWNT. She went on to earn 112 caps for her country. She also previously spent time as an assistant coach for the USWNT in 2022 and 2023 for the 2023 Women's World Cup that was held in Australia/New Zealand.
MOST CURRENT PROS IN THE BIG 12
UCF women's soccer has the most current pros of any Big 12 institution with 28.
Former goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson was the latest Knight to go pro as the 2025 All-Big 12 Second Team honoree signed a professional contract with Atlético de Madrid of the Spanish Liga F this summer. Fellow 2025 All-Big 12 honorees Liz Worden and Rajanah Reed also went pro, as Worden plays for Racing Power FC of Liga BPI and Reed for Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League.
UP NEXT FOR UCF
UCF will stay on the road following Thursday’s contest, as it will head to Tampa to face rival South Florida on Sunday. The Knights and Bulls will do battle at USF’s Corbett Stadium on Sunday at 6 p.m. Following Sunday, the Black and Gold will return to Orlando to host UAB on Thursday, Aug. 27.
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.
Facing our second straight SEC foe on Thursday ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/XKjEvp0Rt5
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 18, 2026