ORLANDO – Fresh off a 2-0 week on the road en route to entering the national rankings for the first time since 2023, the No. 14 UCF women’s soccer team returns home to host UAB on Thursday.
Thursday’s contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. The match will air live on ESPN+ and live stats can be followed by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter the game a perfect 3-0-0 on the year and newly ranked 14th nationally in this week’s IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll and 21st in the Top Drawer Soccer Poll. The Black and Gold hold two of those wins over SEC foes with a 4-3 win over Florida and a 2-1 victory at then-No. 21 LSU in Baton Rouge last Thursday. UCF most recently defeated rival South Florida in Tampa on Sunday by a score of 2-0.
Over the two matches last week, senior forward Naomi Clark and sophomore forward Tyra Eriksen led the way by each tallying a goal and a pair of assists. Clark tied a career-high with two assists in the win at LSU and found the back of the net on Sunday at USF. Eriksen had an assist in the win in Baton Rouge and scored what proved to be the game winner on Sunday in Tampa and assisted in UCF’s second goal.
In Sunday’s match at South Florida, Eriksen started the scoring in the 23rd minute. The Swede collected a ball that was headed her way by a USF defender at the top of the box and managed to bury a shot home for the Knights’ first goal. Just five minutes later, Eriksen then assisted on UCF’s second goal as she fed a ball to Clark at the top of the 18 and Clark did the rest thanks to some fancy footwork to make it 2-0 Knights.
The Black and Gold held their lead from there en route to recording the victory.
In just her second start in the UCF uniform, sophomore keeper Ansley Ittel recorded her first clean sheet as a Knight. Ittel played well all night and recorded one save on her way to moving to 2-0-0 on the year.
The Knights dominated the match from start to finish by outshooting the Bulls 17-3 and 7-1 in shots on target. Eriksen led the way with a career-high four shots while Clark had all three of her shots on frame.
SEASON LEADERS
Senior Naomi Clark fronts the Knights offensively with three goals, eight points and is also tied for the team lead in assists with two. Her eight points are good enough to pace the Big 12 Conference while her three goals also tied for the league lead. Clark, sophomore Tyra Eriksen and junior Ainsley Moy are tied for the team lead in assists with two apiece. Kaïna Cesar is the team leader in saves with five, while Ansley Ittel is right behind her with three and has started the last two matches in goal.
KNIGHTS ENTER TOP 25
UCF enters Thursday's match ranked No. 14 in the country in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Week 2 Top 25 Poll. The No. 14 ranking is the program’s best appearance in the poll since 2021. They also achieved a No. 21 national ranking in this week's Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 Poll.
The Knights find themselves back in the national rankings for the first time since 2023. That season, they received a season-high No. 19 ranking in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.
When ranked, the Black and Gold hold an impressive 80-31-9 record all-time (.689 winning percentage). When the Knights enter a home game with a national ranking, they have posted a 42-14-9 mark (.720 winning percentage).
CLARK CONTINUES HOT START
Newcomer Naomi Clark maintained her torrid introduction to Knight Nation on Sunday versus rival South Florida. The transfer senior forward from Oklahoma put the pressure on in the early, thanks to her early shot on goal in the 13th minute. After a goal by sophomore Tyra Eriksen in the 23rd minute, Clark quickly extended the Black and Gold lead to 2-0 after striking her third goal of the year in the 28th minute.
After her third consecutive stellar performance, Clark leads the Big 12 conference in points with eight and points per game with 2.67. She also finds herself tied for the conference lead in goals with three and goals per game with one. Nationally, Clark is in the Top 25 in terms of points scored with her eight points scored.
The senior opened her season by recording a brace in her Black and Gold debut to help lead the Knights to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Florida in the season opener.
ABOUT UAB
UAB enters Thursday with a 1-2-1 record thus far on the young season. They earned a 4-2 home victory on Opening Day versus Georgia State, before dropping two games in Birmingham to SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Their lone road game resulted in a 1-1 draw at Western Kentucky.
The Blazers were picked to place eighth in the American Conference this season after finishing with a 7-6-6 overall mark and tying for fourth in the 2025 conference standings with a 4-3-3 record. Their season came to a close following a 2-1 loss in the American Conference Championship to UTSA.
Senior forwards Avery Berryman and Lailah Stewart lead the charge with two goals apiece. Both Berryman and Stewart were included on the American Conference’s Preseason Watchlist, along with senior defender Ava Mills. The former notched an assist on Opening Day, giving her the team lead in points with five. Fellow senior Leah Parsons serves as the team’s leading goalkeeper, with nine saves in 270 minutes.
The Blazers are led by head coach Lisa Mann, who is in her fourth season with the team. She enters Thursday’s match with a 21-20-17 record in Birmingham.
ALL-TIME HISTORY VS. UAB
Thursday's match will mark the 13th all-time meeting between the Knights and Blazers. The two programs were Conference USA adversaries from 2005-2012. UCF will enter play holding to an 8-3-1 series advantage and having won six straight meetings, which includes a 2-1 win in the season opener in Birmingham last year. UCF is also a perfect 3-0-0 in the series at home.
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.
2-0 VERSUS SUNSHINE STATE FOES
UCF is a perfect 2-0 on the season versus Sunshine State foes with wins over Florida and South Florida. The Knights started the season with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Gators and followed that up with a 2-0 victory at USF the following week. UCF will play a total of four in-state opponents this year.
The Knights capped non-conference play a season ago with a solid 4-1-0 record against Sunshine State foes. The Black and Gold recorded home wins over Florida Atlantic (3-1) and South Florida (4-1) in 2025, and picked up road wins at Florida (1-0) and North Florida (2-0). UCF's only in-state loss came to FIU at home.
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 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
Following Thursday, the Knights will next hit the road for a pair of away matches next week. UCF will first head to Miami to face FIU on Thursday, Sept. 3 before traveling to Rhode Island to face Ivy League foe Brown on Sunday, Sept. 6. The Black and Gold will close non-conference play on Thursday, Sept. 10 when North Florida visits the UCF Soccer Complex.
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.
Back at 🏠 on Thursday! pic.twitter.com/egvOANMZTw
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 25, 2026