MANSFIELD, Texas – The UCF women’s soccer team saw its 2026 Big 12 Tournament run come to a close Monday night, falling 2-0 to No. 7/6 Texas Tech in the quarterfinal round at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium.
The seventh-seeded Knights dropped to 11-5-2 on the season with the result, while the second-seeded Red Raiders moved to 13-2-4 and advanced to the tournament’s semifinal round with the victory.
UCF recorded the first shot on goal of the opening half when Guta Franke's header off a corner kick was saved in the 11th minute. After much of the early action was contested in the midfield, Texas Tech registered its first shot on frame in the 19th minute, but Black and Gold goalkeeper Kaïna Cesar was there to make the save.
With the match still scoreless after 30 minutes, Texas Tech broke through when Gianna Gregoire found the back of the net to give the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead. Gregoire intercepted a UCF clearance attempt inside the box and finished a shot into the far side of the goal.
Texas Tech tallied eight shots to UCF’s three over the first 45 minutes.
The Knights were the aggressors early in the second half as they looked to find the equalizer early, but Ella Holloran’s shot from distance was saved in the 54th minute.
Still 1-0 with under 20 minutes to play, Tech added to its lead with a goal from Kaitlyn Giametta in the 73rd minute. The Big 12 Forward of the Year Taylor Zdrojewski found Giametta open on the far side of the field and Giametta finished from the top of the box for the score.
The Black and Gold looked to stage a late comeback with shots from Daniela Ocampo, All-Big 12 Second Team honoree Kalena Bellini, and Gabi Berchon down the stretch, but they all sailed off target.
Texas Tech held the edge in shots, outshooting UCF 12-7 overall and 5-2 in shots on goal over the full 90 minutes.
The setback marked the first of the season for UCF against a nationally ranked opponent as it now holds a 3-1-1 mark versus top 25 foes. It also resulted in the Black and Gold first all-time loss to Texas Tech, as the all-time series moves to 1-1-3.
UCF has been eliminated from the 2026 Big 12 Women’s Soccer Tournament presented by Allstate with the result.
UP NEXT
The Knights will now await a possible at-large selection to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. ET. UCF currently holds the No. 29 RPI ranking and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament a season ago.