ORLANDO – After suffering its first defeat of the season on the road last week, the UCF women’s soccer team responded by defeating in-state foe North Florida by a score of 1-0 in the team’s non-conference finale on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The Knights improved to 5-1-0 with the victory while UNF dropped to 2-2-3 with the setback. The Black and Gold will next begin their fourth season of Big 12 Conference competition on Thursday, Sept. 17 by hosting No. 22 Texas Tech.
“It was really important for our team to respond after the Brown game. We wanted to get back to the details and be true to who we are,” said UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. “We didn’t score as many goals as we would have liked tonight, but I’ll celebrate a shutout. UNF is a good team, and they make things very difficult defensively. Overall, I’m glad we were able to get one in, and I’m happy with our performance.”
With the Knights controlling the action in the opening half and recording nine early shots, Payton Patrick broke a scoreless tie in the 34th minute with her second goal of the season to give the Black and Gold the lead. Following a corner kick from captain Maria Tregansin, Kalena Bellini played a ball into the box that deflected off Ainsley Moy and fell directly to Patrick, who buried her shot into the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
34' | Payton Patrick puts us on the board 🫡@GetSpectrum First Goal of the Game pic.twitter.com/odrLImt2Im
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) September 11, 2026
In a dominant first half, UCF outshot the Ospreys 11-0 and 5-0 on frame over the first 45 minutes.
The Knights continued to be on the attack in the second half by getting off a handful of shots over the first 15 minutes. UCF’s Gabi Berchon had a chance to put one away in the 62nd minute, but the shot hit off the crossbar to keep it a 1-0 score.
Naomi Clark then had an opportunity for the Black and Gold in the 75th minute from the right side, but the shot ricocheted off the near post. Patrick nearly notched her second goal of the game the following minute, but her shot was saved by UNF’s Sofia Miliancano.
North Florida generated a couple of chances over the next few minutes, but UCF’s defense held firm to keep the Ospreys off the scoreboard as the Knights secured a 1-0 victory.
In all, the Knights outshot UNF 24-7 and 8-2 on goal on the night. Clark and Berchon led the way with five shots apiece, while Patrick finished with four.
In her first game back from injury since the season opener, goalkeeper Kaïna Cesar earned her first shutout in a Black and Gold uniform to move to 2-0-0 on the season. Cesar saved both of UNF’s shots on target on the night.
The result moved UCF to a perfect 3-0-0 on the season versus Sunshine State opponents with wins over Florida, South Florida and North Florida. The 5-1-0 record marks UCF’s best since last season when the team too opened the year with a 5-1 mark through six matches of play.
UP NEXT
The Knights will now turn their attention ahead to Big 12 Conference play, as they will host No. 22 Texas Tech on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. Following next Thursday’s Big 12 opener, UCF will then head to the Rocky Mountains to face No. 13 BYU on Sept. 24 and Utah on Sept. 27. A season ago, the Black and Gold tied for their best finish in the program’s Big 12 era by taking sixth with a 5-1-5 league record.
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.