ORLANDO – UCF’s women's soccer team will embark on its final regular season road trip Friday night, as they travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to face the Kansas State Wildcats.
The Big 12 match is set for 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT at KSU’s Buser Family Park. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats can be followed by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter Friday's matchup with a 10-4-1 overall record and currently in seventh place in the Big 12 standings with 16 points and a 5-3-1 league mark. With a win or a draw on Friday night, the Black and Gold will lock up a top-eight conference finish and a trip to the 2026 Big 12 Women’s Soccer Tournament Presented by AllState that will run Nov. 9-14 in Mansfield, Texas
In UCF’s most recent contest, a 1-0 setback to Houston at home on Sunday, it couldn’t overcome a 1-0 first-half deficit after a quick goal by the visitors in the 12th minute. The Knights’ defense shut out the Cougars for the remainder of the match, with four saves from goalkeeper Kaïna Cesar, but UCF was unable to find the equalizer.
The result snapped a five-game winning streak for the Black and Gold, which marked the program’s longest in Big 12 play since joining the league prior to the 2023 campaign. It also matched UCF’s longest win streak since its first five matches of the 2025 season.
Prior to Sunday’s contest, the Knights pulled out their fifth win in a row with a 3-0 shutout victory over Cincinnati at home last Thursday. Senior forward Naomi Clark notched her team-leading 11th goal of the season in just the game’s fifth minute, and Katsi Bengoa and Gabi Berchon helped the Knights’ put the contest out of reach with a pair of second-half goals.
SEASON LEADERS
Senior forward Naomi Clark leads the Knights offensively in the season with 11 goals and 25 points. She also paces the team in shots (45), shots on goal (23), and game-winning goals (3). Clark also ranks second in the Big 12 in goals, goals per game (0.73) and points per game (1.67). Junior midfielder Ainsley Moy is the team’s top assist leader, as she has dished out eight assists on the season. She also ranks second on the team in points with 12 and is tied for third in the conference in total assists and is in sole possession of third place in assists per game (0.53), as well as in the top 25 nationally in both categories. Junior goalkeeper Kaina Cesar leads the way between the posts with 43 saves, four clean sheets, and a 7-3-1 season record.
ONE OF THE BIG 12’S BEST
Transfer senior forward Naomi Clark has been spectacular this season, as she is in the top three in the Big 12 Conference in several offensive categories. Her 11 goals, 0.73 goals per game, and 1.67 points per game average are good enough for second place in the Big 12, while her 25 points rank third. On the national stage, Clark ranks among the top 25 in the country in both total goals (22nd) and goals per game (23rd), further cementing her status as one of the nation's premier attacking threats.
CLARK NAMED TO TOP DRAWER SOCCER’S MIDSEASON TOP 100 LIST
Senior forward Naomi Clark has been named Top Drawer Soccer’s Midseason Top 100 List. This list recognizes the top collegiate players in the country based on their performances throughout the first half of the season. Checking in at No. 34, Clark is the fourth-highest ranked player in the Big 12 Conference. Clark previously earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 2 after tallying her first career hat trick in a win over UAB. She also earned Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention accolades that same week.
One of the nation’s best ⭐️ Congrats to Naomi Clark on being named to @TopDrawerSoccer’s Midseason Top 100 List! 🔗 https://t.co/06Wf8XaZqZ https://t.co/kPCP5OpGzu
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 26, 2026
HOME SWEET HOME
The Knights have put together a solid record at home so far on the season as they hold an impressive 6-1-1record. UCF opened the season unbeaten at the UCF Soccer Complex through its first seven home matches. The team will look to finish out the season at home on a high note in the regular-season finale against Iowa State on Nov. 5 and posted a 7-1-2 home record a season ago.
KNIGHTS IN THE TOP 25 THIS SEASON
While outside of the Top 25 this week, UCF has been nationally ranked four times this season, most recently checking in at No. 23 in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Week 6 Top 25 Poll. UCF has climbed as high as No. 13 this season after previously ranked No. 14 on Aug. 25. The Knights have also been ranked No. 13 on Sept. 1, No. 25 on Sept. 15, and No. 23 on Sept. 22.
The No. 13 ranking marked UCF’s highest since the 2017 season. The Knights are 1-4-1 this season when nationally ranked and 81-35-20 all-time as a ranked team, including a 43-15-10 mark at home. This season against nationally ranked teams, the Black and Gold hold an unblemished 3-0-1 record.
ABOUT KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats will enter Friday with a 6-7-4 record and a15th-place standing in the conference with a 1-7-1 league mark. K-State picked up its first conference win last week by going 1-1 on the road with a 1-0 victory at Iowa State, before capping the trip with a 1-0 setback at Cincinnati. Kansas State previously picked up a 1-1 draw at home against Arizona on Sept. 24.
Kansas State was projected to finish 14th in the Big 12 this year, after going 2-5-4 and finishing 12th in the league standings. K-State’s 2025 season ended with a 2-2 draw with Iowa State at home. The Wildcats will be looking to earn their first NCAA Tournament appearance this year, as the program is just in its 11th season of competition in 2026.
Junior forward Gabby DeMers leads the Wildcats in goals (6), points (15), and shots (49). There is a four-way tie for leaders in assists with three assists apiece, and junior goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing has 54 saves on the season and a 0.701 save percentage.
Kansas State is led by head coach Colleen Corbin, who is in her second year at the helm. The Wildcats had a significant turnaround, leading them to their first winning season in program history. Prior to Kansas State, she was named the 2022 Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the Wyoming Cowgirls to a conference championship.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. K-STATE
Friday's contest marks just the third all-time meeting between the Knights and Wildcats. Neither squad has yet to take a series lead, as they both enter Friday night's contest under the lights with a 0-0-2 mark. Their latest matchup resulted in a scoreless draw last year at the UCF Soccer Complex. In 2024, the Knights traveled to Buser Family Park in Manhattan for their first-ever contest against K-State, where the two teams played to a 1-1 draw.
MOY TABBED BIG 12 POW AND TDS TEAM OF THE WEEK
Junior midfielder Ainsley Moy was named both the Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week and to Top Drawer Soccer’s National Team of the Week on Oct. 14 after helping lead UCF to a 2-0-0 record with a pair of goals and an assist the previous week. A native of Freehold, New Jersey, Moy first recorded her team-leading seventh assist of the season in UCF’s 2-1 road victory over TCU on Thursday, then followed it up with the first brace of her career to lead the Knights to a 3-1 home win over Oklahoma State on Sunday. Her five points on the week led the conference.
The weekly conference honor and the TDS Team of the Week recognition are both the first of Moy’s career. The Big 12 weekly accolade is the fourth of the season for UCF, as sophomore defender Kalena Bellini earned Defender of the Week (Oct. 7), junior keeper Kaïna Cesar Goalkeeper of the Week (Oct. 7) and senior forward Naomi Clark Offensive Player of the Week honors (Sept. 2).
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 Friday’s match, the Knights will return to the UCF Soccer Complex for their regular-season finale against Iowa State on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The contest will mark Senior Knight for UCF in which eight Black and Gold seniors are expected to be recognized prior to the match. The 2026 Big 12 Tournament Presented by Allstate will run Nov. 9-14 at Texas Health Manfield Stadium in Manfield, Texas.
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 website at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.