SALT LAKE CITY – The 23rd-ranked UCF women’s soccer team will look to end their cross-country road trip on a high note, as they visit Salt Lake City for the first time in program history to take on the Utah Utes for a Sunday matinee.
Sunday’s showdown is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET/12 p.m. MT at Ute Field. The match will air live on ESPN+, with live stats available to follow on UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will arrive at Ute Field as a ranked squad after they moved up in this week’s IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Poll Top 25 from No. 25 to No. 23. The ranking marks the fourth week this season that the Knights have appeared in the national rankings. UCF debuted at No. 29 in the NCAA’s first RPI rankings of the season that were released earlier on the week.
The Black and Gold enter Sunday’s contest with a 5-2-1 overall record and a 0-1-1 mark in Big 12 play, following their loss at BYU’s South Field in Provo Thursday night.
After BYU struck first with a quick goal in the second minute, the Knights responded with a goal of their own in the 13th minute to tie the game at 1-1 from none other than Naomi Clark, who notched her Big 12-leading eighth goal of the season in as many games. The senior striker found the far side of the net after slipping past the Cougar defense, thanks to helpful passes from Maria Tregansin and Ainsley Moy. The score also represented the 20th goal of Clark’s career.
The Cougars attempted to bounce back in the first half, but Kaïna Cesar and the UCF defense fought hard to keep the match even at the break.
Both squads created opportunities for themselves in the second half, but BYU managed to break the deadlock score in the 70th minute. The Cougars then added on with another goal off a free kick in the 78th minute to extend their lead to 3-1.
The Black and Gold kept fighting, as shots from Clark and Gabi Berchon helped the team look to stage a late comeback in the closing minutes, but the Cougars prevailed to hold on for the 3-1 win.
Clark paced the Knights with three shots on the night, while Moy posted her team-leading sixth assist of the season. Tregansin’s assist placed her second on the team with three. Despite the loss, Cesar tied her season-high with six saves in the box.
SEASON LEADERS
With her goal Thursday night, forward Naomi Clark continued her scoring onslaught with eight goals on the season, pacing the Big 12 Conference. Clark also leads in goals per game (1.00) and points per game (2.25). Nationally, Clark finds herself sixth in the country in goals per game and ninth in points per game. Junior midfielder Ainsley Moy posted her team-leading sixth assist of the season last match, which places her third in the Big 12 in both total assists and assists per game (.750). At the national level, Moy clocks in at fifth in assists per game. Junior goalkeeper Kaïna Cesar leads the squad with 19 saves in the box and a .704 save percentage.
KNIGHTS IN THE TOP 25
UCF finds itself in the Top 25 for the fourth time this season, checking in at No. 23 in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Week 6 Top 25 Poll. The Knights moved up two spots after coming in at No. 25 last week. UCF has climbed as high as No. 13 this season after previously being ranked No. 14 on Aug. 25 and No. 13 on Sept. 1.
The No. 13 ranking marked UCF’s highest since the 2017 season. The Knights are 1-2-1 this season when nationally ranked and 81-33-20 all-time as a ranked team, including a 43-14-10 mark at home.
YOUR BIG 12 LEADER
Transfer forward Naomi Clark has continued her fantastic first impression to Knight Nation, as she’s the Big 12 leader in a number of offensive categories. The Parker, Colorado, native registered all three goals in the Knights’ 3-1 win on Aug. 27 versus UAB, notching her first career hat trick and UCF’s first since Sept. 30, 2018. Most recently, Clark notched an early goal in UCF’s 3-1 setback at BYU on Sept. 24.
The senior’s eight goals through UCF’s eight games are good enough to lead the Big 12 Conference. She also tops the league in goals per game (1.00) and points per game (2.25). Her 18 total points ranks her second in the league, her 1.75 shots on goal average places her third, 3.50 shots per game ranks fourth, and her 28 total shots is good enough for eighth in conference. Nationally, she is sixth in goals per game and ninth in points per game.
ABOUT UTAH
The Utes will enter Sunday’s game with a 3-5-2 overall record and a 0-2-0 Big 12 Conference mark. Utah most recently dropped a 1-0 decision to TCU in its conference home opener on Thursday. The Utes previously fell to Arizona State in their Big 12 opener on Sept. 18 in Tempe. Utah holds its wins on the year over Long Beach State and in-state foes Southern Utah and Utah Valley.
The Utes were picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 Conference this season after going 7-10-3 overall and 2-7-2 in league play to take 13th in the league standings a season ago. Utah has eight NCAA Tournament appearances all-time with its last coming in 2019.
Junior forward Reese Clem and junior midfielder Katie Callaway are tied for the team lead in goals scored with three apiece. Shannon Davidson and Julia Oka are next, as they have two goals apiece. Davidson, Oka and Maddie Stoddard are tied atop the team in assists with two each. Anna Solomon has started and played all 10 games in goal and has a team-best 26 saves and a .722 save percentage.
Utah is led by head coach Hideki Nakada. Nakada is in his sixth season at the helm in Salt Lake City. Nakada holds a 36-46-26 career record and had his best season in 2024 when he led the Utes to a 8-6-5 record and an eighth-place finish in the Big 12 standings in the program’s first year in the league with a 5-3-3 clip.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UTAH
Sunday’s matchup will mark just the second all-time meeting between the Knights and the Utes, and the first at Ute Field in Salt Lake City. The Black and Gold hold a 1-0 series lead, after taking last season’s 2-0 contest at the UCF Soccer Complex, thanks to goals from former Knights Liz Worden and Honoka Hamano. Former Knight Genesis Perez Watson served as a stout presence between the posts, notching seven saves.
NAOMI CLARK TABBED BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior forward Naomi Clark was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 2 after notching her first career hat trick in UCF’s win over UAB. The conference weekly honor marked the first of the career for Clark and the first of the season for the Knights.
CLARK EARNS TOP DRAWER SOCCER TEAM OF THE WEEK HONORABLE MENTION HONORS
Senior forward Naomi Clark also received honorable mention Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week accolades on Sept. 1 after recording her first career hat trick against UAB. The TDS Team of the Week honor marks the second of Clark’s career, as she previously earned the recognition last August while playing for Oklahoma.
UNDEFEATED AGAINST SUNSHINE STATE FOES
UCF went a perfect 3-0 on the season versus Sunshine State opponents with wins over Florida, South Florida and North 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. After having a match at FIU postponed due to heavy rainfall and unplayable field conditions, UCF then capped in-state play with a 1-0 home win over UNF.
The Knights are now 7-1-0 against Sunshine State opponents over the last two years.
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.
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.
FRESHMAN DANIELA OCAMPO TOOK PART IN 2026 FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP
Freshman midfielder Daniela Ocampo represented her home nation of Costa Rica at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup from Sept. 5-27 in Poland.
Despite Costa Rica having their run come to a close in the group stage with an 0-3 record, Ocampo started all three matches for Costa Rica. The national appearance wasn’t the first for Ocampo, as she previously competed for Costa Rica at both the 2024 U-20 World Cup as well as the 2025 U-17 World Cup where she was a team captain for her home nation.
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 Sunday’s contest, UCF will return to Orlando to host No. 13/8 Colorado on Friday, Oct. 2 for the annual Space Game. The Knights will then return to the road the following week to take on TCU in Fort Worth on Thursday, Oct. 8.