Women’s Soccer Travels to Tampa to Face South Florida SundayWomen’s Soccer Travels to Tampa to Face South Florida Sunday
Ethan Currie

Women’s Soccer Travels to Tampa to Face South Florida Sunday

by James Warnick

ORLANDO – Fresh off a 2-1 triumph at No. 21 LSU on Thursday night, the UCF women’s soccer team will look to continue its winning ways when it heads to Tampa to face South Florida on Sunday.

The rivalry contest between the Knights and Bulls is set to begin on Sunday at 6 p.m. at USF’s Corbett Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.

The Knights will enter Sunday unbeaten on the season with a 2-0-0 record. Both of UCF’s victories have been against competition from the SEC, as the Black and Gold first defeated Florida, 4-3, in the season opener and followed that up with a 2-1 win at No. 21 LSU on Thursday.

In Thursday’s victory in Baton Rouge, junior transfer Alysiah Lockette netted her first goal in a Black and Gold uniform in the first half and redshirt senior Payton Patrick notched her first goal as a Knight in the second half to help lead the Knights to victory.

With time winding down in the first half and the game still scoreless, the Knights found Lockette open on the left side, and she drilled home a left-footed strike to give the Black and Gold a 1-0 advantage in the 39th minute. Maria Tregansin and Naomi Clark helped set up the goal, as they both were credited with assists.

With the Knights holding to the one-goal advantage in the 64th minute, Tyra Eriksen raced a ball down the left side. She then fed a pass into the center of the box to Clark and the senior forward found Patrick streaking towards the goal on the right side for an easy tap in to extend UCF’s lead to 2-0. The goal was assisted by both Clark and Eriksen.

The Tigers later cut the deficit in half in the 77th minute when Ava Amsden intercepted a pass and found the back of the net from beyond the 18 to make it a 2-1 contest. LSU continued to press in the closing minutes, but strong play from the Black and Gold’s backline along with a solid performance from sophomore keeper Ansley Ittel in her first appearance as a Knight helped seal the victory for UCF.

Behind than Lockette and Patrick’s goals, Clark tied a career-high with a pair of assists and led the way with four shots. Eriksen and the captain Tregansin also added assists on the night for the Black and Gold. As a team, UCF outshot LSU 11-8.

The victory moved UCF to a perfect 5-0 over its last five matches against SEC opponents. It also marked the Tigers’ first non-conference home loss in two years.

SEASON LEADERS

Senior Naomi Clark leads UCF offensively on the season with two goals, two assists, and six points. Gabi Berchon, Ella Holloran, Alysiah Lockette and Payton Patrick are next with one goal apiece. In goal, Kaïna Cesar leads the way with five saves, while Ansley Ittel has two.

MAKE THAT FIVE STRAIGHT AGAINST SEC OPPONENTS

The Knights hold wins over both Florida and No. 21 LSU on the season to move their win streak over SEC opponents to five. UCF has defeated both Florida and LSU twice during the streak, as well as No. 8 Georgia at home in 2024. The Black and Gold’s last non-victory against an opponent from the SEC was Aug. 25, 2024, when they drew with Florida in Gainesville. The Knights’ last loss to an SEC foe came on Aug. 24, 2023, at Georgia.

4-1 AGAINST SUNSHINE STATE FOES A SEASON AGO

The Knights capped non-conference play a season ago with a solid 4-1-0 record against Sunshine State foes. 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.

This year, UCF will face a total of four in-state opponents and is off to a 1-0 record with a season-opening victory over the Gators.

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA

USF will enter Sunday searching for its first win of the season as it will enter with an 0-2-0 record. Sunday’s contest will mark the home opener for the Bulls as they opened the season on the road with a pair of matches in the Evergreen State. South Florida first fell 5-1 to Gonzaga on Opening Day, before dropping a 4-1 result at Pac-12 foe Washington State last weekend.

The Bulls were picked to finish fourth in the American Conference this season after going 9-8-3 overall and tying for seventh in the conference standings in 2025 with a 4-4-2 league mark.

With just two goals as a team on the season, Amelia Malkin and Maya Hindson are tied for the team lead with one goal apiece. Malkin also fronts the squad in shots with seven. USF is yet to record an assist on the year. Gaby Rourke leads the way in goal with six saves over 157 minutes played.

South Florida is coached by head coach Chris Brown who is in his third season at the helm in Tampa.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. USF

Sunday's match will mark the 26th all-time meeting between the Knights and Bulls. UCF will enter the contest holding to a 14-7-4 advantage and has won three of the last four meetings, which includes a 4-1 win in Orlando last year. The Knights will also enter holding to a 5-4-1 record in Tampa.  

OPENING KNIGHT SUCCESS UNDER ROBERTS SAHAYDAK

After coming from behind to defeat in-state foe Florida by a score of 4-3 last Thursday, UCF has now won seven straight Opening Knight matches. Its last season-opening loss came in 2019 to No. 16 Wisconsin.

During the stretch, the Black and Gold have defeated Florida twice (4-3 and 3-0), UAB (2-1), Florida Atlantic (5-1), Purdue (1-0), Texas (4-0) and Temple (3-0). The Knights have also outscored the opposition an impressive 22-5 over their last seven season openers and have shut out four of the seven opponents.

Under head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, the Knights hold a 9-5-0 record in season openers. Over the last 14 season openers, the Black and Gold have outscored their opponents 27-15, as they have nearly doubled up the opposition.

COACH TIFF TO REPRESENT USWNT AT 2027 WOMEN’S 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 been with 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

The Black and Gold will next return to the UCF Soccer Complex to host UAB on Thursday, Aug. 27. Thursday’s game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+. Following Thursday, UCF will head to Miami to take on FIU on Sept. 3.

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.