ORLANDO – The UCF women’s soccer team returns home this week to host in-state foe North Florida on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The Sunshine State contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com. Thursday’s match will also feature a 30-minute pregame show that will air live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m.
In what is scheduled as the team’s final non-conference game of the season, the Knights will enter Thursday with a 4-1-0 record. UCF is just outside the top 25 this week, as it is receiving votes for this week’s IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.
The Black and Gold won their first four matches to open a perfect 4-0 before having last Thursday’s contest at FIU postponed due to heavy rain and unplayable field conditions in Miami. The Knights then dropped their first match of 2026 on the road to Brown University of the Ivy League by a score of 7-0 last Sunday.
In the program’s first trip to the state of Rhode Island, the Bears jumped out to an early lead by scoring just 90 seconds in. The Knights looked to answer as Naomi Clark had a couple of shots over the next 20 minutes, but Brown went on to add three more goals over the first 45 minutes take a 4-0 lead into the break.
The Bears then put the game away with a trio of more goals in the second half to go on to win by a final tally of 7-0.
The 4-0-0 start prior to Sunday’s result was UCF’s best start to a season since last year when the Black and Gold opened with the program’s best start at the Division I level with a 5-0-0 record.
SEASON LEADERS
With the program’s first hat trick on Aug. 27 since 2018, senior Naomi Clark has now scored six goals five matches matches to lead the squad and the Big 12 Conference. She also paces the team in points (14), shots (16) and shots on goal (10). The senior also fronts the league in goals per game (1.20), points (14), and points per game (2.80). Junior midfielder Ainsley Moy leads the team in assists with three, while Kaïna Cesar fronts the squad with five saves in goal and Ansley Ittel, who has started the last four games, is right behind her with four.
YOUR BIG 12 LEADER
Transfer forward Naomi Clark continued her fantastic first impression to Knight Nation on Aug. 27 against UAB. The Parker, Colorado, native registered all three goals in the Knights’ 3-1 win, notching her first career hat trick and UCF’s first since Sept. 30, 2018. Clark set the early tone by scoring in the game’s 27th second, before breaking a 1-1 tie in the 71st minute with a strike to give UCF the lead. She then added some insurance with a goal in the 79th minute off a corner kick to cap off the Knight victory.
The senior’s six goals through UCF’s five games are good enough to lead the Big 12 Conference in both goals (6) and goals per game (1.20). When factoring in her two assists on the year, she also leads the league in both points (14) and points per game (2.80) She also ranks in the top five nationally in both goals per game and points per game, as she’s currently fourth in both categories. She is also 13th in total goals and 16th in both points and shots on goal per game (2.20).
KNIGHTS CURRENTLY RECEIVING VOTES FOR TOP 25
UCF enters Thursday's match just outside the top 25 and currently receiving votes in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Week 4 Top 25 Poll. The Black and Gold spent the last two weeks nationally ranked, as they were ranked 14th on Aug. 25 and 13th on Sept. 1.
The last time UCF found itself ranked 13th in the nation was Sept. 26th, 2017. The Knights followed up that honor with dominant 5-1 and 6-0 wins over then-conference opponents Tulsa and Memphis, respectively.
The Knights hold a 1-1-0 record on the season when nationally ranked with a 3-1 victory over UAB and a 7-0 setback to Brown.
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA
The Ospreys will visit Orlando with a 2-1-3 overall record and being unbeaten over their last five matches. North Florida is 2-0-3 during the stretch with wins over Jacksonville State and Saint Leo, as well as draws versus FIU, College of Charleston and Alabama A&M. UNF’s lone loss of the season came to Georgia Southern on the road in the season opener.
North Florida was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference this season after going 9-9-4 overall in 2025 and taking third in the ASUN Graphite Division last year with a 5-3-2 record. The Ospreys had their 2025 campaign come to a close in the championship game of the ASUN Tournament.
The reigning ASUN Player of the Week Paige McSwigan leads UNF with six goals on the season after notching her first career hat trick in North Florida’s 4-3 victory over Jax State last Sunday. McSwigan also leads the Ospreys in points with 12 and shots on goal with six. Six players are tied for the team lead in assists with one, while Sofia Miliancano tops the squad in goal with 13 saves and has started all six matches.
UNF is coached by Eric Faulconer. In his eighth season in Jacksonville, Faulconer holds a 58-42-29 record and is also a six-time United Soccer Coaches Region Coach of the Year.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTH FLORIDA
Thursday's match will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the Knights and Ospreys and the third over the past four seasons. UCF will enter play with an unblemished 4-0-0 series advantage and is a perfect 2-0-0 at home. The Knights last defeated UNF by a score of 2-0 last season in Jacksonville on goals from Ainsley Moy and former Knight Honoka Hamano.
NAOMI CLARK TABBED BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior forward Naomi Clark was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week last week 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 last after recording her first career hat trick last week against the Blazers. 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 is a perfect 2-0 on the season versus Sunshine State opponents 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 is scheduled to 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.
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 TO TAKE PART IN 2026 FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP
Freshman midfielder Daniela Ocampo will represent her home nation of Costa Rica at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup that will run Sept. 5-27 in Poland.
The national appearance won't be 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
The Knights will next open their fourth season of Big 12 Conference competition on Thursday, Sept. 17 by hosting No. 22 Texas Tech at the UCF Soccer Complex. Following UCF’s Big 12 opener, the Knights will hit the road for a Rocky Mountain swing next week with league matches at No. 13 BYU (Sept. 24) and Utah (Sept. 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.