UCF Women’s Soccer looks for success with lineup of talented sophomores, juniors

Courtesy UCF Athletics YouTube Channel

The UCF Women’s soccer team is preparing for the 2017 season. Kicking off on August 9 against the University of Miami, the team led by coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, looks to improve upon its 2016 9-7 record.

Part of that challenge will include facing off against teams such as AAC matchups including UConn and Cincinnati, both teams the Knights had fell to.  The team will also host Sahaydak’s Alma Mater, the North Carolina Tarheels (8/25), the LSU Tigers(9/8) and the Temple Owls(10/22).

With the conference championships expected to begin November 1, the Knights are expected to host nine home games over the course of their season while playing on the road in eight events.

Last season the team had difficulty winning away games with a 5-3-1 away record versus a 4-3 home record. This was the same issue in respects to conference opponents versus non-conference opponents.

After the Knights kick off the season in Miami, they’ll return for their first home game of the season on August 17 against North Florida. The team will be on the road again in South Carolina to then return for two consecutive home games; one verse Stetson University and the other verse North Carolina.

The Knights will be led by goalkeepers Rebecca Harb and Vera Varis. In terms of offense, the Knights will be led sophomore midfielder Katrina Kuoksa, sophomore Zandy Soree and seniors Morgan Ferrara and Hannah Debose. Led defensively by senior Saga Fredriksson and junior Emily Tipton, the Knights are stacked with a group of experienced sophomores and juniors.

Last year, the Knights saw big production from Ferrara with seven goals, DeBose with five assists and Soree with four. In goal last year, Varis played 17 games, made 51 saves and let in 26 goals.

The full schedule for the women’s soccer team can be found on UCFKnights.com.

About Olivia Parsons 8 Articles
Olivia Parsons is a staff writer for Knight Sports Now. You can follow her on Twitter at @OliviaRParsons.